Cat Has Involuntary Tremors/twitches When Relaxed

[victoria_220]

Hi everyone!

I noticed my 1yr old cat having involuntary muscle spasms/tremors/twitches when he is relaxing before falling asleep. I have attached a video of him - has anyone else seen this in their cats? I took him to the vet and $300 later they had no answers. Thanks for any and all help!!

 

[denice]

Some involuntary twitching in cats is very common. I don't think it is anything to be concerned about, it is just something that some cats do.

 

[saladflambe]

Yes, I've had cats that had this. One had it really noticeably - it would almost look like a small seizure. I myself actually have full-body spasms for no apparent reason. I chalked it up to something akin to myclonic jerks. Every cat I've ever had has had SOME twitching.

 

[Laurie Morrow]

Hi Victoria, just came across your video post as I am a new member. My 8 year old female spayed cat has been exhibiting the exact same tremors. The vet could not find any specific cause, but thinks she may have some sort of pain. Did you ever find out what was happening with your cat?
Thanks for any insight.
Laurie Morrow

 

[Jane0520]

Hi, I'm new to the site as well. I adopted a 7 month old kitten a couple months ago and he has the same problem. Foster parent said he never saw tremors but it could be that he just didn't notice. Sometimes the tremors are minor, sometimes they seem to involve his whole body. It only happens when he's resting or sleeping, doesn't always happen but does happen a few times a day at least. He doesn't seem to be in pain. He will purr during an episode but only when he's being pet. In the middle of an episode he'll stretch or yawn and the tremors will stop, then when he relaxes it starts up again. Vet is running some blood tests now, doesn't know what it could be.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi Victoria, just came across your video post as I am a new member. My 8 year old female spayed cat has been exhibiting the exact same tremors. The vet could not find any specific cause, but thinks she may have some sort of pain. Did you ever find out what was happening with your cat? Thanks for any insight. Laurie Morrow

Hi. Sorry no one responded to your post - you added to an older thread, so that might be why. Are the tremors new, or has your cat had them all her life? Are they happening anytime other than when she is either going to sleep or asleep? Why does the vet suspect pain?

Feeby (16+ yo) does a similar thing, when relaxing to go to sleep or when asleep. She has done this for a long while now - most of her life - and the vet thinks it is a mild neurological issue and just said if it doesn't escalate, it is likely nothing to worry about. Others say it is purely related to dreaming. I just gently touch her, enough to disrupt her sleep or the twitches and she stops.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi, I'm new to the site as well. I adopted a 7 month old kitten a couple months ago and he has the same problem. Foster parent said he never saw tremors but it could be that he just didn't notice. Sometimes the tremors are minor, sometimes they seem to involve his whole body. It only happens when he's resting or sleeping, doesn't always happen but does happen a few times a day at least. He doesn't seem to be in pain. He will purr during an episode but only when he's being pet. In the middle of an episode he'll stretch or yawn and the tremors will stop, then when he relaxes it starts up again. Vet is running some blood tests now, doesn't know what it could be.

Hi. Sorry no one has yet responded to your post - you added to an older thread, so that might be why.

Feeby (16+ yo) does a similar thing, when relaxing to go to sleep or when asleep. She has done this for a long while now - most of her life - and the vet thinks it is a mild neurological issue and just said if it doesn't escalate, it is likely nothing to worry about. Others say it is purely related to dreaming. I just gently touch her, enough to disrupt her sleep or the twitches and she stops. It seems like in your case the kitten is waking himself up enough to disrupt the tremors.

 

[Laurie Morrow]

Hi. Sorry no one has yet responded to your post - you added to an older thread, so that might be why.

Feeby (16+ yo) does a similar thing, when relaxing to go to sleep or when asleep. She has done this for a long while now - most of her life - and the vet thinks it is a mild neurological issue and just said if it doesn't escalate, it is likely nothing to worry about. Others say it is purely related to dreaming. I just gently touch her, enough to disrupt her sleep or the twitches and she stops. It seems like in your case the kitten is waking himself up enough to disrupt the tremors.

 

[Laurie Morrow]

Thanks for your response. After a trip to the vet, she found that our cat was severely constipated. She did an enema which helped and we took her back for a barium enema. The barium enema did not show any obstruction or mega colon. We have changed her diet to only canned food, no dry food. The tremors have subsided. The vet is wondering if the muscle tremors were related to the severe constipation. I would like to say that our cat is back to her normal self but she is still very lethargic and sleeps much more then she used to. We will probably be having more tests done, but for now the tremors have subsided..

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for your response. After a trip to the vet, she found that our cat was severely constipated. She did an enema which helped and we took her back for a barium enema. The barium enema did not show any obstruction or mega colon. We have changed her diet to only canned food, no dry food. The tremors have subsided. The vet is wondering if the muscle tremors were related to the severe constipation. I would like to say that our cat is back to her normal self but she is still very lethargic and sleeps much more then she used to. We will probably be having more tests done, but for now the tremors have subsided..

Wow! Never heard of that, but it could have been some kind of intestinal cramping from the constipation?!?! Good to know that she is doing better!!! Hope it stays that way!
Btw - enemas can take it a toll on a cat, so if it wasn't too long ago, she might still be recovering. If she is dehydrated from that, it will also cause lethargy. Might ask your vet about that aspect.

 

[Inertia]

Hi All
This is a really late reply, but having recently lost 2 young kitties in the space of 18 months and desperately searching the internet for answers, I came across this old post. I registered with the site purely to respond to this.

I had a ginger female with the exact same problem - also when relaxing prior to deep sleep and appearing to coincide with her breathing rhythm (apologies that video was too large to upload). I first noticed she was doing this one month after I got her from the rescue society (age 4 months). I raised the issue with my (then) vet who was frankly unperturbed (ignorant?) and I took that as a sign that I was just being paranoid. Tansy did this for the rest of her short life (less than 3 years) before apparently suddenly developing stage 4 kidney disease. I would also notice her lying in the strangest stretched-out positions in an effort to alleviate her muscle tension.

Of course, when the onset of kidney disease appears to be "sudden" at a young age, there is the soul-searching around what one could have done differently, together with the self-blame and wracking of memory to recall possible poisoning etc.

Her death affected me very badly because of this, to the extent that I approached my doctor for anxiety meds. While I was explaining to her what had reduced me to the state I was in, she immediately responded "But of course, if she had a congenital kidney problem, one of the things that often occurs is an electrolyte imbalance which would account for the twitching and spasming!" It also explained her temperature regulation issues which saw her stretched out on the tiles in the middle of winter. Thank heaven for my human doctor's scientific training and expertise, which allowed me to finally find some peace.

Now I am not saying that every cat with these symptoms has kidney issues, because electrolyte imbalances have numerous causes, some as simple as dehydration, and I would not wish to unduly alarm another pet owner. Also be aware that up to 40% kidney function may have already been lost before the blood tests pick it up or other symptoms become obvious. However, if Tansy's story can help just one other furbaby, then my time here has been well spent.

 

[FeebysOwner]

if Tansy's story can help just one other furbaby, then my time here has been well spent.

It was worth every key stroke you made, every emotion it resurrected, and the chance to share Tansy's story! Thank you for sharing. Bless you and RIP to little Tansy (and your other lost loved ones as well).

 

[NadiaRey]

I feel you so damn much, Inertia. Three years later I still feel like a wreck for messing up so bad (and letting the vets mess up so bad) with my cancer-riddled Sueño, wishing I knew back then what I now know. Thank you.

And thank you, Victoria, too, that is actually *very* useful information.