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cat acting crazy

18 15:44:55

Question
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Followup To
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Hi Jennifer
I am very concerned about my cat Taz.... he is acting very strangely and I am worried that something could be seriously wrong. Here is a little background on Taz: He is about 5 years old and I have had him since he was a kitten. He can come and go as he pleases through the cat door but he's usually inside. I am not aware of any health problems other than possible ear mites (he scratches at his ears a lot). Currently he shares his territory our other male cat (Oliver). Their interactions seem to fall somewhere between playing and fighting most of the time but are almost always characterized by  aggression.
What I have observed that has me worried is Taz seems to become extremely skittish at times- not just jumpy and anxious but he also has these strange "fits" in which he seems like he cannot stop moving around. For example, he will curl up somewhere, ostensibly to nap, but as soon as he lays down he'll jump back up and tear across the room, then sit down somewhere else for a second, only to jump back up and dash off to some other spot. Here's the really weird part- when he does this he often appears to be dodging an unseen enemy or it looks like something is near him that he is trying to get away from. He'll also twist himself around suddenly and bite at the middle of his back as if he has a terribly itchy spot right there (I've checked him many times for fleas but haven't seen any). This has been going on for at least a year but did not occur too often in the beginning (once a month a the most). It seems to be happening more often now- I'd estimate that he does this once or twice a week now though it is possible that I am just seeing it more often because I am looking for it.... I don't know for sure. When he has these fits all I can seem to think of is that he has some sort of neurological problem... I don't know why I think this because I have no basis for this and I'm not a veterinarian. Then I think that it is psychological because I can stop these fits if I simply put him in my lap and pet him for a couple minutes. He calms right down and seems normal again.
Any thoughts?
Thanks so much in advance for your help, it is so very much appreciated!
Answer -
The best thing is to take him to the vet for a check-up and some blood testing.  It sounds as if these fits may be mini-seizures.

You can try adding RESCUE REMEDY into his water dish on a daily basis as well as get some FELIWAY (Comfort Zone) diffusers in the house to help reduce any underlying anxiety.

Hi Jennifer
Thanks for your quick response. If you don't mind, may I ask how you arrived at the conclusion that Taz may be having seizures? He doesn't really manifest other symptoms  associated with seizures, according to my research.
Thanks again.

Pamela

Answer
I am only giving a suggestion based on your description.  Without examination and complete work-up, a diagnosis can not be made over the internet.  Seizures can manifest in different ways and are not all grand-mal (fall over, paddling, twitching, salivating, urinating, defecating, etc).  For example, I had one patient who would run around the house apparantly running away from "something" and this was actually a seizure and the "fits" stopped after putting her on anti-seizure medication.