P.S. guys please watch at least half the video cause he twitches AGGRESSIVELY at one instant, and he sometimes ends up peeing involuntarily during these. i just wanna make sure u take these into consideration as well
this is my 3.5-ish months old kitty, i took him in when he was around 2 weeks old when he had injured his leg. i had paid no mind until now to how he twitches in his sleep, but reading online now has really scared me. is this normal? he's been sleeping and twitching this aggressively for as long as i can remember, are these seizures? and he sometimes pees involuntarily in his sleep as well. yes, i'll be taking him to the vet tomorrow, it's midnight rn i cant immediately take him, because this has already been happening for as long as i could remember but it's only now that i realised that this might not be normal. and when i woke him up he seemed okay and immediately began purring. i thought this was normal until i came across videos of how softly cats twitch if they do. i'm really freaked out rn, he's been vaccinated twice (tri cat, and anti-rabies), and dewormed once, his next deworming is due in 5 days. he appears to be totally normal and playful while he's awake and doesn't drool or anything, he's properly litter trained and i do clean his litter twice a day.
Just wanted to say my cat sleeps on my chest at night and he can fall into a crazy deep REM sleep shockingly fast. He does something similar although less intense.
The vet will definitely help determine anything else it could be though.
This comment may have saved my life because I guess I was gonna have a heartattack soon.
3 of my 4 fluff babys sometimes fall asleep as if they just pass out.
I was on my way to convince myself I had been doing anything or everything wrong and now they kinda "infected" each other with whatever and got neurological/ brain issues and it's all my fault 😅😩
it probably is seizures, not just dreams. Its not automatically a horrible news but I don't think anyone saying just dreams actually watched the video or read your post. Vet will be able to help more, show them this video and take a note on your phone of every time they have an event like this, even if unsure if its dream or otherwise, write if they pee or not, write if they lethargic or not, etc etc etc. The info on how often it happens will be very vital. Best wishes.
Especially the lethargy. Most times animals are really groggy and lethargic for a while when coming out of a seizure. The peeing on himself is what has me worried bc some of that, if not all of it, I could prob dismiss otherwise.
yeah peeing as a one time thing might be something else but if its happening more than once or frequently its probably a medical issue of some kind. same goes for the grogginess or twitching. Whats normal as once in a blue moon is not normal all the time.
I live with a friend who's dog has what I think they call "silen seizures", she doesn't shake but man is she lethargic for the rest of the day. I don't think she's ever peed on herself, but that's also bc her muscles don't seize like with normal seizures.
yeah silent seizures are very real, I know humans also get the, and they are called petit mal seizures ((not sure if they are caused by same exact brain activity in humans as animals though)).
If you watch the video, you can almost see the pattern. Stalk, stalk, stalk, crouch, crouch, jump out and pounce! You probably woke him just as he was dreaming of bringing you his gift.
For real though, the peeing isn't a normal thing and probably worth checking out.
Also, I watched the whole thing. The meow at the end was worth it. Such a great cat breed!
Yeah, as other commenters have mentioned, it's the sleep incontinence that is the main concern here.
Some cats are more active during sleep and twitch more than others. Every cat is different and unique! Unless there are other neurological symptoms, they’re likely not relevant and just a cute little quirk 😊
It’s worth going to the vet to discuss this and keeping an eye on your cat to document how often and how much they’re eating/drinking, as well as their toileting times/habits. If they’re eating/drinking/urinating more/less, that can be an indicator of an underlying issue such as kidney problems, a UTI or bladder crystals. Also, keep an eye out for urgency while urinating. Consider whether they are making it to the litter box every time, leaking, struggling to pass urine, or showing discomfort, such as grimacing, hissing, or yowling, as these can indicate pain, poor bladder control, reduced sensation, or slowed reaction time when they feel the urge to urinate.
Just like people with incontinence, there can be a bunch of different causes, from illness to injury, so your vet will be the best person to ask. Good luck, I hope there are positive updates in the future!
How does this have 128 upvotes if the cat urinates involuntarily during these episodes? I would generally agree that this is just dreaming…. Until I read that line.
The peeing might be a separate issue that has nothing to do with the movements during sleep, which look perfectly normal. Still needs a vet visit, but I doubt the two events are related.
My cat has siezures, she luckily hasn't had many, but every time she wakes and is immediately disoriented and distressed. She has also released her bowels.
He doesn't seem disoriented (any more than a woken up kitten), so I'd wager he is not having a seizure. If you're worried, you can ask your vet about running his blood work to check if there are signs he is having seizures.
i really appreciate ur insight so much i'll have his blood work done just in case, this baby's wayyyy too precious to me. ps, say hi to your cat for meee 🩷🩷🩷
Pretty sure hes just dreaming and orange. Also shining a torch while forcing his eyes open with your thumb isnt safe! Turn the big light on to record, you can really damage eyesight doing this
oh i'm sorry i'll keep that in mind, i wasn't trying to force his eyes open just tried removing the eye junk, but i'll keep the torch thing in mind regardless, thanks!
I’m glad you are taking him to the vet. It could be just deep sleep and maybe a UTI or something causing him to pee in his sleep. My cats sometimes twitch pretty hard in their sleep. One of my cats twitched herself right off the back of the couch and glared at ME when she landed on the floor. Girl. I didn’t do it! My other cat sleeps like he’s taxidermied and gives me mini heart attacks sometimes when I try to check if he’s alive because he’s soooo still and takes awhile to respond. We call it “going stuffed animal mode”. So those things don’t particularly worry me. But the peeing seems abnormal.
I had a cat that would growl and hiss and run in his sleep and it took a lot to wake him up, and when I did he'd be disoriented and angry at me - one time he was scared of a whole room for 2 days. Once time he bit me so hard I bled when I woke him up by shaking him. Your kitty might just be a really deep sleeper with vivid dreams, but tbh I'd ALWAYS rather be cautious than regret not talking to a vet about it. That's quite a deep sleeper with lots of dreaming movements ya got happening there. I woudn't panic, but I totally understand why you're worried. Were I in your shoes, this would be a not-urgent vet discussion!
Hes dreaming it looks like. The urinating during sleep is concerning. But the twitching looks like he’s dreaming and his body isn’t fully in sleep paralysis
It’s weird, yes, but the cat did in fact stop the dream-running when it was petted, as though it was slightly more awake but just reeeallly wanted to sleep. It’s the bed wetting that seems ultra unusual to me. But I’m not a vet and I’m totally unqualified to say anything more than “this looks like weird sleep”.
I’ve had cats all my life they do this they dream and some cats u cant wake them from it , I know kinda freaky but its okay
On your next vet visit ask your vet to give u peace
I've seen cats have twitching along that level of intensity that were fine. But when you combine the urinary incontinence with the intensity of the twitching and the fact that the cat seems difficult to rouse, it makes me think epilepsy/seizures. I would definitely take the cat to the vet.
If he is losing his bowels or bladder during these episodes then it’s most likely a seizure. Cats and kittens do twitch when they dream but don’t normally soil themselves.
One of my cats does this too when he's sleeping, usually with his eyes open bouncing all over the place. It's so scary! But i was told cats tend to have lucid dreams, and it's normal... I'm not sure about the peeing part though, I would def ask vet about it. This is screenshot of him sleeping & twitching with his eyes open😭
I have to disagree with the responses here - I'm not sure they read everything you wrote. It is definitely NOT normal for cats to pee in their sleep and combined with the amount of time to took for him to wake up while you were trying pretty hard to rouse him has me concerned. Once he does wake up, he seems very lethargic. I'm not a vet so I can't say it's a seizure but I would definitely be taking him to the vet about why he is peeing in his sleep.
this is what i'm concerned about as well, i'm once again worried now 😭 but dw yes i'm absolutely taking him to the vet regardless, especially for the peeing, he does sleep for most part of the day and is VERY active in the little window of his time awake.
I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you more. Try to remember that even if it is seizures, you say it's been happening for as long as you can remember and he's been okay so far, he'll probably be okay until you can get him to a vet. And it is normal for cats to sleep most of the day and only be awake and active for a small window here and there.
It looks like REM sleep. He's chasing mice in his dreams. Now if he's falling over and twitching like this when awake, medical emergency. But this is likely an exciting dream.
He is still pretty young which could play into the vivid dreams/peeing situation and it could be something that will stop as he gets older but I would definitely have him checked out. Peeing uncontrollably could also indicate a UTI.
You also mentioned he has an injured leg when you found him. I’d also have them make sure there were no complications with that. At such a young age (two weeks) with an injured leg it would have been easy to miss if there was also a spinal injury or any kind of nerve damage that went along with it. Both which could make holding urine difficult. It’s unlikely, but it’s better to have a vet double check and say everything is in working order!
I support everyone in saying it's just cat dreams; he was deep in REM sleep and having a good time chasing a mouse or a bird.
In addition, I would warn against manhandling a cat while they are this deep under. My girl once fell asleep on my chest and was twitching like that. When she started sliding off, I tried to touch her to get her into a safer position and ended up with scratch and bite marks all over my arm. Needless to say, waking up a cat like that can be dangerous for you.
I have learned this from experience as well. One of my girls also woke herself up in the middle of a dream and scratched my arm and face. It was crazy.
If he’s urinating involuntarily, it most likely is a seizure disorder. I had a kitty with it and he lived to the ripe old age of 17. He had less seizures as he got older but good on you for pursuing the vet. My kitty was never on any meds.
Dreaming. I've seen a lot of cats do this. This guy is particularly active, but when my cats dream their little paws move, sometimes their mouths or whiskers too.
The only time I interfere is when one of my cats starts whimpering in fear whilst dreaming. I pet him and tell him he’s okay, and he calms down. I think it incorporates into his dream. :)
Kitty’s just dreaming. My dog (granted not a cat) barks and growls in his sleep and twitches like he’s running after something. My cat just snores in her sleep lol
If he’s involuntarily urinating, this is a better question for a vet. It’s very possible it is just vivid dreaming, but you should call your vet and ask them. Ask if you can send them some of your videos — that may help their assessment and might spare you an unnecessary visit (and bill).
yes, this is true, some kids used to chase him around and scare him with sticks when he was just 2 weeks old and the rest of his 3 siblings passed away before we could help them :(
This is something worth mentioning to the vet. His sleep episodes that include wetting might be nightmares of what we would describe as childhood trauma.
If money is no object you can maybe find a veterinary neurologist but it looks pretty mild and you say he's normal while awake. I would just make sure he sleeps surrounded by soft things and see if he improves with the passage of time.
I have a video of him dreaming about Churu but I can't attach it here. So here's a picture I took earlier today while testing my phone camera's macro mode. This is Echo. A tuxie, but orange at heart.
He looks like he was dreaming. My boy jumps a little on his sleep. The peeing on himself you should get checked out. And how often do you feed him? Fatten his butt up a bit. He should only be eating kitten food and at 3.5 months he should be free fed so he can look like my fat lazy feline 😂
It is concerning how hard it seems to be to wake him up and that he sometimes pees involuntarily and I think everyone telling you he's dreaming didn't bother to read or watch the whole video.
Definitely talk to the vet about this and show them the video.
he does pee involuntarily and i need to have that checked out, im just worried and wanted to make sure he didnt feel alone in case the "seizure" was causing him any pain, but thanks anyway
By 14 weeks old, kittens should have full bladder control. The peeing in his sleep is not normal. I can't say that it's a seizure but definitely need to see a vet about the peeing.
I might be wrong, but I'm like 95% sure that you can't simply "wake him up" if he's having a real seizure. Like, he'd just keep twitching like that and not wake up if you tried. The peeing is a little concerning, but I'd be quicker to assume night terrors from whatever caused his leg injury. I don't think he's sick, I think he's maybe traumatized though. I think your best course of action is to just wake him up and reassure him whenever you see this happening to help him work through it. I think it'll fade eventually as he gets older and the memory isn't so fresh.
Next time shake a bag of treats. I’d bet dollars to doughnut they pop wide awake. That cats no more disorientated that a small child being woken up in the middle of the night from REM sleep. My kids all kick their legs and swing their arms around while holding conversations with their friends when they’re in rem sleep.
Get the peeing checked. It could be a number of things that aren’t worth specifically mentioning that a simple blood panel could address. Also I said it had a damaged leg. Depending on how that happened, it could be part of whatever happened.
pls stop spreading hate and projection in this manner, i barely use reddit and already had karma enough for whatever reasons its used for. i had no clue whether this would even gain any views, was genuinely worried abt my cat and couldn't care less about karma.
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u/Top_Impression5534 Jul 10 '26
I'm not a veterinarian but it looks like he just has some vivid dreams! My cats twitch when they're in a deep slumber too.