a mealtime mystery

[creekgirl]

I haven't been able to find out out the explanation for this:

I have two indoor/outdoor cats, Bosco and Scout.  Both are domestic shorthairs.  Bosco is 16, Scout is 14.  Both have always been in fine health.

Last winter I was not happy with the nutritional content of their dry cat food and switched to Purina Naturals to try to reduce amount of  filler material.  About a month later, Bosco began to exhibit very strange behavior.  While eating he would suddenly leap straight up in the air, hack very loudly, hiss, spit and run down the stairs.  Later he would emerge grinding his teeth, making a loud clacking noise.  He was always a stout cat and began losing a lot of weight.  Thinking he is an older cat and may have sensitive teeth, I switched to canned cat food.  The same behavior continued.  So I started buying pate style canned cat food, adding water and mushing it into a slurry.  Still the same problem.  Stranger still, Scout began doing the same thing!

I tried feeling their jaws, the outside of their mouths and throats and they showed no reactions of pain.  So I took Bosco to the vet, who put him under and cleaned his teeth, extracting two.  Bosco came home......exactly the same strange behavior, as if the vet had done nothing.  The vet said maybe he reacts to a particular flavor of cat food and maybe Scout picked up his habits.  I don't think so.  So I took Bosco to another vet, who ran up blood work.  Everything checked out as a perfectly healthy cat.  The next step would probably have been x-rays and possible surgery, but I had to put a stop to it there for financial reasons.

That was six months ago.  Both cats continue to have this weird reaction sometimes, but in general, less frequently.  I'm glad they've improved somewhat, but overall, I'm stumped.

Ever hear of such a thing?

 

[Kieka]

I've never heard of it. Could be the behavior is unrelated to the food though and just started at the same time by coincidence. Maybe they are reacting to a new sound they are hearing (like an ice maker or fish tank motor as ideas). Or a new smell from an air freshner you've started using. You could trying playing some music that might help if it is a sound reaction. Or if you've switched brands for any scented products switch back (it may sound stupid but as someone allergic to artifical scents there are more scented products than people think). But it really sounds more like something is startling them and they are just getting used to it. Maybe there is another animal thats harrassing them outside and the running and aggitation is the other animal coming near the door. Which might make sense if its a new Tom trying to move into the area and they are trying to maintain dominance. I'd assume the only way to say it is from the food is a switch back to old or to a different new but its been a while from the old and if it is the food another switch may make it worse.

Another reason could just be they are older and having age related issues. My last cat had some pretty distinctive memory and reaction issues as he got older. But he had preexisting problems (we got him from a guy literally throwing him around who dropped him a few times and eventually threw him in the street. Where my brother ran out to grab him, who knows what else that poor kitty went through but he was always off). But in that case I would expect it to be limited to one cat. Unless it is some blood borne illness but you said you had blood work so that is probably out unless it is some off the wall thing.

If they aren't losing weight or showing any other negative symptoms you'd probably be okay leaving it as one of those mysterys.

 

[creekgirl]

Thank you, Kieka.  It appears to be something like sudden, severe nerve pain.  The cat goes "ACK!",  leaps up, hisses, spits and runs.  Then returns shaking his head to one side, making a very loud clacking noise, like he's chewing on rocks or bones or broken teeth, and/or trying to get his jaw back into alignment.  But then settles down and calmly starts eating again.  It appears physical, not behavioral, and involuntary, iike dental nerve pain.  But the first cat had a complete oral exam, two bad teeth removed.......and it made no difference. The weirdest thing was when the other cat started doing it.  At least they've been doing it less frequently and seem otherwise healthy.