Hyperesthesia And Long-term Gabapentin

[DukenGizmo]

I notice the same thing. My boyfriend and I have learned to do the same and distract. A finger snap, laser pointer, change position. It really is a good tip! It also makes it hard to believe that it’s not just all in their minds....I find it quite interesting that my cat never does it when he’s sleeping and never does it while he’s eating. Only when he’s not preoccupied. For example, he does it right after he finishes cleaning his face, but never during. So frustrating!

My kitty is on Pregabalin for his hyperesthesia and it has seemed to help. My vet has to call it in to our local pharmacy because he doesn’t have it and they compound it into a liquid. It was about $22 dollars but its suppose to last about 2 months. He also has had zero side effects from it, which I was really concerned about at first but thankfully he hasn’t. Pregabalin may be worth mentioning to your vet.

Good luck with your kitty. I know how sad/scary it can be watching them when they have an “attack”

With my cat I can usually tell when he’s about to have an attack and if I catch it in time I’m usually able to stop it from happening by distracting him. If I get out treats or the laser light right when his back starts to roll it seems to distract him enough that the full blown attack doesn’t happen.

 

[Friend's Friend]

The thing with my guy is he's super sensitive to stimulation in weird ways. I've tried snapping fingers, clapping hands, none of that distracted him . . . it's like I have a very, very small window in which to distract him with a laser pointer. (Catnip's also on my "things to get" list.)

The good news is that I think I've figured out what that sweet window of distraction is.

My vet mentioned that they don't really know what all causes hyperesthesia, so there very well could be a psychological component to it? *shrugs and grins ruefully*