Tail swishing and hissing...but not hyperesthesia

[mphscat]

I have a cat who starting last year has had a bout with with IBD which thanks to a good diet, Cerenia and a good probiotic is under control.

About two weeks ago, Rube started fighting with his tail (something that jarred my memory that he had done many, MANY years ago...and it suddenly stopped).  The weird thing is that it usually happens in the nighttime hours, never during the day.  

i started reading about the symptoms of hyperesthesia but had to discount that as all the systems didn't quite match.  He's not fighting with the base of his tail...it is the middle to end and thankfully he is slapping at it with his paw and hissing but not biting.

I had though maybe it was an issue with the diet but I can feed him the same thing in the morning and he doesn't have this behavior.  He also only does it about 3 hours after eating which I would think by then he would have already digested so it wouldn't be the food.

I did read that this reaction could be a sign of flea infestation (and I do have indoor/outdoor cats) so I treated him with Revolution last night.  He didn't fight with his tail after being treated (thrashed his tail a little but never hisses) but he did fight with it during the night.  If I find a way to hold his tail down so it can't thrash around (like with my hand), he'll stop growling and hissing and go to sleep.

The vet has no clue...no idea whatsoever.  Y'all?  If it is behavioral and he's not a risk, I can try and see if it will pass.  

 

[stephanietx]

I would talk to the vet about feline hyperesthesia and see if the treatment for that works.  You can also try to get a second opinion.  Also, you might try feliway diffusers, just in case it's stress induced.

 

[DreamerRose]

Cats don't control what their tails do. The tail is a reflection of their nervous state. I have seen my cat put his paw down on the tip of his tail when it was flicking slightly right in front of his face. There is also a YouTube shot of a curled up cat growling at his tail, swatting at it, and attacking it to get it to stop thrashing.

What you are doing holding his tail down when it annoys him is probably the best thing to do. In the long run, hope it will calm him down enough that he will stop attacking his tail.