Just cats being cats or something else?

[Nadine25]

So I am in desperate need of some cat expertise here. My cat, a beautiful 8 year old boy, has always been an anxious kitty. He's always been easy to startle. Yesterday, we were playing when he suddenly froze and started doing that cat thing, of treating neutral objects that he had seen a hundred times before as if they were foreign and scary, he went up to a roll of toilet paper and swatted at it and even got startled by the patterns on my pillowcase. I didn't think much of it initially, as I have watched many of my other cats have similar episodes in the past. They'd swat at things, make sure they're non threatening and then go about their day.

But this lasted longer and at some point he even seemed to be startled by me. And then he was fine for a few minutes, but then it happened again a couple more times. He'd stare with wide eyes and start acting scared (of everything!). At some point I even thought he was hallucinating.

He's a Persian, and he is on a hybrid diet of both soft and dry food. I looked around the internet and found out about feline hyperesthesia syndrome which kinda makes sense to some extent, but his case would be very mild.

He'd been acting a bit odd today and had one more episode that lasted less than a minute. I don't know what to do. My friends asked me to dismiss this as normal cat stuff, and said that in Hyperesthesia cats normally mutilate themselves, something that he doesn't do. I don't know whether to take him to the vet, wait it out, or consider it normal cat stuff.

What do you think?

 

[fionasmom]

I can only comment on hyperesthesia, which Chelsea who is 10 has. If we are assuming hyperesthesia here, the difference is that Chelsea has never reacted to normal objects as strange, but always went into "states" where her eyes got big and dark and she started to snarl at an unseen and intangible enemy. She never mutilated herself, but she would seemingly be unable to recognize her tail and would chase it ferociously, and not in a cute way, until the episode passed. My vet looked at several videos I took, given that it never happens in the office, and agreed it was classic hyperesthesia. I am sure that there are variables in how it manifests itself in different cats. Having said that though, your cat may not have this condition and I would bring it up to the vet at some point, sooner or later depending on how serious you think this is.

No one is sure, but I believe that hyperesthesia is part of a seizure disorder. Chelsea never took any meds for it as it was followed about a year later with intestinal lymphoma.....and I am not saying that there is any connection and have never heard of one. Oddly, the meds for that condition seemed to make the hyperesthesia less pronounced.....

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I don't think that sounds like hyperesthesia at all. He is old enough that he should have a thorough vet check up, including a full scale blood panel. He could be having seizures, it could be a chemical deficiency, or it might be another form of neurological disorder. He could even be having issues with his sight or hearing - causing the startled non-recognition issues you describe. If all, or most, of his behavior is recent, it is not 'normal cat stuff' - at least not for him.

The vet check up is a starting point -particularly if he hasn't had one in the recent past. And, taking some videos of his behavior to show the vet is a good idea.

I assume he is eating/drinking well, with no litter box issues, since you didn't mention any - so that is a good sign for now.

 

[stephanietx]

Do you use any topical flea treatments?