Читать книгу Animal Behavior for Shelter Veterinarians and Staff - Группа авторов - Страница 131

Feline hyperesthesia is a poorly understood syndrome, known by a variety of different names, including rolling skin syndrome, twitchy skin syndrome, and feline neurodermatitis, to name a few. It is characterized by short episodes of thoracolumbar skin rolling or rippling, and, in some cases, epaxial muscle spasms. Cats may appear anxious or agitated and demonstrate exaggerated tail movements, running, vocalizations, or self‐directed aggression. The self‐directed aggression may be the extreme end of a spectrum that includes excessive licking, plucking, biting, and/or chewing directed at the tail, lumbar, flank, or anal area. In some cases, the increased motor activity, exaggerated rolling, crouching, and elevation of the perineal area may be confused with the behavior typically shown by an estrus female.

Feline hyperesthesia is referred to as idiopathic in most textbooks because no single causal factor has been elucidated. It has been hypothesized that the behaviors are a result of focal seizures, sensory neuropathies, and dermatologic disease resulting in pruritus. As is the case with other skin conditions, it is likely that environmental and social stressors play a role in this condition. Systemic diseases such as toxoplasmosis and hyperthyroidism should be ruled out, as well as painful spinal or skin conditions, severe pruritus, FLUTD, anal sacculitis, and myositis, as they may all contribute to the behavior. Any disease condition that affects the central nervous system or alters reactivity to stimuli will need to be ruled out if the clinician is presented with a cat showing signs similar to feline hyperesthesia (Ciribassi 2009).

After ruling out and treating any underlying medical problems causing pain or pruritus, feline hyperesthesia may be treated empirically as a partial seizure disorder. Both phenobarbital and primidone have been used to treat the condition (Aronson 1998), as well as clomipramine and fluoxetine (Overall 1998). Ultimately, treatment of every individual animal will need to reflect the putative etiological basis of that particular case. Attention will need to be paid to identifying and, if possible, removing the environmental stressors that may be contributing to the problem.