Need advice - is this Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome?

[Lemmy Katmister]

Thanks for the add! My 5 year old boy Lemmy is usually a big, gentle, sucky love bug. He's never had any health issues at all until the last few days when he started having episodes. The first time I noticed anything was amiss was when he stopped jumping upon the best to wake for his breakfast (he's a food monster). Then a day or two later there were a couple of times I walked by him and gave him a gentle pat on the back (normally very affectionate and loves attention, pets, roughhousing) and he cried out and jumped like I shocked him. Later that day, he started having the same reaction even when not being touched. He would be sitting on the counter and all of a sudden make a weird noise and jump/scoot away, looking behind him confused as to what happened. A couple of times I was nearby and he looked at me like he thought I did something to him. This happened on the evening of Boxing Day, and I found one vet that was open the following day (Sunday) and was there first thing in the morning. I was very worried about some sort of spinal injury or a blockage/injecting of a sharp object that was causing these painful outbursts. Nothing at all showed up on xrays, bloodwork etc, and he was totally fine the entire 4 hours he was there - eventually took him home $600 poorer and with no answers. Within 30 min of returning home, he started having bad episodes, and frequent - every 15 min or so. It was freaking me and my other 2 cats out, so I scooped him back into his carrier and went to the after hours emergency vet where he was admitted. He was kept overnight and for 24 hours total, handled by multiple people, pet, watched, and nothing - totally normal cat. Soooooo frustrating! Picked him up last night and brought him home and immediately started having episodes. I put him a room by himself, dragged a mattress in there, made room as comfy as possible, bought calming spray, etc. and set up shop with him for the night. Poor guy could not get confortable or relax at all, as soon as he'd settle a bit, he's get another jolt - every 15-25 min all night. He would act strange, stare at walls/nothing, come burrow under the covers (never does that) or lie on me awkwardly. sometimes he'd lay on my chest for 5 min and then I could feel the sudden twitch/spasm and he'd shoot off. This went on till 5 am, when I finally decided that the environment had to be a trigger- he would be fine in a stressful vet hospital environment with strangers, but constantly triggered at home with me without being touched. The video I am going to post shows a typical episode - he wanders over to the door and looks "off", uncomfortable. After pawing at the door a bit you can hear the guttural noise he makes before scooting away. I'd love to hear what people think and if this is typical FHS behaviour/attack. Thanks in advance!

I have a rental property that I am fixing up, so when I figured environment must be a factor (5AM), I packed Lemmy up with some of his stuff and have moved him there, where I currently am with him. I am washing everything (beds, blankets, my clothes) to try and get rid of whatever is triggering him. Not sure if it could be an allergy, or the other 2 cats (normally they are all best buds, but other cats reacted weird to his episodes and after coming home from vet). The frequency of the episodes has decreased at the new place, but still having some - move is obviously stressful, and he keeps rubbing up against me constantly which I feel like is triggering episodes. At a loss for what to do next, other than to explore medication options. I've sent the video to the vet and waiting to hear back on their opinion before going down that road.

Sorry for the super long first post, just want to include all pertinent info to try and get this figured out so I can get my poor guy some relief.

*edit- how do you post videos? mp4 not allowed?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Do you have You-Tube? It seems there has been an ongoing issue on this site with uploading videos. If you can upload one to You-Tube, you can post link here on this site. That seems to work.

Without seeing the video, my first guess is an outside cat that is disturbing him, or other 'new' sounds within in your apartment complex that are affecting him.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

Hi. Do you have You-Tube? It seems there has been an ongoing issue on this site with uploading videos. If you can upload one to You-Tube, you can post link here on this site. That seems to work.

Without seeing the video, my first guess is an outside cat that is disturbing him, or other 'new' sounds within in your apartment complex that are affecting him.

I will try YouTube- thanks! I live in a house and he lives other cats and has never been bothered by them before.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It really does, without being able to view the video, sound like something environmental. And it could be something as simple as a noise from outside that didn't register with you at all, but did with him, and now certain things are triggering it. It's a bit like PTSD, actually. I'm thinking environmental rather than hyperesthesia syndrome simple because a change of environment completely stopped the episodes.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

It really does, without being able to view the video, sound like something environmental. And it could be something as simple as a noise from outside that didn't register with you at all, but did with him, and now certain things are triggering it. It's a bit like PTSD, actually. I'm thinking environmental rather than hyperesthesia syndrome simple because a change of environment completely stopped the episodes.

It has reduced, but not stopped the episodes- and his back is still really sensitive and he is doing the twitch thing still

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Ah. That makes it still questionable, but...could be environmental.

Where are you located? Country is fine...I'm confused, as you spoke of $600 dollars, but also mentioned Boxing Day. Once I've pinned that down, I'll do some researching on possible sources of help in your area. You may PM me with that, if it makes you more comfortable.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

I'm in Edmonton, Canada. Almost positive it is a neurological issue - he is back to having 2-3 episodes per hour. They seem to happen most often when he is on average of falling asleep (poor guy hasnt slept much in 2 days and neither have I), or after eating, when excited/stressed. I uploaded 2 episodes to YouTube and will post links. Turn volume way up to hear the sound he makes.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

Here is another example from middle of the night:

 

[FeebysOwner]

It is hard to really tell anything from those videos, at least for me. But, since you feel pretty sure that it is some sort of neurological issue, then follow your gut and search for a vet specialist in neurology. If you like your current vet, ask them for a referral. Providing the videos for them to see may be helpful. I don't know what all they can test for, and I am pretty sure there is no way to conclusively diagnose hyperesthesia, but the neurology specialist should be able provide some insight about what this might or might not be.

Did you take him back home, or is he still in the rental property? Whatever is going on, it probably isn't helping matters by removing him from 'his home'.

Hopefully, Mamanyt1953 has been able to provide with you some resources in your area.

 

[fionasmom]

I am on the fence as well, but am by no means a hyperesthesia expert. I do have a 10 year old cat who has FHS diagnosed by the vet, for as much as you can diagnose it. I believe it is part of a seizure disorder but that is only one theory.

Chelsea's manifestation was to go into her own world, eyes got huge and dark but apparently she was "seeing" nothing including what was in front of her. Deep vicious sounding growling and snarling next. Then the tail chasing started and I sometimes had to stop her from mutilating it. When I say stop her, I mean by interfering with gloved hands or an object like a pillow as it was completely unsafe to touch her.

I also see that your cat seems to be interested in something in the environment but again, that does not mean I am right. You have spent a lot of money and if the cleaning up of the rental property does not work, go to a specialist. You will save money in the end by not consulting regular vets who are not trained in neurology and going with one more test which proves nothing.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

The video with him at the door was probably a bad example. For 90% of episodes, he is simply lying down on or near me and just starting to settle into sleep, when bang - he gets jolted. When on me, there is no warning - I just feel him spasm suddenly and make this weird noise that seems involuntary. He will sometimes have a 2nd or third aftershock in next minute, or sometimes he will be fine for half an hour or more.

I realize that moving him was not ideal, but he knows the house as he lived there or 4 of his 5 years. It's very quiet and calm, and after a night of spastic episodes every 15-20 minutes all night long, I didnt know what else to do. I needed to see if it was my other cats, an allergen, something I couldnt hear, etc - a specific environmental trigger that was causing constant relentless attacks. I am moving back there in 3 weeks anyways, so seemed like the best move given the circumstances as I could eliminate a few variables as to the cause/trigger.

update:

after another rough night, I took lemmy back to the emerg vet first thing this morning. I dealt with a different/much better/senior vet, who had some first hand experience with FHS and had professional contact/collaboration with an expert in recent years. Best option available with nearest neurologist 400km away.

Long story short, after showing more recorded videos, his opinion was that it wasnt typical FHS, but was most likely some sort of neurological issue. We decided to treat it like it was FHS and see if there is improvement. He also expelled his anal glands and gave a preventative flea treatment (no evidence of fleas , just in case) to eliminate 2 more potential triggers. tested for fLv, also negative. Started him on liquid Gabapentin to begin, and will see how that goes before waking more prescription med steps. I am also going to try pet-specific CBD oil, as it has shown to provide relief from some neurological ailments . Although he's only fed the best wet foods, picked up some limited ingredient food to see if something in his foods could be a trigger.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

To clarify, I own the rental property - tenants are out, and I am moving back there in 3 weeks.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the update! It sounds like you, at least, have a plan to see if you can help out Lemmy.

Now, my next question is (don't hate me) how does a neurological issue all of a sudden show up in a 5yo cat? There has to be a reason...

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

Thanks for the update! It sounds like you, at least, have a plan to see if you can help out Lemmy.

Now, my next question is (don't hate me) how does a neurological issue all of a sudden show up in a 5yo cat? There has to be a reason...

I have no idea, but from reading many like FHS can present in first 5 years. Something could also have happened when I was home - a fall, injury playing with other cats, some sort of electrical shock. Go forbid developed a brain tumour. if no improvement is seen, next step will be making the 400km drive to see nearest animal neurologist for

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

*for more advanced testing

 

[FeebysOwner]

I hope you know I wasn't trying to sound mean... keep us posted, please.

 

[fionasmom]

I hope that possibly the gabapentin will solve the problem and you and your cat can return to a normal life.

 

[Lemmy Katmister]

3 doses in, and so far so good - seeing definite improvements with the liquid Gabapentin so far. He's had such a rough go, I dread the thought of having to squirt stuff down his throat twice per day. Luckily he's a food monster and mixing it with some bone broth and wet food masks the taste and he scarfs it down.

We both got some sleep last night finally, after giving him his first dose. The frequency and severity of the episodes decreased that night big time vs the previous few. This morning he was super playful and energetic, chased his toys around and played before conking out for a solid 4-5 hour afternoon nap with no jolts/episodes waking him up - so great to see. He did have a couple of small ones after his 4pm feeding..... falling asleep and after feedings are when they most often hit. All in all today was a big improvement though, I only caught 3-4 total for the day that I noticed, and they seemed to bother him a lot less. Instead of running and then being confused and coming over to me whining and looking for comfort after, he'd just carry on with what he was doing. Seemed much more like himself overall and settled into the new (old) environment. Currently fast asleep at the foot of the bed and sleeping soundly- makes me so happy to see, means I will get some much needed sleep too hopefully.

Fingers crossed that things are headed in a positive direction. CBD oil will arrive next week and I will slowly introduce that as well - will see how the next 10 days go with that and the Gabapentin before another follow-up appointment, and will go from there.

I have been doing some more research, and his episodes sound a lot like Myoclonic Seizures:

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Oh, good! I know you are relieved. Even if the meds do a good job of controlling, you might want to explore the whys of them, make sure there isn't a growth of some sort. Not likely, but best to know for sure.