Neck Sensitivity

Question
My 8 yr old female cat has become very sensitive around cheek/neck area. She use to love being petted here but now acts like it hurts. Seven yrs ago she had an acute rebra worm in her head that produces a nasty toxin that almost took her life. It was like recovering from a brain injury. She had to re-learn everything from walking to meowing, etc. She had a personality change, became mean and not liking to be touched except on her head. However, she has become much calmer & I can touch her everywhere as long as I let her lick my hand (keeping her busy). She is obese & could have problems due to this but just curious if you had any suggestions why suddenly sensitive around neck. Thanks.

Answer
Vickie,

Your vet should check your kitty over. There are many possibilities for her acting this way from nerve damage, to being in heat if she isn't spayed...I do not know enough about the "acute rebra worm" to make any comments, it must be something that we don't really see in Canada much...Take kitty to the vet, make sure that there are no medical reasons for her to be miserable. The fact that you mention your kitty being overweight may mean that there is more strain on her tendons and ligaments, but that is a shot in the dark...In any case you should also speak with your vet about putting your kitty onto a diet for weight reduction, make sure that the weight loss isn't sudden as it can cause serious health problems in cats if they are allowed to drop large quantities of weight too quickly. I'm sorry I wasn't able to offer much more in the way of advice. If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again...Hopefully I will be of more help next time.