My Cat Shakes Uncontrollably

[Naomilovescats]

Hey All !
Hope e everyone is having Happy Holidays !

So my Cat Finn(female- aprox 5 human years old) has been having a weird twitch lately.
Its been about 2-3 weeks and I'm not sure what to do because I don't have access to a vet.
She will be fine laying down and out nowhere she will start biting at her back and the fur on her back starts to twice.
She will keep scratching at herself and running as if she's trying to get away form herself or away from something on her.
Ive checked her fur but I don't see anything weird so im just not sure.
Can you guys help me?

Thank you so much in advance ! - Naomi

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Happy Holidays to you too!

Any chance Finn has fleas? Sometimes, they are not easy to see when just checking the fur. But, from what you have explained, it sounds like Feeby when we first realized she had fleas. If you have a flea comb, use that to see if you can catch any in the tongs. Have a dish of soapy water on hand to dip the comb in if you should find any fleas, as the soap will drown them. You may also find some flea dirt (little black specks) in the comb even if you don't manage to find actual fleas.

 

[minish]

It's called feline hyperesthesia
Here is some info:
Hyperesthesia Syndrome

My minish has it since 2 years old. She's almost 6. Besides being irritated, the episodes have no harm to her that I observed.
There are so many possible reasons ranging from serious sickness in the nervous system to flea bites. It's best to have your vet do a check up but don't panic. If it's not possible for vet visits due to lock down etc, you can observe and try some things. Here is what you can do:
1.take note of the episodes. Do they happen daily, fews days in a row, certain hours, after certain situations? This will be great to tell the vet when you visit.
2.one of the most common reasons is allergic reaction in the skin. Flea bites may cause it so update your flea treatment
3. Another common reason is food allergies that affect the skin. Dry food fillers such as corn may be the culprit. In minish's case, I found out most brands of chicken based cat food cause it, while raw chicken is totally fine. And minish grew up on chicken based kibble. One day it became an issue. So check the relation of certain foods to these episodes if you can. I could find out pretty fast because I feed minish with various foods and switch often without any effect on her digestion. If minish gets the wrong food, she has an episode shortly after the meal
4.stress and agitation may be the reason. This may be due to situations like construction noises, unwanted visitors... or general pent up energy. In any case, attentiveness and play do wonders for any cat.
5.during the episodes: say nice words and tell her it will be OK. When they started, minish used to run towards me as if asking for help. She's no longer surprised and afraid, passes them fine. We play a little game of chase after.
After I found the reasons for minish, episodes didn't end totally but became very rare. I hope it's resolved soon for Finn as well

 

[susanm9006]

She really really needs to be seen. Maybe it’s an itch but she could also be twitching because she is in pain. If it is fleas you will see them in her fur but otherwise find some way to get her to a clinic as you don’t want her to suffer.

 

[Naomilovescats]

Thank you so so much !
this is a bit scary and new to me, I love my babies so im a bit anxious about this since don't have access to a vet.
Any ideas on what could have caused this ? she doesn't go outside at all so im just not sure.

Thank you sooo much once again !

 

[Naomilovescats]

It's called feline hyperesthesia
Here is some info:
Hyperesthesia Syndrome

My minish has it since 2 years old. She's almost 6. Besides being irritated, the episodes have no harm to her that I observed.
There are so many possible reasons ranging from serious sickness in the nervous system to flea bites. It's best to have your vet do a check up but don't panic. If it's not possible for vet visits due to lock down etc, you can observe and try some things. Here is what you can do:
1.take note of the episodes. Do they happen daily, fews days in a row, certain hours, after certain situations? This will be great to tell the vet when you visit.
2.one of the most common reasons is allergic reaction in the skin. Flea bites may cause it so update your flea treatment
3. Another common reason is food allergies that affect the skin. Dry food fillers such as corn may be the culprit. In minish's case, I found out most brands of chicken based cat food cause it, while raw chicken is totally fine. And minish grew up on chicken based kibble. One day it became an issue. So check the relation of certain foods to these episodes if you can. I could find out pretty fast because I feed minish with various foods and switch often without any effect on her digestion. If minish gets the wrong food, she has an episode shortly after the meal
4.stress and agitation may be the reason. This may be due to situations like construction noises, unwanted visitors... or general pent up energy. In any case, attentiveness and play do wonders for any cat.
5.during the episodes: say nice words and tell her it will be OK. When they started, minish used to run towards me as if asking for help. She's no longer surprised and afraid, passes them fine. We play a little game of chase after.
After I found the reasons for minish, episodes didn't end totally but became very rare. I hope it's resolved soon for Finn as well

Wow thank you so much !! you are an angel this is sooo helpful !
I will definitely observe her more and be a bit more attentive !

 

[FeebysOwner]

Fleas can come inside on your shoes/clothing. Feeby is an indoor only cat, but she does have access to a screened in patio. It wasn't until last year that she got fleas for the first time (she is 16+), and we are still battling them. So, do the flea check first, just in case.

As far as hyperesthesia, there is no way to diagnose it for sure, and there are varying levels of it as well. Feeby, likely has a mild case of hyperesthesia, and so I really don't take any action. Things that trigger Feeby is to pet her back end near her tail, so I am just careful to pet her other places first and then I seem to be better able to pet her backend. But, how she reacts to that is different from what she does because of the fleas, which is why I suggested you rule that out first.