Twitching and tremors in my cat

Hi everyone, I’ve adopted a 4-year-old cat who used to be a stray. He has these same symptoms: muscle spasms along his back that can last for an hour, and then he either goes to the litter tray or falls into a deep sleep. He vomits occasionally, so I’ve seen a vet, but they can’t find anything abnormal. The vomiting doesn't seem to be linked to the spasms. He’s healthy otherwise—eating well, drinking, his poo is normal and he’s urinating fine. No anomalies were found by the vet, even with blood tests; I’m currently waiting for an ultrasound. His tummy only seems to hurt when the vets press on it, but when I do it, he's fine. His belly is just a little bit tense. When he has these spasms, he’s usually on his front near the radiator with his eyes closed, but as soon as I stroke him, he purrs quite a bit and eventually falls asleep. Sometimes he comes to snuggle up to me and sleeps against me while having these spasms, which breaks my heart. He does eventually fall asleep after a long time. I don't understand what it could be. Vets only seem to treat very common illnesses. It makes me sad to think there are plenty of other cats with this problem who just have to live with it. If any of you have any answers or information, I’d be really grateful.

Hi! I was wondering if anyone has found an answer to this yet? My 8-month-old kitten is having the same problem. She has these little spasms or tremors when she’s resting, but not when she’s in a deep sleep—just when she’s relaxing. It doesn’t seem to bother her at all, but I’m worried as it’s becoming more frequent and more intense. Does anyone know what it could be?

Hi there, My 9-month-old cat has been having the same symptoms (twitching/spasms before falling asleep) for about a month now. Did you manage to find an explanation?

Hi everyone, I’m reading this thread with great interest as I’m also having issues with my cat licking and twitching, along with a total change in his personality (he’s become completely lethargic, lying on his belly all day). I’ve seen two vets and have a lot of confidence in the second one because they did full blood work (compared to just four small checks from the first one) as well as an X-ray. The X-ray didn't show any issues, but the blood test revealed a very high eosinophil count, hence a "strong suspicion of eosinophilic gastritis". However, that doesn't explain the sort of spasms he gets in his lower back from time to time. I can see my cat isn't his usual self: he hardly ever sits up anymore and spends all his time lying down. He moves around without any trouble (and even jumps), but as soon as he gets where he’s going (whether it’s two or five metres away), he flops down immediately. I’ve also been doing some digging online and came across feline hyperesthesia, which I think fits quite well (as he had that "skin rolling" on his back at the start, which is a classic sign of the disorder). But the vet doesn't seem to be leaning that way; she says that as long as he’s eating well and using his litter tray, everything is fine, apart from the suspected eosinophilic gastritis which is being treated with steroids. Steroids are also used to treat hyperesthesia, so I thought that if it was one or the other, my cat would recover. But sadly, after a fortnight of treatment, there’s no change. My cat is lethargic and listless, always glued to me even though he’s not usually a "clingy" cat. He’s also compulsively licking his front paws, even when he’s asleep (all of a sudden, it’s like a fly has bitten him—he’ll give himself a quick lick and then go back to sleep). He’s an indoor cat, never goes out, and doesn't have any skin parasites (fleas or anything else). I have to admit I’m lost and don’t understand why we can’t find out what’s wrong. I can tell the vet is tempted to put it down to behaviour (linked to some kind of change), but there hasn’t been any change in the people around him, his food, or his litter... so I’m ruling out an "emotional" cause. I’m at my wits' end... I’d love to know how the cats of the other people on this thread are doing now. Best regards.

Hi, my white cat also has issues with shaking. He’s four years old and, as well as the calicivirus, he shakes as soon as he moves and his legs "lock up" at times. He had loads of tests two years ago which didn’t show anything other than causing him extra suffering (and too much anaesthesia isn't good): a CT scan, a myelogram, two CSF taps, etc. Nowadays he has back pain and despite three osteopathy sessions, he’s still in pain. It’s so frustrating not knowing what’s wrong after four years.

Hi there, I’ve also been having trouble with my cat, who’s nearly 2. She was scratching herself like crazy due to a food allergy, which the vets (a general vet and a skin specialist) finally concluded was a mix of both environmental and food allergies. Anyway, even with steroids and other tablets, she kept on scratching and was even having mild bouts of hyperaesthesia. I’ve been giving her Zylkene for a month now—it’s a natural calming supplement—and she’s stopped scratching and doesn't really have the flare-ups anymore, or at least very rarely. Apparently, Bach Flower Remedies are meant to work miracles too. Best of luck!

Hi everyone, my one-year-old cat seems to have the same symptoms... muscle twitches or spasms and what looks like difficulty breathing (expiratory dyspnoea). This only happens when he’s resting, never when he’s in a deep sleep or when he’s fully awake. I’ve been to see four different vets; some suggested an enlarged heart, others pleural effusion, and some were quite alarmist, mentioning things like FIP, FeLV, heart issues, and so on. After loads of appointments, chest X-rays, a heart scan... nothing out of the ordinary was found. The last bit of advice I got was that it’s just "his little quirk" and that's just how he is. Searching online, I came across "feline hyperesthesia syndrome" which seems quite similar. Regardless, watching him still makes me really worried; he looks like he’s in pain, like he’s in constant discomfort until he’s completely exhausted. If any of you have any answers or suggestions on what else to look into... Thanks in advance.