Hyperesthesia Kitty

[stephanie junca]

Hi there,

First of all, I feel like I always come back here when I am struggling with one of my kitties and people are so nice and thoughtful here that I just want to say thank you in advance.

We adopted Lugosi in July of 2022 knowing he had some behavioral issues. He would overgroom himself to the point of bleeding and we had him on Fluoxetine (Prozac) from his foster. With time, he grew out of that habit and seemed to be pretty content at home with us and our our sweet kitty, Luna, and our two dogs.

Since about mid-November of 2023, he has been struggling with severe episodes of self-mutilation. He got sick and had pretty bad bronchitis, so we had him on antibiotics and steroids along with his usual Fluoxetine and allergy meds as he also has allergies. In the midst of his recovery from the illness, he began to attack his tail. He would rip out fur and cause gashes on his poor tail. The only thing we could do was to try and redirect him with pets and toys. We started putting shirts on him to calm him. Our vet put him on Gabapentin as well as she thought it was pain and discomfort relating to him being sick.

He has since recovered from his illness but he continues to try and attack himself multiple times a day. We do our best to stop him and have had to swaddle him in blankets and pillows until he falls asleep.

Our vet suggested we try another medication to see if that would help him as there does not seem to be any other reason for him to be self-mutilating. She mentioned that they try to rule out other causes before diagnosing with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome, but she said he very clearly has this condition now.

My husband and I are concerned about quality of life for him. He has been on the Gabapentin for a month now (along with his other meds) and like I mentioned he continues to have episodes multiple times a day. If he isn't swaddled in blankets then he is out eating or using the litter box and then promptly begins to attack himself. Is this fair life for him? I struggle with the idea of behavioral euthanasia but I just don't know that his life is good right now. We are willing to give the other medication a try, but I wonder if after trying that we should consider letting him go .

If anyone has any other words of wisdom, I would really appreciate hearing anything. Thanks again in advance!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hello - that poor boy. Do you live in a state where cbd is legal? If so, you might mention that to your vet and see what she thinks.

Have you changed the allergy meds?

 

[Alldara]

I'm sorry to hear about that. I don't think you're at a point yet to consider euthanasia.

There are other behavioural medicines to try. Here are some ideas: Medications for Cats commonly prescribed for Behavioral Disorders

Have you tried any diets for allergies?

do you give any supplements for dry skin?

have you spoken to your vet about probiotics for him? (Not Purina one but human grade) gut health can impact a lot of things and he was on medicines that would have ill effect.

would your vet approve a glucosamine supplement to lower inflammation?

have you tried a thundershirt or weighted blanket (toddler sized) or a weighted pet vest?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. If all other causes have been ruled out such as extensive allergy testing, then you should look for a board certified veterinary behaviorist. They are the best ones to treat this disease.
If extensive testing has not been done, then I would say a veterinary dermatologist first, then behaviorist.

I am sorry he is going through this.

 

[stephanie junca]

Thank you all for the ideas! I will list out what we have tried that was suggested:

- CBD oil is legal here and we tried it. I brought it up to my vet that we were and she did not think it was a good idea as it could cause a negative effect when mixing with his Prozac. In the week or so that we gave it to him, I didn't see a difference in behavior.
- Allergy meds were not changed. He takes a half tab of Claritin daily. It is for environmental allergies.
- The next medication we were going to try was Amitriptyline. Saw it on the list of meds that was provided. He currently takes Fluoxetine and Gabapentin for his behavioral condition. I think next step was to take him off the Gabapentin and then add on Amitriptyline.
- We have been gradually switching him to a hypoallergenic diet with his kibbles (Instinct limited ingredient Rabbit - as recommended by the vet). He loves his wet foods though but picky about the texture, so we're trying to figure that out still. He doesn't like the wet food version of the Instinct.
- We have not given him probiotics. He was having an upset stomach while taking all of the meds but his behavioral issues were happening before that, so we didn't see a correlation there. His tummy is fine now and he goes to the box normally without diarrhea and no vomiting either. Still curious about probiotics though. I'll bring that up to my vet.
- We don't give a supplement for dry skin either. But our vet inspected his fur and tail and said he did not have any signs of rashes or flea bites anywhere. He is on a monthly flea, tick, heartworm preventative (Revolution Plus) that seems to help well there even though he is inside kitty.
- Glucosamine I have not tried either but might be worth a shot.
- We don't use thunder shirts per se but we do have shirts that we use for calming. Some are more heavy than others. That does help keep him calm for the most part but he will get a view of his tail after eating and he'll immediately start going at it whether he is wearing a shirt or not.
- I just looked up board certified vet behaviorists and there is one still practicing within a 50 mile radius of us. Our current vet office is a cat focused cat clinic and the vet that treats him has studied in behavioral issues but is not board certified. I can ask her about this of course and maybe we can partner with the board certified vet in the area.

Thank you all for the ideas and suggestions! I will discuss these all with my vet and see what we can do. A big concern for us is that I am currently pregnant and we're not sure if he will be safe around a baby. I still have 6.5 more months to go, so we're hoping we can figure something out before that.

Also, wanted to mention that euthanasia has been brought up to me by family several times as the fairest thing to do for him because his quality of life is so poor right now. My husband and I would prefer not to go that route as kitty is healthy physically but not mentally so it seems unfair. It will absolutely be a last resort for us.

 

[Alldara]

Is there a reason he's on monthly flea treatment? Is another pet bringing them in or was it just from the one time of having fleas? I wonder if that's contributing. I remember reading something ages ago about it being a reaction to some flea medications but I have no idea if that was proven or anecdotal.

Some other treatments are listed and perhaps tests.

I did find some articles that may provide some support:
Cat Behavior Problems - Compulsive Disorders in Cats | VCA | VCA Animal Hospitals

Hyperesthesia Syndrome


Hyperesthesia Syndrome in Cats

Hyperesthesia Syndrome in Cats

 

[Furballsmom]

he will get a view of his tail after eating and he'll immediately start going at it whether he is wearing a shirt or not.

Oh, my goodness, no kidding? Is there any way to "cover", or wrap, his tail, or at least the base of it where he really seems to go at it?

I was thinking the same as alldara about the flea treatment. Additionally, I personally hate to use the stuff. If I need to, I will go to a product such as one from Only Natural Pet, and even then I spray a folded paper towel and use that to very lightly brush it onto the fur at the back of the cat's neck.

 

[stephanie junca]

We have two dogs that are on monthly preventatives but we want to make sure everyone is covered. Our two kitties are allowed to roam onto the back porch in the warmer months as well so they become indoor kitties when fall starts through spring as we are in a cold northern climate here. None of our pets have ever had flea or tick infestations but we have found a dying flea and tick before. Because we have so many pets, we feel that it is better to be safe than sorry.

He tends to attack the bottom half of his tail furthest from his body if that makes sense. I was reading through previous posts on this condition and some people have mentioned amputating the tail. Seems a bit extreme to me but he really seems to dislike his tail at this point.

Sometimes I wonder if it is an obsessive compulsive behavior as I have read before. It does not seem to be related to stress as our household is quite calm. I remember when he first started showing signs of the extreme self-mutilation, he was attacking one of our dogs out of the blue too. It was extra odd to us because he usually loved our good boy. Pick of them together about a month before he started acting out:

I hope that we can get them back to being amicable like this again.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi there
This sounds really tough and so sorry you‘re going through this.
I‘m totally inexperienced with hyperesthesia but have spent lots of time around cats (and other animals) in veterinary, rehabilitation and private settings.
I grew up in the UK, where most cats are indoor/outdoor cats and never saw or experienced one cat to suffer from this. ( I’ll open the question to this forum - has anyone here had experience of an indoor/outdoor cat with this condition?)
Since I‘ve been living in europe, where it‘s not unusual for cats to be indoor, this seems to come up more frequently (as it seemingly does in other countries where cats are mostly indoor)
I totally understand the reasoning behind having an indoor cat (my kitty is now also mostly indoor but has constant access to a catio and goes for walks outside with me) and I also understand the challenges of keeping a feline stimulated (and thus not overstressed) indoors, despite all catification efforts.
My very ignorant question here is, could this condition possibly be caused or aggravated by a lack of natural (outdoor?) stimuli and thus cause the cat to focus more intensely on changes in its own body and environment?
I‘m sorry I haven‘t already asked - but does your cat go outside? Does it have access to a catio or go for walks? If not would it be an idea to try and distract him by taking him out and trying to give him more exercise? Other than a feeling secure and having good nutrition and sleep, I think fresh air, exercise and stimulation can work wonders and be soothing to us all. And a cat‘s whole essence was initially designed for the great (admittedly dangerous) outdoors.
Best of luck!

 

[Alldara]

stephanie junca Oh that makes sense. We are by no means judging , just trying to help explore all avenues.

Skin irritation can be a side effect of topical flea treatments. So it might be worth stopping for a few months on him in particular, even if you keep up with everyone else's treatments. He should benefit from the heard immunity. My cats certainly do! They also have secure patio access in warmer weather and one has leashed walks. They've only been flea treated at their respective rescues.

As added protection you might want to take a look at iPappy 's post. Beneficial nematodes for flea control

 

[stephanie junca]

Hi Eurocat , he does have access to our back patio when it is warmer outside. We started having the kitties be strictly indoor when he and his sister got sick initially as it seemed they had caught something outside. It was already starting to get cold by that point anyway so it was time to be indoor kitties again. However, I did see him do the tail attack a few times outside right before that. I too wondered if it was an outdoor stimulation thing or just having enough stimulation in general, but seeing him do that outside too made me think otherwise . But these cases seem to be unique for every kitty as it does seem to be mostly behavioral unless proven otherwise of course. It really is just a tough situation as vets don't seem to completely understand why it happens exactly.

 

[Eurocat]

Hi - thanks for your reply.
My apologies - your post must have up as I was writing mine - so my theory doesnt make sense here at all. I totally see what you‘re saying.
Good luck - crossing all my fingers and toes that you find a way out of this..

 

[Joxer]

Hi there,

First of all, I feel like I always come back here when I am struggling with one of my kitties and people are so nice and thoughtful here that I just want to say thank you in advance.

We adopted Lugosi in July of 2022 knowing he had some behavioral issues. He would overgroom himself to the point of bleeding and we had him on Fluoxetine (Prozac) from his foster. With time, he grew out of that habit and seemed to be pretty content at home with us and our our sweet kitty, Luna, and our two dogs.

Since about mid-November of 2023, he has been struggling with severe episodes of self-mutilation. He got sick and had pretty bad bronchitis, so we had him on antibiotics and steroids along with his usual Fluoxetine and allergy meds as he also has allergies. In the midst of his recovery from the illness, he began to attack his tail. He would rip out fur and cause gashes on his poor tail. The only thing we could do was to try and redirect him with pets and toys. We started putting shirts on him to calm him. Our vet put him on Gabapentin as well as she thought it was pain and discomfort relating to him being sick.

He has since recovered from his illness but he continues to try and attack himself multiple times a day. We do our best to stop him and have had to swaddle him in blankets and pillows until he falls asleep.

Our vet suggested we try another medication to see if that would help him as there does not seem to be any other reason for him to be self-mutilating. She mentioned that they try to rule out other causes before diagnosing with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome, but she said he very clearly has this condition now.

My husband and I are concerned about quality of life for him. He has been on the Gabapentin for a month now (along with his other meds) and like I mentioned he continues to have episodes multiple times a day. If he isn't swaddled in blankets then he is out eating or using the litter box and then promptly begins to attack himself. Is this fair life for him? I struggle with the idea of behavioral euthanasia but I just don't know that his life is good right now. We are willing to give the other medication a try, but I wonder if after trying that we should consider letting him go .

If anyone has any other words of wisdom, I would really appreciate hearing anything. Thanks again in advance!

I have a cat, Lindsey, who showed hyperesthesia symptoms while we were renting a house that had recently been sprayed with pyrethroid insecticides. There was no spraying while we were there, but the insecticide residue on surfaces, especially the screened porch where she spent a lot of time, was enough to cause neurological symptoms for the duration of our stay (a few months). I did not make the connection until we moved out of that house and her symptoms very quickly faded away (without treatment). I know there was insecticide residue on the screened porch because I confirmed the spraying with the pest control company (which had been hired to do the spraying by the landlord, who broke her promise to me not to do that), and any insect or spider that found a way onto that porch died within a few hours.

I have two suggestions:

You have dogs and cats living in the same household. It sounds like they all receive regular flea/tick treatments. The flea/tick treatments marketed for dogs usually consist of concentrated pyrethroid insecticides, which are extremely toxic to cats. Just playing with a recently treated dog or sleeping in the same spot can produce neurological symptoms in cats (pyrethroids are neurotoxins). I strongly suggest keeping your dogs and cats separate for as long as possible following the application of flea/tick treatments to your dogs, and washing any bedding used by your dogs after they are treated.

If you currently use any insecticides in your home (sprays, bug bombs, etc) or yard, discontinue this practice, especially if they are pyrethroid insecticides (most are; a hint is if the name of the insecticide ends in -thrin, but the only way to know for sure is to look up the insecticide online and download the safety data sheet).

See what happens. If you do both of the above, I think it is very likely that Lugosi's neurological symptoms will resolve. At the least, it cannot hurt to minimize his exposure to insecticides.

In my experience, vets -- even the good ones -- are not very interested in the cause of disorders like hyperesthesia. However, if you compare the symptoms of hyperesthesia and pyrethroid insecticide poisoning in cats, there is a lot of overlap. As pyrethroid insectide use has increased, so has feline hyperesthesia. Pyrethroids are the most used household and veterinary (flea/tick treatment) insecticides now, because they are safer for people and dogs than a lot of the older insectides, but they are very toxic to cats. In high doses, they're lethal. Lower, chronic exposure can produce the sort of symptoms that you are seeing in Lugosi.

 

[stephanie junca]

A Alldara and Eurocat thanks for the ideas and suggestions! I hope we can figure something out. It kind of breaks my heart seeing him just bundled up in blankets day in and day out. This morning my husband got up early to start work... (I still have off for a few more days )... and Lugosi was self attacking again. But by the time I came downstairs, he was in the sun on his cat tree watching a box elder bug that was alive still somehow. (We are now in the 20s F here during the day). He seemed to be having a good few hours doing that until he got comfy and took a sun nap. He woke up when we let out our dogs for lunch time and he jumped down to get some food out of his bowl. Then came back up to the tree where all of the sudden he started up again growling, hissing and biting his tail. He pulled off a tuft of fur again and an old scab. So my husband had to bring him down and swaddle him again in his blankies. He has found that when he plays him some songs on his guitar that helps too so he was giving him a nice serenade. It has now been 4 hours since then and he still is in his blanket bundle. Just makes me sad.

 

[stephanie junca]

Hi J Joxer , I just took a look at the ingredients of the flea/tick preventatives we use on our pups and they don't contain that. We use Frontline Plus that contains fipronil and (S)-methropene. Then a chewable for the heartworm prevenation. We don't use insecticides in our home just use a cedar based spray as a bug deterrent on bedding and doorways. I was really curious about your experience but it doesn't seem to coincide in our case . We do make sure kitties stay away from our pups after applying the treatments though.

 

[Alldara]

Hi J Joxer , I just took a look at the ingredients of the flea/tick preventatives we use on our pups and they don't contain that. We use Frontline Plus that contains fipronil and (S)-methropene. Then a chewable for the heartworm prevenation. We don't use insecticides in our home just use a cedar based spray as a bug deterrent on bedding and doorways. I was really curious about your experience but it doesn't seem to coincide in our case . We do make sure kitties stay away from our pups after applying the treatments though.

Oh Stephanie! The cedar based spray can include phenols which are toxic to cats! That might be it!

It's not even safe to use pinesol cleaner around cats.

I've safely been using Fabrispray for years. Allow to dry completely before letting your pets in the room. FabriClear You'll have to assess the ingredients for your own pets.

 

[Alldara]

PS. Poor floof. I'm glad he had some good time with you today though.

 

[stephanie junca]

A Alldara I took a look at the ingredients and no phenols... sigh. Sounds weird looking for toxins and being upset by not finding any haha. Thanks for suggesting that though. For reference, we use Cedarcide sprays. This is their list of ingredients View our Pet Safe Bug Control Ingredients | Cedarcide. It works pretty well for us. We get pretty bad mosquitoes here in the summertime and I am highly allergic to their bites. It is one of the few things that actually helps me without bringing in deet.

 

[Furballsmom]

He tends to attack the bottom half of his tail furthest from his body if that makes sense. I was reading through previous posts on this condition and some people have mentioned amputating the tail. Seems a bit extreme to me but he really seems to dislike his tail at this point.

The thought of amputation occurred to me too, but I still think there's other options. Along with alldara's comments above including the nematodes, try wrapping whatever section of his tail it is that he attacks.

He has found that when he plays him some songs on his guitar that helps too so he was giving him a nice serenade.

Also there's Cat Music too, there's RelaxMyCat, MusicForCats, classical harp music, harp music written for cats, music with purrs and videos with only purrs.

 

[fionasmom]

If seizures are part of the problem and controlling the itch does not control them, then medication for seizures should be used (phenobarbital is the most common feline choice, but other medications are available as well).

This sentence is from the second article that A Alldara cited and I had wondered if the use of anti-seizure meds had been discussed with you. Keppra is another one which is commonly used.