Cat question

Box_Of_Frogs

Box_Of_Frogs

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I have an 8 (ish) yr old rescued male cat. Rescued 6yrs ago from my old yard, starving and desperate. Had him neutered and his health is fine now although, sadly, he will always be a troubled little lad but we get by. He is terrified of every other human being on the planet except me and is very very food oriented (as you'd expect). Anyway, just in the last 2 weeks he has become hyper sensitive with even the gentlest touches along his back and flanks. He angles his head oddly, half turns round, and does frantic licking, biting movements. I know cats have an oil gland on their backs at the base of the tail but I don't know why this behaviour should have only started now. I can sort of dull the response if I give him a firm brushing with the wire brush he loves but he does turn and try to bite it in funny snappy bites. He is a bit porky so I don't know if it's maybe because he can't reach that gland himself??? Any ideas? As I said, his health is fine, I'm just curious in case it's something that needs attention.
 
Is there any small matted/clumped bits of fur in the middle of his back where he can't reach? My mums elderly fatty reacts very similarly when you stroke this area, but was a lot better when the clumps were removed. Or check for fleas along the spine area.

NB my 2 rescue cats, who also were starving, have never become relaxed about food either. They treat each meal as being potentially their last :D
 
ScratchyMooMoo said:
Could be fleas or ear mites. If he's got a really bad infestation then they do behave like that.
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Agree with the possibility of ear mites or an ear infection. My oldie has naso-pharyngeal polyps and I know he needs to start a new course of anti-biotics and steroids when he starts his compulsive grooming. What you're seeing is your cat being driven to distraction. Cleetus (he's a redneck) doesn't like being stroked when he's suffering, being hypersensitive to back strokes, like your boy.

Have you seen him shaking his head at all, or is it just the head tilt? Either way, definitely a vet job (and you have my sympathy - took one of mine to vet this morning with a fever!).

Edited to correct bad grammar! Tut tut!
 
I had similar syptoms with one of my cats. He was acting in a very unsettled and sort of frantic way. He also kept peering at his sides and washing his flanks. I took him to the vet and he had a very high temperature and very stiff joints (which probably caused the licking behavior as it must have been painful).

The vet thought that it might have been toxoplasmosis(sp?) but as he got better so quickly after a broad spectrum anti-b injection and an anti-inflam injection she now thinks that it was Lyme disease, which can also show as a lameness that alternates between different legs.
 
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