Tiger And Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS)

One of our readers, Emma, had earlier shared that her cat, Toby, displayed similar symptoms as Tiger and Toby had fits for over a year. Toby also bit his flank and scratched severely during that time. Emma mentioned this when I first wrote about Tiger’s epilepsy. She also suggested that I checked out Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS), which I did.

Now, after closely monitoring Tiger for this whole week, I am convinced that Tiger’s symptoms match those of FHS almost 100%.

Here are two reliable links on this little-known and rather mysterious illness:

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/Health_Information/HyperesthesiaSyndrome.cfm

http://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/skin/c_ct_feline_hyperesthesia_syndrome

There is even a Facebook page dedicated to this illness.

As suggested by Emma today, I watched videos of FHS cats and yes, that’s almost exactly what Tiger does too – the swishing of the tail, the intense biting and obsessive licking of the flank and the pelvic area to the point of almost being “violent” about it.  Today, I saw Tiger displaying behaviour of being agitated and erratic where he rushed into the room and the swishing of the tail was very prominently. One of the articles I read says FHS cats may hallucinate as well. Some FHS cats do not throw a fit, but some do.

Thankfully, I did not witness any seizures today. I watched and monitored Tiger very closely.

What is the cause of FHS:

This is a rare syndrome and the exact cause is not known. It may develop due to an underlying behavioral problem, a seizure disorder, or other neurotic problem. Nervous or hyperactive cats are believed to be at greater risk. Environmental stress may also trigger the syndrome.

It is speculated there may be multiple factors contributing to the symptoms associated with FHS.

Could Tiger be fed-up of years of putting up with the “titanic” fights of which he was sometimes the victim too?

Possible treatment:

Recommended treatment for a cat that is diagnosed with hyperesthesia syndrome is likely to include a behavioral component aimed toward reducing any anxiety that the animal might be experiencing. Regularly scheduled feeding times and play periods, for example, may help keep an insecure cat relaxed and well exercised. And any type of physical activity that may irritate or overstimulate the cat—such as scratching its back—must certainly be avoided. For some patients, a veterinarian may prescribe a serotonin-enhancing drug—amitryptyline or fluoxetine, for example—to stabilize a cat’s mood; an anti-seizure drug, such as phenobarbital; an anti-inflammatory medication, such as prednisolone; or a combination of drugs. Gabapentin, a drug with both analgesic and anti-seizure properties, is a recent addition to the arsenal of drugs potentially useful for treating hyperesthesia syndrome.

We will just continue with the supplements and EaseSure (it works by relaxing the nerves and brain without the toxic side effects, so that acts as an anti-anxiety).

If it is really FHS (the symptoms do match exactly), then I’m slightly comforted by this:

Overall, says Dr. de Lahunta, “Hyperesthesia is a relatively mild condition. I’m not aware that a cat has ever died from it. Once it has established itself, it doesn’t progress very much, and the prognosis is pretty good as long as the scratching doesn’t result in a serious infection.”

Dr de Lahunta is a world renowned neurologist and is professor emeritus of anatomy at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, so I’m comforted by this last paragraph.

I spent the whole day today reading up on FHS while monitoring Tiger. There are many more websites, but the two links above seem to be the most reliable. I must have read them umpteen times to let all the facts sink it.

This is one the episodes today where Tiger went around rather frantically and started biting his back. I thought a seizure was going to happen so I stayed close. So did Tabs.

There was obsessive biting, but no seizure.

Today was a seizure-free day, at least from what I observed.

I even put several pillows under the shelf where Tiger wanted to sit (he insisted on sitting there so since I was home, I put three pillows under it). I also noticed a little less scratching today. I’m giving him 4 drops of EaseSure with his food, three times a day.

Source: https://myanimalcare.org/2016/08/05/tiger-and-feline-hyperes..

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