My cat is acting strange lately. Can someone please help?

by Paige
(Canada)

My cats name is Simba. He is an indoor cat. I have had him almost my whole life. So he's getting old. Anyways, lately I have noticed something Simba does on a regular basis (something he never used to do), and it's beginning to scare me.

He will be doing natural cat activities, and out of nowhere, he will meow really loud (as if he is scared of something), twitch, and run away really fast. The meow kind of sounds like he's choking a little bit? But not exactly. This just recently started happening to Simba, and it's starting to worry me. I don't belive he is doing this because he is scared, because he will do it even when I'm laying with him on the bed petting him.

He also has an issue with eating plastic (juicebox straw wrappers), and puking them up right away. I've noticed a decrease in the amount of water he drinks, he still eats the same as he used to, but he has lost a lot of weight. I havent noticed any differences in the litter box.

Those are some concerns I have for my cat, but the biggest one is the one where he meows really loud while twitching, then running away really fast as if he is being chased. If anyone could give me some answers it would be greatly appreciated; as I have no money to take him to see the vet at the moment.

Reply
Hi
well it is difficult to say with any certainly what could be happening with your cat as the symptoms could indicate several things. So I will give you a few things possibilities but they are only possibilities.

Firstly he may have a hairball. Cats can react to this very oddly sometimes. My old cat used to be a little freaked out when she had one.

more information about hairballs here
hairballs.html

Your cat may have a condition known as Feline Hyperesthesia. This is difficult to diagnose and would require lots of different tests if your vet thought this may be a possibility. More information here

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/feline-hyperesthesia.html

Have you made sure your cat does not have any fleas or other skin mites?

As for the eating plastic he may be a cat who suffers from pica which is when cats eat non food stuffs. There is no treatment for this you just have to try and make sure that he does not have access to the non foods he likes to eat.

https://www.our-happy-cat.com/cat-eating-disorders.html


However with the weight loss too and the other symptoms and his age I really do think you need to seriously think about taking him to the vets. Unfortunately as our cats get older they do need more medical care and yes thing can be expensive. but just a fact of life i'm afraid. i know i have been in the same position but luckily had cat insurance in place at the time.

Please find out if there are any ways you can pay for your vets bills over time, or perhaps there are cat charities in your area which could help.

if your cat does have a treatable condition then the sooner it is diagnosed the better the outcome for your cat.

best wishes kate

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