# My kitty is having spasms/twitching, please help!



## winiarskiaj (Jan 13, 2013)

So I really need help with my 2 and a half year old kitty. He have taken him to two different vets who say nothing is wrong but I know my kitty and I know something is wrong. There are times (not every day) where he will start either twitching or having muscle spasms (I cannot tell) in his lower back area. He seems to be in great pain and starts licking the area rapidly and often. He will lick the area that is twitching and other areas too. He seems to be in so much pain and if you touch him, he will bite you. He will not let you get close to him or to touch the area that is twitching or spasming. He will lay in one area and not move, and when he eventually is able to walk, he is stalking close to the ground like he is hurt or scared. I hate watching him like this especially when there is nothing I can do and he will not let me hold him. This can last anywhere from a couple minutes to about two hours (as it did last night). He would just lay there scared, then spasm and look in pain, then lay there scared again until he would spasm or twitch again. I really do not know what to do and hate seeing him in pain. This has been happening for a while and I am not sure when it started. Again, he has been to two vets and they say nothing is wrong. I am not sure why he starts twitching or having those spasms in his back then running around all crazy or lying in one place rapidly licking himself in areas that appear to be hurting him very much. PLEASE HELP MY KITTY. I do not want to see him in pain and know the vets are wrong when they say he is fine, they are not seeing how much pain and discomfort he is in when this is happening like I am. The twitching or spasming seems to be mostly in his lower back near his butt on both sides. You can literally watch him twitching or spasming in his muscles or skin. It does not seem like seizures and he has been to the vet so we are stuck on what to do.

PLEASE PLEASE HELP!!!


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

This sounds like Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. 

Take some video of your cat having these episodes to show the vet. Try a third vet, if the first two haven't even been willing to look into it!

Read up on FHS. There is plenty to see on youtube, for instance, and there is more information out there than there used to be.

Often it can be controlled with diet, improving the diet (eliminating many artificial things in the foods for example), extreme cases end up on medications such as prozac, amitrptyline or worst case: phenobarbital.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Here's a link to get you started:

Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome - VetInfo


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## laurief (Jun 22, 2008)

It does sound like hyperesthesia, though I have seen cats behave as you describe in response to a flea bite, as well. In cats who have extremely sensitive skin or who are highly allergic to flea bites, all it takes is a single flea bite to cause this sort of extreme reaction. It's very possible that the vets overlooked fleas in your cat's coat, esp. if he is dark-colored or if he only has a couple of fleas. To eliminate that possible cause, treat your cat with a flea product (Advantage and Frontline are safe and effective). DO NOT use ANY flea product that is not specifically recommended by your vet, as many of the products available in retail stores are highly toxic and have been implicated in the serious illness and/or death of numerous cats and dogs. After you have your cat on an effective flea treatment/preventive protocol, if his symptoms continue, then you're most likely dealing with hyperesthesia.

Laurie


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## yogakitty (May 2, 2013)

Please let us know how your kitty is doing and keep us updated. All the best!


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## KittyWitty4 (Apr 16, 2013)

My cat did that as well but she never acted like he was in pain. She would get frisky and run off afterwards but nothing serious. The vet prescribed Prozac but we declined. She wasnt in any pain. Her back would twitch/roll and then she'd lick it like crazy for a few
seconds, attack the floor for a second and run off with her tail in the air. We would always ask her if she had bugs! She did it when she was stressed because another cat she didn't get along with was close by or when someone stopped by and spooked her. She was never medicated for it. It was just a quirk of hers. I hope you and your kitty find relief soon!


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I always thought that occasional twitching is normal. I didn't find anything wrong, cos ET wasn't in pain at all. His body, eyelid, lips does twitch every once in a while, no excessive licking or in any way, look like he was in pain. I better go read up more on the twitching thing.


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## Carmel (Nov 23, 2010)

I think occasional twitching is normal... most cats I've known do it from time to time. Some cats do it more than others. Some cats do it in greeting, even. If the cat really seems to be bothered by this (most don't appear to care at all) maybe look into drugs, but I'd suggest that as a last resort if you really feel your cat doesn't like it.

The licking afterward doesn't seem out of the norm to me either, often after involuntary twitches even people like to apply pressure to where we're twitching, with cats their tongue -- licking -- is all they can use to do this.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Ohhh..thanks. I stay away from drugs myself as much as possible, likewise I stay away from drugs for kitty too. Flooded with too much infor online, hard to digest sometimes. There are still lots I'm still unaware about, learn as I go, a little at a time.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

There is a big difference between a normal occasional twitch and FHS. If you'd ever seen a cat with FHS, even a mild case, you'd understand.

The thought that there may be a flea issue is a good one, and I would explore that, too. As was said, a cat with a flea allergy will be miserable even from one flea bite. Though usually there will be other indications such as sore spots or bare skin because all the fur has been chewed off.

But FHS, that should, in my opinion, be addressed. It's a quality of life issue. In mild cases, a diet change may be all that is needed. For many cats it isn't enough.

Nobody wants their cat on drugs. But quality of life needs to be considered.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

My Lottie has mild FHS. It is considerably less than when we first adopted her (diet management in the main) and, thankfully, she doesn't become aggressive. She does the twitching and excessive licking when she has an episode and runs around like a lunatic (much to the fascination of Baz who follows her everywhere). Even at other times she can look as if she is cowering when being smoothed but since she stays there purring, and asking for more fuss, I tend to treat it as a subsidiary issue rather than active pain. It's a weird thing but it is possible to cope with it.


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