Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Submit a Referral
    • Hospital Updates
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • Veterinary Compounding
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • Emergency/Critical Care + Specialty Hospitals
    • Veterinary Urgent Care Clinics
  • Our Hospitals
    • NORTHEAST
      • Boston West
      • Bulger
      • Capital District
      • Mass Vet
      • Peak
      • Port City
      • SAVES
    • MIDWEST
      • Premier – Chicago
      • Premier – Grayslake
      • Premier – Orland Park
      • WVRC – Grafton
      • WVRC – Racine/Kenosha
      • WVRC – Waukesha
    • PACIFIC
      • Atlantic Street
      • VERC
      • Vista
      • VSH – North County
      • VSH – Sorrento Valley
    • URGENT CARE – East Coast
      • Station Landing, Medford MA
      • COMING SOON – Nashua, NH
    • URGENT CARE – West Coast
      • Irvine, CA
      • Oceanside, CA
      • Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, CA
  • Our Services
    • Continuing Education
    • Blood Donor Program
    • Clinical Studies
      • FAQs: Clinical Studies at Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Ethos Science Consultancy
    • VetBloom CE
    • Hospital Services
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Why Ethos
    • Veterinary Urgent Care by Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Leadership Team
    • Press Releases
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDCast
    • Diagnosing Inequality Podcast
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Employee Benefits
    • Giving Back
    • Veterinary Training Programs
Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Our Hospitals
    • NORTHEAST
      • Boston West
      • Bulger
      • Capital District
      • Mass Vet
      • Peak
      • Port City
      • SAVES
    • MIDWEST
      • Premier – Chicago
      • Premier – Grayslake
      • Premier – Orland Park
      • WVRC – Grafton
      • WVRC – Racine/Kenosha
      • WVRC – Waukesha
    • PACIFIC
      • Atlantic Street
      • VERC
      • Vista
      • VSH – North County
      • VSH – Sorrento Valley
    • URGENT CARE – East Coast
      • Station Landing, Medford MA
      • COMING SOON – Nashua, NH
    • URGENT CARE – West Coast
      • Irvine, CA
      • Oceanside, CA
      • Rancho Peñasquitos, San Diego, CA
  • Our Services
    • Continuing Education
    • Blood Donor Program
    • Clinical Studies
      • FAQs: Clinical Studies at Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Ethos Science Consultancy
    • VetBloom CE
    • Hospital Services
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Why Ethos
    • Veterinary Urgent Care by Ethos
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Leadership Team
    • Press Releases
    • Contact Us
  • Blogs & Videos
    • Our Blogs
    • PAWEDCast
    • Diagnosing Inequality Podcast
  • We’re Hiring!
    • Apply Today
    • Ethos Job Fairs
    • Employee Benefits
    • Giving Back
    • Veterinary Training Programs
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Submit a Referral
    • Hospital Updates
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • Veterinary Compounding
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • Emergency/Critical Care + Specialty Hospitals
    • Veterinary Urgent Care Clinics

Our Blogs

What is Feline Hyperesthesia?

March 7, 2022
What is Feline Hyperesthesia?

Hyperesthesia is an extreme sensitivity in an area of a cat’s skin, almost always on the back, and often in the area right in front of the tail.

Symptoms & Behaviors

Owners often go to pet this area and notice their cat suddenly reacts. The response may be as benign as simply going to scratch the area themselves, or they may become suddenly aggressive and try to bite. Their pupils may become dilated, their skin may ripple, and they may drool. Some cats may vocalize or urinate. While such a response may be unpleasant, the real problems are the potentially self-mutilating behaviors and, of course, the underlying sensations (i.e. discomfort) that cause this behavior.

Diagnosis

To accurately diagnose hyperesthesia, other possible causes for such behavior need to be ruled out. This means looking for any cause of pain in the sensitive area, such as spinal arthritis and skin problems including parasites, allergies, and fungal infections.

Cause & Treatment

The most important thing in cats with hyperesthesia is making sure that there is nothing causing the hyperesthesia that we can identify and treat. This is because there are many disorders that can result in hyperesthesia, however if a cause cannot be identified, we can treat it symptomatically. Gabapentin (a drug frequently used to treat neuropathic pain) works well, but otherwise it depends where they are hyperesthetic.

Anxiety and stress seem to add to a cat’s hyperesthetic reaction, so a treatment plan will often include some behavioral aspects to minimize these. This might include medications to affect behavior and/or establishing a routine to minimize stress associated with change for your cat. Luckily, most cats can be managed and continue to lead happy, active lives!

Share

About the Author

  • Baye Williamson, DVM, DACVIM (Neurology)

Related Posts

  • Feline Vaccines
    Read Article
  • Neurological Examination for Dogs
    Read Article
  • Caring for an Ill Senior Cat and the Lessons I Learned Along the Way
    Read Article
  • Discospondylitis in Pets: Signs, Diagnosis & Treatment
    Read Article
  • Case Study: Loss of Tail Sensation
    Read Article
Ethos Veterinary Health
  • Veterinary Teams
    • Submit a Referral
    • Hospital Updates
    • Ethos Materials for Clinics
    • Continuing Education
    • Veterinary Compounding
    • VetBloom CE
    • Ethos Discovery
    • Clinical Studies
    • Emergency/Critical Care + Specialty Hospitals
    • Veterinary Urgent Care Clinics
© 2023 Ethos Veterinary Health
Website Design by Jackrabbit