Cat head sways when her back end is touched

by Laurie
(des plaines il)

I have a 12 yr old cat who recently started acting strange when you touch or scratch her body from mid way on her back to her tail and sides too, her head sways back and forth and does a constant licking motion at first I thought it was funny but not normal so I combed her back end,she sometimes gets a hair mattes near her tail and back of her legs that I comb out, I thought that had something to do with it, she is over weight and cant seem to clean herself down there like she use to, so after combing her out it seemed better and then started all over again but worse know she will do all those motions and growl and try to bite you, she doesnt seem to be in pain but she does not like it, I have no idea what is wrong I dont think this is normal and dont want my cat to suffer she is my baby, funds are so limited for me at this time I want to take her to the vet and am trying to get help through the humane society but it is very far from me so I found your website and i am hoping you can help with some answers. Thank you for you time and any information on this strange question. Laurie

Answer by Kate
well as you say this is difficult to diagnose. When a cat growls when touched it is often a sign of some discomfort so I am wondering if there is a problem with her back, possibly a sore spine. Even cats can get problem such as cat arthritis, see this page for more on this

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-arthritis.html

As for the head swaying umm i dont really know could be just associated with the strange sensation she gets when her back is touched.

unfortunately over weight cats do need extra help with grooming etc as they do find it hard to get to their rear end. brushing every day is advisable to prevent the matts reoccurring at all, as they can be very painful in themselves.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-hair.html

Make sure she does not have any parasites at all which could be causing he any discomfort also, sometimes they can be difficult to see in long fur.

unfortunately at the end of the day the only real way to know for sure if she does have a problem is for a vet to examine her fully.

I hope she is Ok

best wishes Kate

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