My Cat Poppy Has Not Bounced Back After a Biopsy

[MajinKorra]

I've had Poppy for 3 years, almost 4, poppy grew up with a lot of mental baggage as a kitten, she was born on the street and mated with a male cat and had kittens while still a kitten herself. She was found with her kittens and taken to buddy's place shelter where I found her. Everyone wanted the kittens but no one wanted poppy so I adopted her. Poppy was fearful and hid a lot at first but she was resilient and turned into a very sweet, loving and huggable girl. For the past two years poppy has happily adjusted to my home with no litterbox issues and minimal to no hiding. She loved to get on my chest and hug me while licking my nose while I'd rest on my couch. In spring 2023, I brought home my second cat, a rambunctious and hilarious orange cat named Fergie. Poppy was afraid of Fergie at first but quickly warmed up to her after two weeks of proper introduction. Fergie is playful, funny and adventurous, the total opposite of poppy. For 9 months, they got along beautifully, playing together, snuggling, watching tv, just having a blast. Poppy has always had bouts of anxiety and in January 2024, developed hot spots from overgrooming. Fergie had some non recognition aggression after poppy came back from the vet but was over it in a few days and poppy bounced back to her regular happy self. Two months later, poppy developed another hotspot from overgrooming and was taken to the vet by my sitter while I was away in Florida. Fergie had no aggression this time and poppy remained her happy self. Four months after that, she created a third hot spot on her neck with itching and the dr treated it, Fergie was aggressive and got into poppy's face and hissed a few times which upset poppy and made her feel cornered. Fergie got over it in a day though and poppy started to bounce back, until a week later a fourth hotspot appeared on her back. She was taken to the dr, they put her under and did a biopsy to test for everything from cancer to allergies. When poppy woke up and came home, Fergie was fine, no vet visit aggression. Poppy was afraid and hid. Poppy was separated from Fergie for a week to prevent the sutures from coming out too early and she once again began to rebound but when the sutures came out and she and Fergie were reunited, she became the fearful cat that I had adopted from the shelter. She was ok with Fergie but she'd hide, shake, avoid me and hold herself in tight poses. She was put on prednisone after the surgery and that can alter behavior. After a month, she began to purr more again and seek out petting but the couch cuddles still had not come back. The results of the biopsy were totally negative for anything medical so the hot spots were a behavioral creation. She then developed a fifth hot spot at the end of august. She was put on penicillin and the pills made her stomach hurt. She regressed back into the withdrawn cat. I went on a trip to Chicago to have a biopsy done on a possibly cancerous cyst and poppy began to rebound with her favorite sitter. When I got back 95% of the old poppy was there. She was purring, snuggling with Fergie, playing, napping, happily enjoying life, but there was still some anxiety there. She still wouldn't reach out for cuddles on the couch though. At times over the last two weeks she'd go into a state of withdrawal for a few hours and then go back to happily purring and resting like she did before the operation. Today, she woke up very cheerful, but at 12, she went into her shell, stopped purring and hid. Fergie didn't do anything, she was asleep on the couch the whole time while poppy napped on the cat bed. Poppy did purr when I pulled out treats but I left the home to give her time alone for a few hours but she still isn't back to her normal self. She'd bounce back every time but what's different now? Why is it taking over two months for her to recover mentally? Poppy has hyperesthesia which has been managed by removing her collar and that's helped greatly with the licking and creating the hot spots but I really miss taking naps with her on my couch and falling asleep to her happy purrs. I miss her kisses and biscuits on my chest. Is she scarred for life from the surgery or will the old poppy one day come back in full? Is she upset with me specifically? Should I rehome her?
Below I have images of poppy (tortie) and Fergie (orange) as well as an example of poppy's hot spots and a final image of what poppy was like prior to this event.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi and welcome to TCS! Poppy doesn't need to be rehomed, and it would likely make things worse for her if she were. I don't know what all of her hyperesthesia symptoms normally are, but maybe she is having a newer kind of reaction to them when a bout occurs.

Is she off the Pred now? That too could be part of her issue, because it does take a while to get out of their system, and if any cat is on it long enough, they need to be tapered off before stopping it. It also could be, if she is completely off of it, that it was helping in a way that kept her calmer.

Any other meds that she is on?

I wouldn't leave the house to give her time alone - I don't see that as being helpful. Since it really isn't affecting her all of the time, I'd kind of let it go for now, but you might consider asking the vet if some sort of calming med might help if they think her behavior could be related to the hyperesthesia.

You could also consider if there are any tips in this article for 'timid' cats - not that she is new to your home, or timid all the time, but it seems like she is acting a bit timid when she goes through these spells.
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats - TheCatSite

 

[MajinKorra]

Hi and welcome to TCS! Poppy doesn't need to be rehomed, and it would likely make things worse for her if she were. I don't know what all of her hyperesthesia symptoms normally are, but maybe she is having a newer kind of reaction to them when a bout occurs.

Is she off the Pred now? That too could be part of her issue, because it does take a while to get out of their system, and if any cat is on it long enough, they need to be tapered off before stopping it. It also could be, if she is completely off of it, that it was helping in a way that kept her calmer.

Any other meds that she is on?

I wouldn't leave the house to give her time alone - I don't see that as being helpful. Since it really isn't affecting her all of the time, I'd kind of let it go for now, but you might consider asking the vet if some sort of calming med might help if they think her behavior could be related to the hyperesthesia.

You could also consider if there are any tips in this article for 'timid' cats - not that she is new to your home, or timid all the time, but it seems like she is acting a bit timid when she goes through these spells.
16 Top Cat Experts Share Tips For Dealing With Timid Cats - TheCatSite

Hello, poppy is not a typical hyperesthesia cat, she's totally docile and nonviolent, I've only ever seen her truly angry once in her life and that was when she'd had it with Fergie hissing at her. Whenever she starts to have sensory overload, her back will ripple and she'll engage in physical stimming (the licking, scratching her neck, pacing) and sometimes verbal stimming (repeating the same meow over and over again). When she has a total sensory meltdown, that's when she withdrawals into her shell and hides. She doesn't really want attention during a meltdown. She's off the steroid, she was on it for two weeks post op but the side effects lingered a long while and are still mildly present at this point, that med can take a while to fully clear. She tapered off it but pred can alter personality regardless, I've heard plenty of stories of people's kids going on it and doing a 180 with their personalities. I was on pred for a bacterial infection I had several years ago and I was out of sorts for a few months. She's not on anything now but next week she's starting Prozac for her worries. She's a wonderful cat, but she's a worrier with sensory issues and that's been tough.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And remember, she has been going through a good bit recently...back and forth to the vet, reacquainting herself with Fergie over and over, no wonder she's a bit overwhelmed.

I can't give better advice than what FeebysOwner gave you, LOL, she got here first! But everything she said is quite true. Especially about the calming meds, which are often needed in cats with hyperesthesia.

 

[MajinKorra]

And remember, she has been going through a good bit recently...back and forth to the vet, reacquainting herself with Fergie over and over, no wonder she's a bit overwhelmed.

I can't give better advice than what FeebysOwner gave you, LOL, she got here first! But everything she said is quite true. Especially about the calming meds, which are often needed in cats with hyperesthesia.

Shes over her meltdown right now, just had dinner. I just hate it when she's uncomfortable, she's so precious and it hurts me to see her hurting.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I'm so happy to hear this. And I KNOW, having been there, how relieved you are. To those lucky people who know that our beloved pets are really full family members, a sick or hurting animal is just soul-crushing.