Feline Hyperesthesia or
Twitchy Cat Disease

Feline Hyperesthesia - Is your cat twitching a lot or you think you have a very itchy cat, then this article may help you to understand what may be causing your cats distress.  

This puzzling and distressing condition goes by many other names such as:

• Rolling skin syndrome
• Twitchy cat disease
• Self mutilation syndrome
• Atypical neurodermatitis.

I am writing this article for several reasons. Firstly I had a cat who suffered with something like this and I know just how upset I was to see her so distressed. Secondly, I am contacted quite often by people whose cats are suffering with similar symptoms and are finding it difficult to get any answers from their vets. This may be because it is difficult to diagnose and some vets may have never come across it before.

I hope that this article will help both owners and the many cats who may be suffering out there.

Let’s start by talking about what the symptoms are.

The Symptoms

Some cats may experience all of these symptoms frequently, while others have short bursts of them. They may also vary in their intensity.

• Skin twitches, mainly along the back. It looks like rippling skin.
• The cat jerks around frantically as if they are tormented by some unreachable itch
• The cat may run around the room aimlessly
• Staring eyes
• Dislike to being touched or petted
• Biting at the base of the tail, which may lead to fur loss or sores to develop?
• Excessive meowing and grooming
• The cat may seem depressed or frightened of something or everything

The trouble is that many of these symptoms can also be signs of other conditions and not Feline hyperesthesia. Conditions such as: (see links for more on each of these conditions)

• Cat in heat
• Seizures
• Skin allergies
• Fleas
• General anxiety

The Diagnosis

There is no one test that can be used to diagnose Feline Hyperesthesia. Because of this when a vet is presented with a cat with these symptoms he will have to go through a serious of tests to eliminate other possibilities from the list before a diagnosis of Hyperesthesia can be diagnosed.

Usually the vet will spend some time looking at the cat for any obvious causes of the twitching etc. he will then spend some time talking with you about any possible changes which may have happened in the cats environment recently such as, food changes, new pets, house moving anything which would have changed the cats routine and which may have caused the cat some anxiety.

The vet may then do further tests such as an neurological exam, blood work, skin scraping and spinal x-rays, if there are no obvious indications for the behaviour.

Sometimes it is a good idea to video your cat carrying out these symptoms so that you can show your vet at the surgery.

The Treatment

Because there are so many possible causes for Feline Hyperesthesia, there is no one treatment available. In fact your vet may have to advise you that there will have to be a period of trial and error to see what works best for your particular cat.

Because anxiety may be playing a large role in the onset of these symptoms, often the vet will ask you to make changes at home first to see if any possible causes of anxiety can be removed to see if this helps to reduce the symptoms.

Medications which may be prescribed for your cat depending on their own particular tests results are:

• Anti anxiety drugs
• Seizure medications
• Corticosteroids
• Anti depression drugs which increase the levels of serotonin

These drugs may be able to be reduced or stopped over time; however some cats may always have to take them. Regular blood work will have to be done to monitor the condition and the affects of the drugs on your cat.

Non Medical Treatments

Often distracting your cat when one of these attacks occurs can help to stop it or to reduce its length and severity. This can be something as simple as tapping the cat on the tail, or may involve playing games with your cat or making his home environment more stimulating.

Reducing any possible environmental stressors in your home may also help the cats over all condition. If your home is particularly noisy, make sure your cat has a quiet place they can escape to. Try not to move furniture around too often or change the cat’s food bowl, bed or litter tray position.

Cats with this condition also respond well to routine. So make sure that you feed your cat at the same time every day and preferably in smaller meals throughout the day, rather than two large meals if possible.

As you can see Feline Hyperesthesia is far from straight forward and is no wonder that it goes undiagnosed. It is important that if your cat displays these symptoms that you take them to see a vet as soon as possible. there may be some other underlying illness which may be triggering your cats anxiety and therefore these distressing physical symptoms.