Cat Has Been Acting Weird, Help :(

[tinaa0225]

Hello! I'm new here and I need some advice from my fellow cat lovers!
My cat is an 11 year old female.
Recently she has been acting very weird. A few months ago, I noticed some rippling in her back where her tail is, and her sprinting around the house almost as if to try to get away from it. A few Google searches and I concluded that it is Feline Hyperesthesia.

A week ago, I noticed her sneezing and coughing. She is a long haired cat and she has a lot of hairballs. But the way she was coughing (gagging?), it wasn't the typical "hairball noises." So Monday I took her to the vet. She didn't sneeze once the entire day. The doctor concluded that she maybe had a cold or pollen got into her system and it was over. She gave me an immunization vitamin supplement to give to her. I have only seen her sneeze once since.

For YEARS she has been consistent with her behavior (follows me into the bathroom, sits with me when watching tv, sleeps on my bed, etc). Last night, she couldn't care less about my existence. She didn't come anywhere near me. She didn't sleep on my bed. She only cared to have me brush her.

Are all of these things symptoms of the hyperesthesia? Did she just have a cold and is being moody with me? Is something else going on? How do I make it better? What do I do?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I just learned not to take 'weird behavior' for granted, especially in an older cat. While she might have a degree of hyperesthesia, there is very likely something else going on. And, usually brushing would trigger hyperesthesia, so I am not sure about that aspect. Perhaps, itchy skin, a new allergy, fleas, or a host of other possibilities...

Even if you recently had a full senior check up and the complete senior blood work done, I would still take her to the vet to have her looked at/tested again. With senior cats, anything can crop up at any time.

Feeby (15+ yo) just recently starting changing her long-standing behavior (she also likely has a very mild form of hyperesthesia, for what that is worth). It has gotten progressively worse over the past week, so I took her to the vet for a full senior blood work up and a urinalysis - even though she just had a full check up with complete blood work 3 months ago. We are still investigating potential issues, but her WBC was elevated from just 3 months ago, so we are starting with antibiotics. This is Plan A and if that doesn't work, we will go to Plan B, and Plan C, etc. for as long as it takes to help her out.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Yes, I agree with FeebysOwner . A full senior checkup is indicated here. SOMETHING is going on with your girl, and she's getting to "that age." If your vet did not do blood work when you took her in, it would not hurt one thing to have it done.

Actually, although feline hyperesthesia is very possible, there are any number of things that can cause that reaction. Hekitty, my girl, does that when a new feral shows up in the neighborhood and she sees them. She doesn't react that way to cats whom she knows.

 

[tinaa0225]

Yes, I agree with FeebysOwner . A full senior checkup is indicated here. SOMETHING is going on with your girl, and she's getting to "that age." If your vet did not do blood work when you took her in, it would not hurt one thing to have it done.

Actually, although feline hyperesthesia is very possible, there are any number of things that can cause that reaction. Hekitty, my girl, does that when a new feral shows up in the neighborhood and she sees them. She doesn't react that way to cats whom she knows.

 

[tinaa0225]

Thank you so so much for your feedback! Do you think that these issues are related or separate?
Do you have an guesstimate of what the bloodwork would cost?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

They are PROBABLY not related, especially if the sneezing isn't ongoing.

The blood work can be expensive. It really can. I think I paid in the neighborhood of $400 for Hek's...but it can save you literally THOUSANDS of dollars in the long run, at least...you're cat's life at most.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am sure there are differences in price based on geographic location and possibly the specific elements included, but I just paid $120 for CBC and a Chemistry Profile.

The chart link below is pretty close to what was done on Feeby - it isn't as descriptive as others you can find on the internet, but I am just using this one to give you an idea of what was included in the test I paid for.

Understanding Your Cat's Blood Work Results - All Feline Hospital located, 2300 S. 48th St. Suite 3 Lincoln, NE 68506

 

[Libby.]

I know that vitamin E deficiency presents in hyperesthesia in cats. It can be caused by an all fish diet. I've never seen it though. I would take your cat back to the vet and have a more comprehensive blood panel run to check for liver issues and vitamin e deficiencies.

Vitamin E

 

[jen]

The blood work can be expensive. It really can. I think I paid in the neighborhood of $400 for Hek's...but it can save you literally THOUSANDS of dollars in the long run, at least...you're cat's life at most.

For bloodwork?? That is INSANE!!! I have never heard of it being so much in all the clinics I have worked for. I would ask around for sure.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It was a VERY complete blood work, with some extra tests that I specifically asked for. And there are very few vets in this area that I would trust my girl to.