Hi everyone,
For over a year now, I’ve been trying to understand what’s going on with my cat, Murphy. He’s a 4-year-old male I found on the street when he was only six weeks old. Since then, he’s been neutered, vaccinated, and wormed. He’s an indoor cat, living in a large flat with his adopted sister, a female cat I also found as a stray two years ago. Murphy is usually a calm, curious boy—not much of a player, but extremely affectionate and sociable.
Last November (2022), he started showing unusual, agitated behaviour (tearing through the hallways, dilated pupils, excessive meowing, pacing around the flat, being more playful than usual...). Since this didn't stop, I took him to the vet in December, but they didn't find anything wrong. The behaviour eventually settled down but was replaced by hair loss because he started pulling his fur out around his lower back and tail. I should mention that in November 2022, I took in a 6-month-old kitten from the street who was malnourished. I kept the kitten for about two weeks in a separate room; they never had direct contact. The vets I’ve seen all told me there was no link and nothing could have been passed on, but I wanted to mention it just in case.
Since January 2023, I’ve been going to the vet every month to rule things out:
- He didn't respond to steroid injections for allergies.
- He doesn't have fleas and didn't respond to flea treatments.
- He’s been on a strict hypoallergenic diet with no results.
- Ringworm tests came back negative.
- His blood work is perfect; nothing showed up on the X-rays or CT scan (a dark spot was found on his lungs, but a biopsy ruled out a tumour; the theory is it was a reaction to the anaesthesia).
- An osteopath who examined him noticed "rolling skin syndrome" and what she called a desynchronisation of the organs between the head and the lower body.
- Our vet has ruled out behavioural issues because we tried a course of Reconcile (to help calm and settle him), but it didn't change things.
Despite all this, he seems to respond well to pain relief. When he’s on it, he pulls his fur out less, but it’s still not right. I think he’s still in discomfort or pain because for a few months now, he’s been distant and lethargic. He sleeps all day and doesn't seek out my company like he used to, nor that of my other cat, even though they used to be inseparable.
I’m at my wits' end. We’re just going round in circles. My current vet is suggesting laser therapy sessions for the pain, but she hasn't given me any real leads or other theories to explain why this is happening.
I’m thinking about seeing an animal behaviourist and getting in touch with a specialist feline veterinary centre for a second opinion—maybe even starting over with a new vet.
All I want is for Murphy to get better and to have my old cat back—the happy, healthy one. I can't stand seeing him like this, and I’m starting to despair that things will never change.
If any of you have any ideas, have been through something similar, or know someone who has, I’m all ears!
Sorry for the long wall of text...
