Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome — What Is It and How Do You Treat It?
With their unique ways and fickle preferences, it’s no secret that cats can be a little weird. But sometimes, that strange thing your cat does is actually a medical problem. Take, for instance, feline hyperesthesia syndrome, sometimes called twitch-skin syndrome, rippling-skin disease or rolling-skin syndrome.
What is feline hyperesthesia?
A cat with hyperesthesia may lick at her back, flank area or tail. Photography by DoraZett/Thinkstock.
“Cats with hyperesthesia syndrome are extremely sensitive to touch in the lower back region,” says Michelle Murray, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM (Neurology), CCRT, owner of NEST Veterinary Neurology in San Clemente, California. “Touching this area can cause them to suddenly vocalize, salivate, scratch, bite or lick at their back, flank area or tail, or even urinate. The skin along the back appears to twitch or ripple. They can be agitated and often run frantically around the house for about 20 to 30 seconds until the episode stops.” Cats generally go back to acting normal after an episode passes.
Feline hyperesthesia syndrome is extremely rare. Dr. Murray says that even in her neurology-only practice, she does not see feline hyperesthesia syndrome often. But for those cats who are affected, feline hyperesthesia syndrome can be troubling, especially for felines who self-mutilate in an effort to curb the uncomfortable feelings caused by an episode. Feline hyperesthesia syndrome can affect cats at any age, although it’s more frequently seen in adult cats. Any cat breed or mixed breed can be affected.
What should you do if you think your cat has feline hyperesthesia syndrome
If you notice your cat exhibiting symptoms of possible feline hyperesthesia syndrome, schedule an appointment with your regular veterinarian, who will examine your cat to look for other causes for the symptoms, such as an injury, skin disorder or flea infestation causing severe itching, or painful condition like orthopedic and spine or nerve problems.
If your vet cannot pinpoint a cause of the symptoms, the next step would be to consult a veterinary neurologist for another exam and more tests.
Diagnosing feline hyperesthesia syndrome in cats
“There is no specific test for feline hyperesthesia syndrome,” Dr. Murray explains. “The exact cause is actually unknown, but thought to be a type of seizure disorder. For this reason, the only way to diagnose feline hyperesthesia disorder is to rule out other causes for the episodes.”
Tests that your regular vet and/or veterinary neurologist might want to run include basic lab work; skin scrapings, biopsies or cultures; X-rays; and possibly advanced imaging such as MRI. “With feline hyperesthesia syndrome, all of these tests can be totally normal,” Dr. Murray explains. If no other specific cause can be identified, the veterinarian might arrive at a diagnosis of feline hyperesthesia syndrome. Know that it might take some time to go through the process of testing for and ruling out the various conditions that might be causing the symptoms.
The final word on feline hyperesthesia syndrome
Although the exact cause of feline hyperesthesia syndrome is still a mystery, since many veterinarians believe it to be a seizure disorder, treatment involves using medications.
“Anti-seizure medications (such as phenobarbital or gabapentin), anti-anxiety medications (amitryptiline or Prozac) and/or anti-inflammatories (prednisone) have varying degrees of success,” Dr. Murray says. “It is also helpful to keep the environment as calm as possible and not to touch the cat’s back area to avoid triggering episodes. In general, the prognosis is good but may involve the long-term use of medication(s) to manage the symptoms as well as possible.”
Tell us: Does your cat have feline hyperesthesia syndrome? How do you deal with feline hyperesthesia?
Thumbnail: Photography © zlyka2008 | Thinkstock.
This piece was originally published in 2018.
31 comments on “Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome — What Is It and How Do You Treat It?”
This is my first visit to site i just want say thanku i thought for sometime i was crazy i diagnosed her before vet did all the symptoms she also rubs her chin bloody on anything she could find ..its so emotional on us when i leave to work she cries so i cry but have to work its just her and i in the home ..sadest thing ..it hurts her and hurts me as well
My cat started showing signs of this around 1 year, she’s 8 meow. The vet at the time put her on anti anxiety meds and they didn’t work for her. So I started putting a sweater on her to keep her from reaching her tail while I had it bandaged (she has torn it up really bad at times) and that sees to make a huge difference. She still displays symptoms regularly but I can usually distract her with her Mousr toy (or other things) but if she is persistently going after her tail, I put her sweater on her and she calms down right away.
Where’d you get the sweater? My cat has several episodes daily. It just started a month ago.
My 10 month old boy physically attacks his tail. He has ripped the skin. He has a ripple above his tail right before he goes into attack mode. I know it’s drastic, but would amputating the tail calm this?
Hi Priscilla,
We suggest talking to your vet about your cat’s behavior.
I’ve heard of other people doing amputation and their cat is still able to attack the part that has remained because the vets can’t amputate the entire tail. There will be a stubby tail left and your cat will still be able to reach it and damage it. Like I said in my post, I’m able to help Luna by distracting her with toys or putting her sweater on. The sweater may not work for all cats and it doesn’t work with her all the time because sometimes she’s able to slip out of it and of course bite the bandages off and then lick her wounds until they are all open and bleeding again. I’ve been dealing with this for 7 years and nothing has been 100% yet. But I haven’t tried any anti-seizure meds. maybe those would work better than the anti-anxiety ones she was on.
Hi i have a 5 year old siamese calico mix female cat whos name is also luna ..she started getting theses symptoms at age one she was a rescue cat from abusive and neglectful home she is everything to me ..my daughter even calls her sister ..at first it was mils mabey once or twice a month now daily ..when she has episodes shes vocal and at times mean ive learned by her beggining behaviors and dialation of pupils when its getting ready to start antd i also do the distraction thing fav tpys opening door screen closed fresh air treats talk8ng to her and telling her its ok ..she gets scared during episodes which terrifies me i also have tried anti anxiety no help cat nip makes a small difference but i found just the one on one comforting her helps the most so far but this is a terrible disorder and i wish i could take it away i wotry when im at work after work i spend all my time with hershe eats ok sleeps ok poop looks fine normal amount active slightly overweight but the episodes last much longer now i dont know what else to do ..its heartbreaking
My cat has daily episodes. I’ll look into these treatments.
Hi my cat recently developed small scabs on her back mostly near her tail (its not fleas or many of the other items listed here; only possibility could be stress as we just moved down the street). Whenever I pet her in that area (even before the scabs) her skin/fur absolutely ripples like mentioned above. She doesnt do anything crazy but it does seem that that feels uncomfortable for her. Does that mean she has a very minor case of HS? Would it have anything to do with the scabs? She is a pretty major groomer but I’ve never seen her groom in that area. I know I can bring her to the vet and will if it gets worse but if anyone could reply about something I can do BEFORE a vet visit I would appreciate it (also I have read about 20 articles on the site so links to other pages isnt going to help). I do appreciate the info and accept advice as at my own risk as I know you don’t want to reply and have something happen to my cat worse than the small scabs (not extremely worriesome at this point; just trying to get ahead of it if need be) there.
Thanks
RYan (and Vaca)
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for reaching out. We suggest a visit to the vet for the best diagnosis and information. Here are some articles that might help if you haven’t read them yet:
https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/what-causes-scabs-on-cats
https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/cat-skin-problems
https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/stud-tail-in-cats
My cat takes a small dose of Phenobarbitol. He still has some episodes, but the higher doses can be toxic. It’s worth discussing with your vet.
Hi all,
Re: St. John’s Wort — Please check with your veterinarian or a holistic veterinarian before using any herbal supplements.
You do know that St John’s wort is poisonous to cats right?!!!?
I just read on “Healthy Pets” where a vet said this: “I’ve also had good success with kitties using homeopathic Aconitum and Hypericum orally to help dampen emotional and neurologic reactivity that can lead to physiologic symptoms.” I believe Hypercium is St. John’s wort.
My cats fur starts twitching when I put him on a certain red blanket. He would stand there twitchng than jump off and run around. The blankets usually on my bed and when I put a tan blanket over the red one he lays down. He used to love the red blanket. He’ll just sleep on it whenever he sees it. What’s wrong with my cat!?
Hi there,
Thanks for reaching out! Here are two articles you might find helpful on weird cat behaviors:
https://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/why-is-cat-acting-weird
https://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/weird-cat-behaviors
My male cat has this disease. He had 2 seizures when he was younger and still sometimes chases his own tail / randomly will start talking to himself. I read somewhere feeding them tuna makes this disorder 10x worse. Since I stopped the tuna, his seizures stopped as well. He still gets that scary glazed look in his eyes (like the Shark from Finding Nemo) where his pupils fully dilate. Calming treats are working wonders for him as well.
In May of 2012 the local SPCA had an open house on kittens and we picked a brother and sister. (One long hair and one short hair) A year or so later we noticed erratic behavior of the male. We live in the mountains over 50 miles from a vet so did our due diligence on the Web. Everything indicated Hyperesthesia. The more we read convinced us we had the right condition. As we live above 3500 feet in the mountains there are no fleas. The cats have been indoor cats since day 1. His seizures are quite regular ,usually 1 or so a day. They do not fall in the severe category and there is no hair pulling. I think that at least for us the fact that his surroundings are quiet has a lot to do with his well being. Best wishes to those of you that have a buddy with this. Lots of love and care have gone a long way for us and ‘no meds needed.
My cat is four years old now and we have been struggling until just recently to find a vet that knew of or was even willing to treat her for her FHS. She started displaying symptoms at six months. She used to have severe attacks where one second she is fine and the next second there is blood everywhere and her tail is drenched. (As you can guess there were a lot of emergency vet visits.)
Finally, after four vets, found one that was actually willing to help her. She is currently on phenobarb and gabapentin and her attacks have lessened dramatically.
I was reading the other comments of a few attacks a year. My cat was having bloody attacks almost every other week before we found a vet that would listen to us. (Funny how the other four didnt care she was ripping herself open and claimed it was a single flea).
What all has your FHS cats been on medication wise? We are still trying to work out dosages and she is building up a tolerance very quickly to pheno and gaba.
Prozac (fluoxetine) helped my cat w/ FHS. She had been on pheonobarbital for years, then changed to Prozac. This was in the 90’s, though & I don’t remember the reason for the change. Praying for you & your kitty.
My sweet yellow eyed tangerine angel baby Nala :( I noticed a few years ago that she was running around the house acting very strange, I mean usually she does this but I know shes just goofing around but that time she was running and stopping and licking herself very aggressively and panting very hard and breathing hard. Her little nose and ears were bright red and hot. She wasn’t aggressive but she growled at me when I tried to see what was wrong but no hissing or scratching, I think she was confused. This happens a few times a year since then and each time I am worried because I cant help her. She is also almost 8 years old. Ive watched videos of cats with this syndrome and done some research and I am positive this is what she has. I am glad I can put a name to this problem but I am upset as to why she has this. In the summer she ripped a chunk of fur from her paw because of this. If these symptoms resemble this disease, I would greatly appreciate some advice, I love my baby ball Nala with all my heart.
I had a kitten that was diagnosed with hyperethsia at around 8 months old. My vet put her on 10 mg of Amitriptyline 1/5 tablet a day and she has been fine ever since. My vet says there are a lot of meds out there that could treat this but they also have side effects. With the Amitriptyline there isn’t any. I give her a half a tablet at night with her dinner and a little while later she’s napping then awake and ready to go. The pills are very bitter and can be tasted even in the tastiest of treats or wet food; even pill pockets didn’t work. I have to use a pill popper and put it in the back of her throat and then immediately put her food bowl in front of her. She swollows and then starts to eat and never notices it. Hope this helps
My cat is four years old and was rescued ast a 3.5 week old. He was bottle fed with kitten formula ( which we did not know even existed). As a result, our cat never imprinted and learned all cat skills. There have been four major episodes of intensified symptoms of feline hyperesthesia involving self injurious tail biting. In between these episodes, he is experiencing back ripples in the skin,air bites at his tail, and running as if something invisible is chasing him. It has been a long journey since his last major incident in which we realized separation anxiety is the essential trigger. There is an overall of physical and neurological component which is difficult to manage. This poor guy was not living a high quality of life at one point recently and that created major discussions. At one point he had bitten his tail, while we were at work and was so anxious that he had peed in the closet ( which is unheard of for him). Reluctantly, we acknowledged that he needed medicine beyond our homeopathic approach and we rely on the Thunder jacket, which is essentially a cat swaddle. He is on the road to maintaining a healthy life and we long for medicines for pain and anxiety to slowly be phased out. We have found that zyklene ( homeopathic) is a positive factor for Him as well. I have found for all of my research, there is not one thing that will facilitate your cats wellness with feline hyperesthesia and for a bit on our case… giving him the medicine was another anxiety trigger. Good luck all!
My senior cat has hyperesthesia. The vet prescribed prednisone for a short duration and gave me phenobarbitol to administer if the seizures became more frequent. At the present time, she has intermittent seizures so I have not had to give her any meds. She eats and drinks water, uses the litter box and basically sleeps all day. My only concern is that she has developed mats on her back where she can’t reach and can’t be touched. I may have to resort to taking her to the vet to be sedated so the groomer can remove/shave the mats.
I have a cat with hyperesthesia and was feeling lonely in the feline world. then I opened Catster and ran into this article. Daisy is on phenobarbital and is a much happier kitty for it. She’s not doped up, but relaxed, playful and loving. I think her sister, Lilly, has it too, to a lesser extent and I will soon talk to her Vet about possibly medicating her, too. This disorder made my cat miserable. She wanted to be loved but she was so sensitive to touch it was torture for her – like bitten by a dozen mega-fleas. If you suspect your cat has it, please take her to the vet and have her checked out for other problems as well as a solid diagnosis. St. John’s Wort is actually poisonous to cats.
We once had a cat that I was sure had hyperesthesia. She was not domesticated, but we still fed her and tried to care for her when she was around. There were times when she would run frantically throughout the yard, almost desperate to make the itching and/or pain go away. She would meow-cry at times in discomfort. You could see she would start to get pretty frantic. After much research, I finally got some St. John’s Wort. When I fed her, I would put a teeny drop into the food that she would eat. I repeated this process until it seemed she was no longer ailing. The St. John’s Wort did the trick. It is like it got rid of it completely somehow. I would highly recommend this treatment.
Can you tell me how much is a tiny drop?I would like to try it on my kitty.
A VERY small drop of the liquid mixed into the canned food…our cat never died, nor did our cat get sick from the minute dosage. Instead, our cat became relaxed and never suffered any other kind of reaction besides relief. When our cat was better, I ceased giving her any more doses; she never had need for more treatment. If St. John’s Wort is really that bad, you would think our cat would have succumbed to that danger…but, we are not experts. So, proceed at your own risk and use caution in dosage to make sure it is very little given at a time. It did not take that long for results…
Can you post a picture or link want to make sure I look for the right one. Would like to try it for my cat. Thanks