Has anyone heard of Rippling Skin Disease / Feline Hyperaesthesia?

My 1 year old cat has always been a bit fiesty and woken us up by meowing loudly in the morning. Recently though he's become completely mental - jumping up walls, chasing thing that aren't there, looking possessed, groaning/meowing loudly as if he is frustrated, chewing his back and tail, grooming his back quite a lot, scratching himself and the skin on his back twitches or ripples sometimes too.





I've been reading about Feline Hyperaesthesia and the symptoms seem exactly how my cat is behaving. I read that it can be triggered by fleas, as they become 'freaked out' by the creatures crawling on their body. I have been wondering if he's got fleas and we are going to treat him.





Has anyone heard of this disorder of had a cat with it? It seems to be heard of more in America - I feel that my vet would laugh me out of the door here in the UK.





Any other suggestions as to why my cat is suddenly behaving so manic would be greatly appreciated.





Thanks guys xx Emmie

Has anyone heard of Rippling Skin Disease / Feline Hyperaesthesia?
the symptoms you are describing could well be feline hyperaesthesia some cats have been known to freak out when they have fleas im in the uk find a sympathetic vet who will; listen to you,and tell him your concerns print off the information off the internet and present it to your vet good luck
Reply:I haven't actually heard of this disease in cats, but people can suffer from something similar. I'm not sure what it's called, but symptoms are a crawling, itchy sensation under your skin. If the poor little mite has had a bad reaction to a flea, then he's probably got into the habit of itching, even if there'a nothing actually there.





I believe it's more of an allergic reaction than anything else, so see what your vet says.
Reply:l know how you feel you would be treated by the vet, but l think they would take you very seriously, if treating him yourself doesnt work, then you should take him to the vet, also this would put your mind at rest as it could be something else.
Reply:I have never heard of this disorder before but I checked it out and this is what I found:





Feline hyperaesthesia is a poorly understood condition that has also been referred to as rippling skin syndrome, rolling skin syndrome, or twitchy skin syndrome. It may not be a true compulsive disorder. The normal response of many cats to having their back scratched can include rippling of the skin, an arched back and varying degrees of localization In hyperaesthesia, the affected cat may have a more exaggerated response to touching, rubbing or scratching of the back. This behavior may then become a stereotyped disorder as the frequency increases, the response becomes more intense and the signs begin to appear with little or no apparent stimuli. In addition to rolling skin, muscle spasms and localization, the cat may have dilated pupils, and may seem to startle, hallucinate and dash away. Some cats will defecate as they run away. There may also be some grooming or biting at the flank, tail, or back displayed along with the above behaviours.








Behavioral management requires the identification and control of the types of handling that lead to the behavior Avoiding or minimizing these types of handling, or desensitizing and counter-conditioning techniques, which allow the cat to learn to "tolerate" these stimuli, may be successful at reducing the cat's level of arousal. For some cats who appear to be having a seizure disorder, anti-epileptic therapy may be effective although these drugs may act by generally reducing the cat's level of arousal. Treatment with anti-anxiety drugs or antidepressants, may also occasionally be successful.








It seems that a trip to your vet with this suggestion may not be quite so laughable. However if your cat has fleas they need to be treated and so does your furniture!





Good luck
Reply:http://www.kittens-lair.net/cat-health/l...





Have a look here.
Reply:Hi Emmie,


I don't know this disease.


I think you have a problem with your vet! If you don't feel comfortable, change him! I changed my previous vet for technical reasons, not because I had any complaints at the time. However I've never regretted the move. The first practice was a bit big and impersonal; the new vet works at a smaller practice and she really cares and listens and I trust her.





If your mind is telling you that the fleas are a problem then get that sorted out first and see afterwards if the problem persists, then take it from there.


Fleas can cause hypersensitivity and excessive grooming in cats and it can lead to dermatitis. One of my cats gets that if I'm not keeping up with the flea treatments.


I have also seen cats suddenly start up and run off, that can be related to fleas, too.


Overgrooming can also be due to boredoom, anxiety or nervousness.


So, the conclusion is, start with the nearest and easiest thing, get the fleas sorted! Once you have eliminated that then take another look at the symptoms that remain and try to diagnose the problem.


best wishes


chirpy
Reply:I had a cat that if you touched his back he would go mental, then go into a fit. Something like this that makes your cat react badly, HAS to be seen by a vet. It turned out my cat was allergic to fleas and caused this major reaction of fitting. Dont try to diagnose the problem yourself, this can actually cause more problems. Your vet would not laugh you out of the door - only one who doesnt take his job seriously would do this. My cat had to have all sorts of tests before they did the allergy one for fleas. I wouldnt recommend any flea products you can buy from the shops. Because of the flea allergy, it was made worse by products that werent strong enough. The only thing that made my cat comfortable was Frontline. After he started having Frontline, the problem disappeared. Once i forgot to get his next appointment for the Frontline, and within 2 days of missing his next dose his back was exactly how it was in the beginning. Once he had his Frontline, he was back to my fun, loving, cuddly cat who loved having his back stroked - unable to do this before because it would send him into fits. Go to the vet as soon as possible so that your cat doesnt have to suffer this anymore.

hydrangeas