Every cat owner has probably already seen their furry friend running wildly around the house and acting out its playful instincts. These "wild five minutes" are part of a normal cat's life. But what happens when hypersensitive reactions to touch and its own environment occur and the animal starts to behave strangely, for example by intensively grooming itself and scratching its back or even biting its own tail? One possible cause could be rolling skin syndrome in cats. Find out what this rare disease is, what symptoms occur and how you can treat your furry friend here.
What is rolling skin syndrome?
Rolling skin syndrome is a rare and, as yet, little-researched neurological disease in cats. The syndrome is also known as feline hyperesthesia, which means hypersensitivity or oversensitivity. Affected cats suffer from attacks at irregular intervals that can last from a few seconds to several minutes and have a lasting impact on the cat's health. The disease manifests itself primarily - but not only - in the area of the back muscles. Here, every touch causes pain for the animals, so they react particularly sensitively. Typical of the attacks are twitching of the back and "rolling skin", which give the syndrome its name.
Symptoms of Rolling Skin Syndrome
In addition to the twitching coat and rolling skin, the following occurrences and behaviors are also part of the typical symptoms of rolling skin syndrome in cats:
- Sudden and unusual changes in behavior in general
- Highly sensitive reactions to environmental stimuli (e.g. touch, noise, changes in the environment)
- Loud and screeching meow
- Wild running and jumping around the apartment as if hunting for imaginary prey
- Hallucinations
- Intensive grooming and scratching (especially on the back and tail)
- Whipping with the tail
- Chasing one’s own tail and even biting it
- Large pupils and staring eyes
- indifference
- No response to address
- Spontaneous discharge of urine
During a seizure, the animals sometimes appear hypnotized or even as if they were suffering from hallucinations. They are unresponsive, stare straight ahead and no longer react to their owners. Scratching and biting their skin and tail can lead to self-mutilation: bloody wounds, Bald patches and skin inflammation are the result. As soon as the attacks are over, the cat usually behaves completely normally, as if nothing had happened.
Causes and triggers of rolling skin syndrome
Since rolling skin syndrome has not yet been sufficiently researched, the exact cause of the disease is unclear. Some researchers assume that feline hyperesthesia is related to epilepsy or is a special form of the disease. In epilepsy, certain areas of the brain are particularly active, which could cause the twitching of the skin and fur. The areas of the brain that control hunting and grooming behavior could also be affected. Damage to the cat's spinal muscles could also encourage the onset of rolling skin syndrome.
Feline hyperesthesia and its symptoms are sometimes interpreted as an obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychological illnesses such as depression can also trigger behavioral changes and self-mutilation.
It is clear that certain factors trigger or promote seizures and obsessive compulsive disorders. These include, first and foremost, stress and negative environmental stimuli. A turbulent environment, major changes such as moving house and new animal or human roommates put cats under great stress. A change in food is stressful for house cats, as is great loneliness. If several of the symptoms mentioned above occur as a result of such circumstances, these are most likely partly to blame.
Researchers have also found that certain cat breeds are more likely to suffer from the nervous disease. Rolling Skin Syndrome is particularly common in sensitive and affectionate cat breeds such as Siamese cats, Burmese cats or Norwegian Forest Cats.
Alternative causes for such symptoms
However, you should not judge too quickly when diagnosing rolling skin syndrome. Many of the symptoms mentioned can also occur as a result of other diseases. These include food allergies, skin parasites or diseases of the spine. Feline hyperesthesia is a relatively rare nervous disease - so have your furry friend examined thoroughly by your veterinarian to make sure that no other disease could be the cause.
Food allergy
At a Food allergy means that a cat reacts allergically to one or more ingredients in its food. The allergic reaction can occur very suddenly and manifest itself with various symptoms such as skin problems, personality changes and shortness of breath. Itching, skin inflammation as well as apathy and strange behavioral changes are consistent with the symptoms of rolling skin syndrome. The treating veterinarian should take a close look and get to the bottom of the causes. If there is a food allergy instead of rolling skin syndrome, you should give your cat an exclusion diet and Administer hypoallergenic bland food .
Parasite infestation
An infestation of the skin and fur with parasites such as Fleas , ticks, mites or lice also cause a lot of stress, a lot of itching and extremely intensive grooming, as well as wounds and inflammation. Therefore, pay close attention to your cat's behavior and, especially in outdoor cats, look out for parasites in the fur or bite wounds on the skin. To prevent this, you should visit a vet regularly and treat your cat against external parasites as well as have them dewormed .
Treatment of rolling skin syndrome
If you can rule out a food allergy, a parasite infestation or even a spinal injury as the cause of your cat's changed behavior, it may actually be Rolling Skin Syndrome. Appropriate treatment is important so that your sick cat can improve its quality of life.
The insufficient research on rolling skin syndrome means that there is no uniform and clearly effective treatment. For this reason, therapy should take a holistic approach and be based on several pillars:
- Medication for rolling skin syndrome : After a thorough examination, your veterinarian can prescribe various medications for the affected cat. These include antiepileptics in connection with epilepsy and antidepressants and cortisone if psychological causes are suspected. The antiepileptic drug phenobarbital, for example, is often used. Phenobarbital is a strong sedative that is intended to reduce the occurrence of seizures.
- Adapting living conditions : If your cat is sensitive to changes and strong stimuli, you should also adapt your cat's living conditions as part of the treatment. Make sure that your animal has as regular a daily routine as possible with fixed routines and familiar people and objects. Avoid changes, noise and general unrest in the home and provide your cat with suitable places to retreat to for rest and relaxation. If your furry friend is very affectionate, try to meet its needs by playing and cuddling with it a lot. However, accept it if your cat does not want to be touched, because an attack of rolling skin syndrome makes the cat oversensitive.
- Home remedies for rolling skin syndrome : In addition to using special medications, cat owners can also try home remedies such as Bach flowers, CBD oil or homeopathic remedies. These are said to have a calming effect and reduce stress in cats. However, you should definitely discuss feeding such home remedies with your trusted veterinarian and get expert advice on suitable remedies and their dosage.
- Treatment of the consequences of the disease : Not only the causal syndrome, but also its consequences should be treated. This includes, above all, wounds and injuries that are the result of self-mutilation. If the injured skin has become inflamed, appropriate ointments and medications, such as cortisone, should be used.
Life expectancy of cats with rolling skin syndrome
Fortunately, rolling skin syndrome has no proven effect on the life expectancy of cats. Even with the syndrome and its seizures, cats can live a long life. Nevertheless, feline hyperesthesia has a negative effect on the health and well-being of cats. If you suspect the syndrome, you should have your cat examined by a veterinarian and initiate appropriate treatment. With the right therapy and an adjustment of living conditions, the frequency of seizures can be reduced and the cat's health can be improved. If your cat has become very emaciated and weakened as a result of frequent seizures and the physical effects, you can try to fatten it up again with a nutritional treatment. Our KATTOVIT Aufbaukur provides your weakened cat with easily digestible nutrients and is extra high in calories.
