Cat Nightmares? Something Else?

[Jackieandpierce]

History

My 5 year old cat is a calico, and as with her brother, they are on a diet of grain free wet food (due to allergies). She had a recent vet checkup, blood and urine were fine. I adopted Jackie at 14 weeks / 3.5 months from the streets of our neighbourhood. She eats well, but is easily stressed out. She has had several teeth removed due to an autoimmune condition that manifests as tooth decay essentially. Full removal of effected teeth is meant to remove pain long term. She went on a round of antibiotics last tooth extraction, which was 3 teeth 2 or so months ago. I have another cat adopted from a shelter who is about 1 month younger than Jackie and does not exhibit the same issue I describe below.

Issue:

She woke up in the middle of the night just completely freaked out. I wasn't in the same room with her but was quickly awoken as a result of the commotion. I ran out to check on her, she was by the stairs, tail puffed, ears peaked, pupils dialated. I was myself worried that there was something in the room whwre she was sleeping but upon investigation there was nothing. Its been several hours now and she is still super freaked out and startled by little things. She is eating well and upon testing her concentration and alertness by having her visually follow an object that I move quickly, all appears to be okay. This hasnt happened before to my knowledge. Do we think this was a cat nightmare, or perhaps she wasnt sleeping after all and was scared of something to heard, saw or smelled....or is it possible it could be something else?

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS. Sorry it's worry about your cat that brought you here.

Glad she seems to be ok now, other than still being stressed. I've read of cats having nightmares before. It's also possible she heard something that startled her. Keep an eye on her, and of course, if you think something isn't right, consult her vet.

 

[mservant]

I don't know how cats dream but guess a nightmare is possible. More likely is that she was woken by something disturbing her. Good that she is now settling and seems OK. Many people describe their cats being suddenly aggressive when woken like this.
Although there was nothing in the room when you checked there may have been a noise or sudden movement or flash of light, or even strange smell that disturbed her. The other thought is that the other cat could have spooked her even if you didn't see him there?
I hope she gets back to her usual self quickly and it doesn't happen again.

 

[MissClouseau]

I can't say this with knowledge but I imagine even something like a gas cramp could be scary for a cat who doesn't know about gas cramps, especially when she was sleeping, in other words in a vulnerable state.

Also very possible she heard something scary or mistook it as scary.

 

[rubysmama]

Jackieandpierce : How's Jackie doing now?

 

[Margret]

Many years ago, I was lying in bed, watching the television, which was at the foot of the bed. My then cat, Pretzel, was snuggled up to me, with her head pillowed on my shoulder, sleeping. When the commercial came around I stirred, thinking of getting up to get some water, and startled Pretzel awake. She took off at top speed, fur fluffed out, all claws extended, and in the process she bounced off my face. I'm lucky I didn't lose an eye - as it was I had to go to the E.R. for a couple of butterfly bandages next to my eye, and had to go in to my doctor the next day for a tetanus shot.

Now, as far as Pretzel was concerned, what happened was this:

1. One of her humans was in bed, comfortably looking at the stupid picture box, and contented because her beloved cat was there to protect her.
2. An invisible monster showed up out of nowhere!
3. The human perceived the monster and started to get out of bed to fight it.
4. This awakened the cat, who jumped away from the human and assumed a defensive posture to better fight off the monster, but she was too late. The monster had already injured the human, and fled.

Cats have extremely active imaginations. As a book I once read said, if you're a cat who wants to play with a mouse, and you don't have a mouse, find a leaf and imagine that it's a mouse. If you don't have a leaf, imagine that you have a leaf, and then imagine that it's a mouse.

Also, cats sleep a lot (16+ hours per day), but they sleep lightly, ready to instantly spring into action should danger present. We know for certain that they dream, and at 5 years old there are plenty of "negative" experiences that could easily be channeled into nightmares, specifically including vet visits. And most of us have no idea what horrible things our cats may have suffered before they came to us. Anything that startles a cat awake can be perceived to be threatening, especially if it happens in the middle of a dream, but if the cat recovers fairly quickly it's nothing to worry about. If, however, it keeps happening, or if the cat doesn't seem to recover in a reasonable period of time, you may want to talk with your vet. The cat may need some specific help, possibly either a tranquilizer or kitty Prozac. Your vet can give you better advice. And it's worth checking for any changes in the environment that could be causing some minor (to a human) noise that the cat finds to be threatening somehow.

Margret

 

[Jackieandpierce]

Jackieandpierce : How's Jackie doing now?

She seems to be okay. Thanks so much for checking. It took her around 16 hrs to get fully back to normal which is longer than I hoped. If it happens again I wilk take her to my vet.

 

[rubysmama]

She seems to be okay. Thanks so much for checking. It took her around 16 hrs to get fully back to normal which is longer than I hoped. If it happens again I wilk take her to my vet.

Thanks for the update. Fingers crossed it was a one time thing, and won't happen again.

 

[Jackieandpierce]

Thanks for the update. Fingers crossed it was a one time thing, and won't happen again.

So I am taking her to the vet on Monday. She had another episode yesterday, this time was a bit different. She wasn't sleeping, but rather out of nowhere she became very stressed and startled. She kept looking outside, under the couch, behind her, etc. for something that wasn't there. This lasted about 15 minutes, then I put anti-anxiety music on, fed her and her brother, and they both went to sleep. It appears to me to be some form of hallucination. Her brother can clearly tell something is wrong and comes over to groom her and comfort her. I am wondering about FHS, she has always had episodes that were a bit strange where it appeared her back was very itchy, she rolls around on her back as if she is itching herself and seems very bothered but I always chalked it up to attention seeking behavior - she was never aggressive towards me or herself. Again, she has recently had her annual checkup and blood and urine profile done and nothing was detected.

 

[rubysmama]

I'm glad you're getting her checked out. Hopefully the vet will have some answers. Sending vibes it's nothing to worry about.

 

[Jackieandpierce]

Yes, we actually got her an appt today as I didnt want to wait. Praying for the best.

 

[rubysmama]

Fingers crossed for you. Please post what the vet has to say.

 

[Margret]

I had to look up FHS; hadn't heard of that one before. I found this site, which has some good advice on it: Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. It's a bit late since the vet appointment is today, but for future reference this is one of the things I found there:

It could be beneficial for you to video your kitty during an episode of what you suspect is hyperesthesia, and take the video with you to your vet appointment.

I suspect you're in for a slow process of elimination as the vet tries to come to a firm diagnosis.

Margret

 

[Jackieandpierce]

Fingers crossed for you. Please post what the vet has to say.

She was at the vet for several hours this PM. Her blood work came back fine. Apparently she has issues with her anal glands and has a lot of build up. The vet was able to get some of it out at the visit but they are recommending a full cleanse where she is under sedation. The thought as of now is that the hallucinations or so I thought they were was part of cats not being self-aware and misinterpreting sudden cramps or gas pains as something from around them hurting them. She is being scheduled for the cleanse, and the vet injected both an anti-inflammatory and antibiotics to help provide more immediate relief. I will monitor for additional episodes. She ate once she got home from the vet.

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... poor sweet girl. Hope she'll get some relief from the anti-inflammatory & antibiotics wile you wait for an appointment for the procedure.

 

[Margret]

Whew! It's a relief to have a solid diagnosis, of something that has an effective treatment. I know, it's not over yet, and it will cost money to fix it, but I'm very glad to hear that it's something that can be fixed.

Margret

 

[Jackieandpierce]

I had to look up FHS; hadn't heard of that one before. I found this site, which has some good advice on it: Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. It's a bit late since the vet appointment is today, but for future reference this is one of the things I found there:


I suspect you're in for a slow process of elimination as the vet tries to come to a firm diagnosis.

Margret

Thank you for sharing this article. I am certainly going to be watching out for more episodes like this.