We took in a stray kitten called Tiger, estimated to be 3 months old. He has a good temperament, eats, sleeps, feeds and defaecates without a fuss. Allows you to pick him up as well. Been to the vet for his first shots whic he accepted quite gamely.
On two occasions, after a bout of play (stalking and wrestling with my hand; he doesn't bite hard) lasting at least 30 minutes, Then after some minutes on his own, Tiger suddenly burst into a scramble around the room in a series of linked circles. After a few seconds, it ends with him trying to climb to high ground. His fur is slightly raised throughout it all.
The expression on his face appears to be that of a spooked kitten! He then does go into a deep sleep, albeit with rapid breathing. He seems to be in some distress, and takes almost an hour to get to regular breathing rythm.
The first time he was spooked, he would not come down from his perch for some 12 hours but eventually did come down for a meal and all was fine again.
He is perched on a window near me now as I write, in a deep sleep.
I am more of a dog person, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
First of all you need to get him to a vet asap!! He could be in distress or having a seizure from what you describe.
Next, please do not let him wrestle with your hand, use a toy instead otherwise he will think biting is ok. I have a 3 month old kitten, and when she does this, I distract her with a toy or get out the toy with the dangling end on it.
Let us know what you find out, but do not delay call now.
Mona, Honeybun and Chloe
Next, please do not let him wrestle with your hand, use a toy instead otherwise he will think biting is ok. I have a 3 month old kitten, and when she does this, I distract her with a toy or get out the toy with the dangling end on it.
Let us know what you find out, but do not delay call now.
Mona, Honeybun and Chloe
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
I concur with Mona, it's imperative you get Tiger to the nearest ER vet IMMEDIATELY! Based on your post, what you are describing could be seizure activity....and you can't risk that going undiagnosed, seizure activity can fast progress into a worsening condition. The rapid breathing is a concern, especially for the lengh of time you describe, he could also have a congenital heart defect, another condition you can't risk going undiagnosed. Do you ever notice his pupils dilating and staying fixed after these incidents? When he circles, does he seem disoriented or crash into objects, walls, floor, etc? Does he drool/salivate before, during or after the episodes? If you answered yes to any of these questions, this could very well be seizure activity, and there is no time to waste, get him to the nearest ER vet right NOW.
..........Traci
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sivasothi
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
Thanks for responses, wow that was fast! I'm in Singapore and all this was happening betweeen 1-2am. It's 9am now.
Tiger has followed the same routine which is to wake up (~2am) and behave normally, albeit with much less confidence as he was when we first came to us two weeks ago. He then climbed the bedroom window grill which is a favourite (?distress) spot of his.
At about 5am he mewed and I fetched him down. Shortly after he was purring and kneading us in bed. From the last incident and when he first came to us, he warms up in less than two days and you would never know better.
I talked to the people in the area from where we picked him up. They told me that after some little girl fed Tiger with boiled fish, he went into a similar episode. They brought him to a vet who said something about omega oils in the fish meal overstimulating him - I have to talk to them to get details.
The first time it happened to us, he had not been fed fish, just Iams or Science diet dry meals. We now provide his morning/night meals with chicken, chicken bones and fish in addition to dry meals which is available to him throughout the day. His last three large meals had been fish.
So the consistent thing factor in our two incidents seems to be the bout of ?excessive play that preceeded the frenzy. I am finding out about the first incident in the neighbourhood; it may or not be the fish; I don't know.
Tiger has to be confined to the apartment we live in as it is technically illegal to house him. I know it's stupid but you can legally only keep dogs. It's not good for a large dog wehich we would prefer to keep. But recently there has been a spate of stray cat cullings triggered in part by SARS control measures - so we took in a stray to help out. It's quite a revelation for dog people to look after a kitten!
In internet searches earlier this morning, the only thing that sounded vaguely similar was a comment about confined cats (not kittens) that have bursts of energy due to lack of consistent stimulation. Our small apartment is free of lots of things to keep it easy to clean. He might be bored!
I'm taking Tiger to the vet anyway and will discuss this with her.
Tiger has followed the same routine which is to wake up (~2am) and behave normally, albeit with much less confidence as he was when we first came to us two weeks ago. He then climbed the bedroom window grill which is a favourite (?distress) spot of his.
At about 5am he mewed and I fetched him down. Shortly after he was purring and kneading us in bed. From the last incident and when he first came to us, he warms up in less than two days and you would never know better.
I talked to the people in the area from where we picked him up. They told me that after some little girl fed Tiger with boiled fish, he went into a similar episode. They brought him to a vet who said something about omega oils in the fish meal overstimulating him - I have to talk to them to get details.
The first time it happened to us, he had not been fed fish, just Iams or Science diet dry meals. We now provide his morning/night meals with chicken, chicken bones and fish in addition to dry meals which is available to him throughout the day. His last three large meals had been fish.
So the consistent thing factor in our two incidents seems to be the bout of ?excessive play that preceeded the frenzy. I am finding out about the first incident in the neighbourhood; it may or not be the fish; I don't know.
Tiger has to be confined to the apartment we live in as it is technically illegal to house him. I know it's stupid but you can legally only keep dogs. It's not good for a large dog wehich we would prefer to keep. But recently there has been a spate of stray cat cullings triggered in part by SARS control measures - so we took in a stray to help out. It's quite a revelation for dog people to look after a kitten!
In internet searches earlier this morning, the only thing that sounded vaguely similar was a comment about confined cats (not kittens) that have bursts of energy due to lack of consistent stimulation. Our small apartment is free of lots of things to keep it easy to clean. He might be bored!
I'm taking Tiger to the vet anyway and will discuss this with her.
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sivasothi
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
"pupils dilating and staying fixed; does he seem disoriented or crash into objects, walls, floor, etc? Does he drool/salivate before, during or after the episodes?"
Hi Traci and Mona,
Thanks for your responses. Just to clarify, his frenzied display went on for about three circles which chilled me to watch because I was wondering if it was a seizure.
But he does not crash more than normal, e.g. he normally can't pounce and grab a ball spot on. But the vet had said his coordination is not yet fully developed. It is a burst of acccelerated running in which he seems to be looking for a safe place. From the earlier incident, we learnt to leave him well alone for the seconds it took him to find a spot, and then not to move him but talk to him and pat him down gently as he is spooked.
We got his breathing slowed wth the talk and contact andd he went to a deep sleep. There was no drool, pupil dilation or crashing into walls which was huge relief.
But still there obviously seems to be something wrong with him that might be circumvented on our part by adjusting his diet or our interaction with him.
But Tiger is fuss free actually; I'm not complaining. He was walking over my keyboard several times when I was typing the previous post. I cut and paste, so as not to lose text!
The first stray kitten we took in recently, Blackie, died after just eight days. He could hardly keep his head up when we chanced upon him on the road. He never did voluntarily eat but we managed to get him rehydrated by forcefeeding fluids.
Finally after seven days and nights, he actually ate some mush we prepared off our fingers! As we thought we had succeeded in reviving him, he succumbed to pneumonia and died in two days. I only take comfort that Blackie had company throughout as we managed to stay with him almost throughout. And we found good vets.
I'd better get to work now...
Hi Traci and Mona,
Thanks for your responses. Just to clarify, his frenzied display went on for about three circles which chilled me to watch because I was wondering if it was a seizure.
But he does not crash more than normal, e.g. he normally can't pounce and grab a ball spot on. But the vet had said his coordination is not yet fully developed. It is a burst of acccelerated running in which he seems to be looking for a safe place. From the earlier incident, we learnt to leave him well alone for the seconds it took him to find a spot, and then not to move him but talk to him and pat him down gently as he is spooked.
We got his breathing slowed wth the talk and contact andd he went to a deep sleep. There was no drool, pupil dilation or crashing into walls which was huge relief.
But still there obviously seems to be something wrong with him that might be circumvented on our part by adjusting his diet or our interaction with him.
But Tiger is fuss free actually; I'm not complaining. He was walking over my keyboard several times when I was typing the previous post. I cut and paste, so as not to lose text!
The first stray kitten we took in recently, Blackie, died after just eight days. He could hardly keep his head up when we chanced upon him on the road. He never did voluntarily eat but we managed to get him rehydrated by forcefeeding fluids.
Finally after seven days and nights, he actually ate some mush we prepared off our fingers! As we thought we had succeeded in reviving him, he succumbed to pneumonia and died in two days. I only take comfort that Blackie had company throughout as we managed to stay with him almost throughout. And we found good vets.
I'd better get to work now...
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
Please check out my post in back & tail spasms. Your cat could be having the same type of problem.
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sivasothi
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
Thanks I did check it out. Tiger rarely checks back on his tail. Right now he is fine again, just a little more nervous about being alone, and seems to invite more play.
I did scan all the 11 pages before posting but still missed your post! All the additional reading is useful as it makes me more alert about picking up abberant behaviour and provide more data for the vet's diagnosis.
I did scan all the 11 pages before posting but still missed your post! All the additional reading is useful as it makes me more alert about picking up abberant behaviour and provide more data for the vet's diagnosis.
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
I'm confused about one thing...you mentioned the vet twice, last time you posted, again....are you referring to what the previous owner's vet had said? You haven't yet had him seen by your own vet, right?
I would be concerned about the chicken and fish you're currently feeding (even though you are supplementing with a dry diet). Not knowing the origin of these meats, are they fresh? Cooked? Are they packaged and considered safe for human consumption? Or are they scraps from local markets, fresh caught or? My concern is potential pathogens, parasites, etc from unprocessed, raw meats. Not knowing anything of your locale, I simply ask these questions on the offchance these meats may be tainted (toxins from unfresh meats could cause neurological problems).
I am also still concerned with the lengthy breathing distress episodes. During regular normal play, a kitten should be in restful state in as little as 10-15 minutes. You mentioned that it is taking anywhere from an hour for his heartbeat/respiration to return to normal resting state. This is concerning and needs to be addressed immediately. Again, a full evaluation of his heart is imperative to at least rule out a congenital heart defect.
WHEN are you seeing your vet?
I would be concerned about the chicken and fish you're currently feeding (even though you are supplementing with a dry diet). Not knowing the origin of these meats, are they fresh? Cooked? Are they packaged and considered safe for human consumption? Or are they scraps from local markets, fresh caught or? My concern is potential pathogens, parasites, etc from unprocessed, raw meats. Not knowing anything of your locale, I simply ask these questions on the offchance these meats may be tainted (toxins from unfresh meats could cause neurological problems).
I am also still concerned with the lengthy breathing distress episodes. During regular normal play, a kitten should be in restful state in as little as 10-15 minutes. You mentioned that it is taking anywhere from an hour for his heartbeat/respiration to return to normal resting state. This is concerning and needs to be addressed immediately. Again, a full evaluation of his heart is imperative to at least rule out a congenital heart defect.
WHEN are you seeing your vet?
..........Traci
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sivasothi/9681-6481
Re: Sudden frenzied, fearful running after too much play?
Hello all,
sorry about the long absence. Tiger is fine. The worrying "abnormal" behavviour was dismissed by a few of my more experienced cat-owner friends.
This "spooked out" behaviour was expressed two more times but with less severity. That running low to the ground symptom is all that is left, and he has not done that for two weeks now.
We suspect it had something to do with his feeling of security. He is now very comfortable with us, having been with us two months and is also no longer jittery when my friends come over. Instead he walks up and investigates them.
Of all the stories I heard in relation to this, the most interesting was offered by a vet's assistant when discussin the unknown trigger - "they can see thinggs we can't"!
No ghost in the house, just one happy kitten!
And likely soon, two!
Thanks, all.
Cheerio!
Sivasothi
Singapore
sorry about the long absence. Tiger is fine. The worrying "abnormal" behavviour was dismissed by a few of my more experienced cat-owner friends.
This "spooked out" behaviour was expressed two more times but with less severity. That running low to the ground symptom is all that is left, and he has not done that for two weeks now.
We suspect it had something to do with his feeling of security. He is now very comfortable with us, having been with us two months and is also no longer jittery when my friends come over. Instead he walks up and investigates them.
Of all the stories I heard in relation to this, the most interesting was offered by a vet's assistant when discussin the unknown trigger - "they can see thinggs we can't"!
No ghost in the house, just one happy kitten!
And likely soon, two!
Thanks, all.
Cheerio!
Sivasothi
Singapore