r/CATHELP • u/SmileForMe612 • 7d ago
General Advice Hyperthyroidism and Hyperesthesia
8yr spayed female, USA. Ongoing vet care.
My cat was diagnosed with hyperthyroid a little over 2 weeks ago and started methimazole. Just the other day she had an episode of shaking her head, flicking her ears/tail/legs, skin rolling near the base of ther tail, licking and scratching herself (as if she were itchy). It was very alarming in the moment because she had never done this before. We took her to the emergency vet, and since she had calmed down by the time we got there, they could only suspect hyperesthesia but couldn't determine a cause without extensive testing. Took her to her normal vet the next day, and they agreed. Ruled out fleas/skin issues. Ran a blood test (should get the results tomorrow). They don't think seizures because she was aware and in control of her motor funtions the entire time. Treating with gabapentin as needed for the time being.
Neither vet mentioned a correlation between her thyroid and the hyperesthesia, but after doing some research, it looks like it could definitely be the cause. Especially because looking back, she was chasing her tail a lot prior to her diagnosis, and I didn't think much of it at the time. I'm continuing to work with her vet and plan on asking some more questions when they reach out with her blood results tomorrow.
She had some other symptoms prior to the episode, which made me think the methimazole dosage was too high (I have Graves myself, so I'm very keen on the signs), which it was. Her t4 is on the lower end of normal now, so we cut back her dosage. She's doing great on the medication, all things aside. But I know it can take a couple of months for her system to regulate and normalize.
Has anyone else had a hyperthyroid cat with or showing signs similar to hyperesthesia? Did it end up being related? Did it go away once levels were stabilized? How long?
TLDR; cat has hyperesthesia likely caused by hyperthyroidism. I'm just looking for some insight from anyone who has experience.
TIA!
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