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Feline Hyperesthesia: The Cat Schizophrenia
Cats are certainly distinct in their personalities and while they seem to be bored with everything, if you can get them in an affectionate or playful mood then you can see the more sensitive side of your cat. While some of this behavior is just normal for a cat, there may be something more to it. It could very well be Feline Hyperesthesia.
There are times when a cat will stare for long periods of time. Perhaps they will switch their tails back in forth in a way that seems to communicate annoyance our displeasure with something. Additionally they may jump at imaginary adversaries almost as if they were experiencing a hallucination. All of this may just be quirks of a cat personality but if these behaviors escalate into a more frequent and aggressive type of behavior, it may be diagnosed as Feline Hyperesthesia.
While Feline Hyperesthesia seems to be more of an behavioral or emotional illness for cats, if the condition persists and escalates it can impact the cat physically requiring medical help from your Vet.
There are additional symptoms that may occur. Your cat may seem to have a rolling or rippling of the skin on its back, either on its own or when you pet your cat close to the base of the tail. The cat may snap at its flanks or hiss. Hair loss will occur on the tail as the cat may aggressively chew or scratch at its tail. Your cat may go from seemingly placid behavior to racing around the room in an agitated way.
These reactions almost seem to be seizure like and may even pass as quickly at they start, returning your cat to a placid happy kitty. From my cursory research it seems as if this ailment could be triggered by stress or anxiety that a cat may be experiencing in its environment. Certainly Feline Hyperesthesia can be brought on as a secondary symptom of a primary physical ailment that the cat may have.
Other illnesses that may look like Feline Hyperesthesia are certain seizure disorders found in cats and it may also happen when a cat is in heat. Unfortunately there is no definitive cause known for this and frequently Hyperesthesia is diagnosed only when ruling out a host of other illnesses.
In some cases Vets will treat it as a good old case of depression and prescribe anti-depressants for the patient. If the cat is experiencing on-going stress and anxiety it is believed that this may alter the brain chemistry of the cat making it a chronic behavior which would indeed take medication to resolve.
Modifying your cat’s behavior may lessen the symptoms of Feline Hyperesthesia. This can be done through a sort of play therapy. Remedy your cat’s boredom by playing with it regularly. Sometimes getting a scratch post for your cat can help and you might try hiding treats around the house for them to find. Your cat may just need to play the mighty jungle cat for a little while to work Feline Hyperesthesia out of their system.
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