Cat - Muscle flexing while sleeping

Question
My cat Thomas will 'flex' his muscles while is is sleeping.  It's not twitching, it looks like he flexes his muscles.  He does have aids.

thanks Pam


Answer
Hi Pam,

He's most likely dreaming.  Cats can get pretty involved in their dreams and do things such as chew, suckle, thrash their tails, meow, and bunny kick.  Not long ago, I saw a video on YouTube of a dog who was running in his sleep and got up and ran into a wall, the poor thing!

However, if you are concerned, it might be wise to have a blood panel done, especially considering his AIDS status.  Anemia, a common complication of AIDS, can cause deep muscle spasms.  Some less common reasons, like high blood calcium, which can come from kidney failure, are also more common in AIDS cats, because kidney failure is a complication of the disease.

Good luck!

Jessica