Anybody have any experience with this? I've decided this is why my cat grooms himself to the point of losing hair, and freaks when you scratch his back, especially in front of his tail, sometimes to th point of seizure. I read somewhere that someone put their cat on Tramadol and Phenobarbatol and that cleared it up. Haven't been to the vet yet as I'm out of town, but wanted to hear TWW's expert opinion on this topic!

12/28/2009 8:42:46 PM

12/28/2009 9:13:43 PM

Quote :

"I've decided this is why my cat grooms himself to the point of losing hair, "

Let hte vet decide. My cat used to do it (before she was mine) out of stress. When I had her, she did it because she was allergic to my shampoo/conditioner.

Quote :

"freaks when you scratch his back, especially in front of his tail, sometimes to th point of seizure. "

Describe what you mean by 'freaks' and 'seizure'. Many cats react strongly to being scratched here.

12/28/2009 9:25:03 PM

Eh, it could be. There really isn't a concrete diagnosis for it though. If your vet thinks he fits the bill, he'll likely be put on a SSRI and see how that goes. If that doesn't work, they may try an anti-convulsant (like phenobarbatol). In the meantime, make sure you're providing him with plenty of activities (toys, playtime, maybe even another cat to play with).

12/28/2009 9:26:36 PM

I do not have experience with this in cats, but I do have experience with it in birds. I also am well acquainted with the use of the two meds in humans.

With any animal, you first rule out any medical reason for the behavior. If there is no medical reason, then you look at environmental factors. For my bird, it was stress -- adding to our flock. We went back down to being a single bird household. Then we redirected the behavior by providing toys that kept him busy.

Tramadol - it's a pain killer. it also reduces a person's seizure threshold.

Phenobarbital - it's an anti-seizure medication. my son was on it for 6 months or so. it was a chore just to keep him awake long enough to take in adequate nutrition. it may stop seizures, but it also stops everything else. more likely than not, the poor cat is too drugged up to over-groom.sp


[Edited on December 28, 2009 at 10:49 PM. Reason : sp]

12/28/2009 10:46:38 PM

Any contact with his back from between the shoulder blades (even running fingers along the tips of the hairs) to the base of his tail results in obvious discomfort and seizing. His head goes back and to his left as if he is going to try to lick his back, his mouth opens, then he begins biting his front left leg. Always bites in the same spot (and there's no hair there). Much more contact, especially sudden contact, causes a loud howling meow, a seizure that throws him onto his back and then into convulsions pulling his left paw to his face with the right, and chewing on the left paw. I have seen spots where he has drawn blood a few times. He can even do this to himself during one of his many grooming sessions during the day. He sits down and leans against a wall, reaches his left paw behind him and scratches at the very base of his tail (his back is not as sensitive about 1-2" from the base of his tail as it is towards the center). Occasionally, whether through scratching his back or simply flexing to reach it, he manages to cause a seizure and rolls on his back, into convulsions, chewing, etc.

Basically he's fucked up and I don't really need a vet to diagnose him with the syndrome, I am just wondering if anyone has any experience with this or with the medications I mentioned. Of course I would allow the vet to check him out, as I'm sure they wouldn't just give him some meds based on my word alone (lemme get some K, Doc!). But from reading about the symptoms, and watching videos of other cats that have been diagnosed and treated and seeing how they behave, it's pretty obvious what the problem is. He's 13 so he's getting up there in years, but I don't want him to feel like this for the rest of his days.

Any ideas on how much the meds cost? Can I take him to any vet (I'm currently in Pittsburgh)?

Thanks and I hope that all made sense...

[Edited on December 29, 2009 at 12:51 AM. Reason : .]

12/29/2009 12:48:54 AM

Quote :

"Any contact with his back from between the shoulder blades (even running fingers along the tips of the hairs) to the base of his tail results in obvious discomfort and seizing. His head goes back and to his left as if he is going to try to lick his back, his mouth opens, then he begins biting his front left leg."

my cats do this all the time. that part isn't that weird. seizing wouldn't be the right word for it, but i wouldn't jump on any bandwagon without a vet first. that's just dumb.

12/29/2009 8:09:04 AM

That syndrome is not a primary diagnosis, it is a secondary 'symptom' associated with some underlying cause that you've gotta figure out. The number one reason most cats lick, chew, scratch and mutilate is (not surprisingly) a derm issue. Flea allergy, food allergy, atopy like a lot of people have already mentioned. So start with that. Hyperesthesia just means a heightened sensitivity, so you've got to investigate what is causing your cat to overreact to normal stimuli. Other causes could be spinal or muscular pain, I was reading myositis can be a common cause (second to a derm thing) of FHS. There have also been a number of vets who have noted it secondary to an endocrine issue like diabetes, as well as a UTI. So doing a blood panel as well as a urinalysis would be a good idea. Seizures can manifest sometimes from metabolic disorders or organ failure (a possibility in a 13 year old cat) that you would be able to note indicators for on a blood panel.

12/29/2009 11:01:35 AM

Quote :

"seizing wouldn't be the right word for it, but i wouldn't jump on any bandwagon without a vet first. that's just dumb."

Seizing would absolutely be the right word to describe a sudden, violent, involuntary twitch of the muscles.

Which is exactly what my cat does. It's frightening to people who don't expect it to happen.

seachel I will have him checked for diabetes. I don't think he has an allergy to his food unless it is common for allergies to just suddenly appear. He's been eating the same kind of food his entire life.

12/29/2009 5:30:28 PM

seizing isn't the right word for what MY cat does. not yours.

12/29/2009 11:16:29 PM

i said diabetes has been noted, but it's not common. i would look into a potential skin issue first and then investigate the seizures. but don't bypass the bloodwork and UA even though it may seem to you to be frivilous, it can give your vet A LOT of info!!

12/30/2009 12:41:31 AM

Oh I am going to get the blood work done as well. He hasn't had it done it a long time so I'm sure it will help.

Thank you guys

12/30/2009 12:28:40 PM