cat rear and tail twitching - help!

Is it like a back spasm? My cat used to get muscle spasms way down his back near his tail that made him twitch there and then he'd try to lick them away. The vet's only thought was to give him extra potassium which helps with muscle cramping. We sprinkled potassium powder on his food for a while, but it tended to just make him sick so we stopped. He grew out of it after a while. It was clearly irritating (have you ever had a muscle spasm in your eyelid or something like that - very annoying), but not actually dangerous. I would just give him a little massage and talk nicely to calm him down.

But then, maybe that's not what you're describing at all.

Awwww....glad she's feeling better. A little snuggling certainly helps. Naps are good - for both of you!

Awww.....good girl :-)

When my cat used to shake her ass (usually when she was about to pounce...not twitching like your cat) I used to sing that Groove Armada song to her....."I see you baby....shakin' that ass.....shakin' that ass".

<--crazy cat lady in the making (if I don't already qualify)

hi there, I actually just created a login to reply to your post. Your poor baby! It sounds like feline hyperesthesia (sp?) or FHS. Our cat was diagnosed in April with FHS, when he was about 10 months old. It was very scarey for us and like you, we ran him to the Emergency Vet, where they suspected an allergy or bug bite. It continued intermittently for the next few days and we finally took him to his regular vet, where he diagnosed FHS. I did quite a bit of reading and the usual treatment is phenobarbitol which is used to treat seizures. We elected to try "behavioral therapy" i.e. lots of stimulation. Anyway, he's gotten a lot better and his "attacks" are less frequent and we are usually able to distract him through a treat or his favorite toy. It's pretty tough to diagnose and most vets know about as much or less than what you could find through internet research. We also JUST this weekend got him a little sister and we are hoping she will provide him with companionship and stimulation. Good luck!

Yes, our vet did do bloodwork to rule out any allergies, etc, and also referred us to a vet neurologist. We made the appointment for the neurologist and then noticed that he seemed to get a little better. The attacks also occurred more frequently in the evening, although who knows what happens during the day when we are at work. We like to think he is ok during the day. I think a lot of it is related to stress and our cat seems to be a rather anxious, complex, emotional cat. I also took 3 months off from work, during which time I was at home quite a bit, and the attacks started not long after I returned to work. We think he may have separation anxiety which is manifesting itself through FHS. It was terrible to witness; he would "peck" at his back and chase the base of his tail, running around in circles. Also, his back would ripple and spasm. Thankfully, it's subsided over the past few months but that's not to say it won't get bad again. I think I read just about every article there is on FHS; it seems like it's getting more attention as more cats are diagnosed.

Subject: Re: cat rear and tail twitching - help!

OK, darla...is that Minxie??? I thought maybe I'd found someone who could help with the Tortie stray...are you Darla, S. ???
Donna from 415

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arla wrote: Last night my cat suddenly started twitching (rear and tail) followed with excessive grooming (all over). She was not herself at all. I took her to the emergency vet last night. The vet did not know, but she did not have symptoms of a seizure since her vitals were fine.

The vet thinks it may have been an allergic reaction to something. She was prescribed benadryl, which I elected not to give her and the vet was fine with it. I wanted to watch her a bit.

She was not grooming or twitching at the vet's office. But she was probably freaked out to be there since she normally is.

Anyway, she is still twitching a bit this morning. I will call the vet when they open today and probably bring her in again.

Has anyone experienced this before?