| Other Feline Behavioral Problems |  |
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Hyperesthesia has the following necessary condition: tactile response in excess of that warranted by external stimuli. The following condition is sufficient: repetitive, uninterruptable tactile response in excess of that warranted by external stimuli, or that may occur in the absence of external stimuli and may be accompanied by locomotor activity and vocalization. Most of the diagnoses pertaining to this condition originate in the dermatologic literature and are purely
descriptive of the behaviors (eg, twitchy cat syndrome). It is likely that in the extreme case, this is a subset of OCD, but there is also a considerable range in both normal and abnormal tactile responses. |
| The most common feline
stereotypic behaviors are normal ones—stalking, chasing imaginary individuals, grooming, etc. When these occur out of context or in a frequency or duration in excess of that needed to accomplish an actual task, a diagnosis of OCD must be considered. The most common feline OCD involves self-mutilation, excessive grooming, and/or self-directed aggression. These signs, together, have carelessly been called feline hyperesthesia syndrome. Sucking, chewing, and/or
ingestion of fabrics or plastic are forms of pica—the ingestion of non-nutritive substances—and involve OCD. Oriental breeds seem to exhibit pica more frequently than other cats. It has been noted that cats that chew do not suck, cats that suck do not ingest, and so forth, suggesting that each of these forms of pica may be different types of OCD neurochemically. Unlike dogs, most cats begin to exhibit OCD following stressors such as a change in feline or human
relationships. With pica, there also appears to be a strong familial component, indicating that the genetic potential for the behavior may require provocation from the social environment before the OCD is fully developed. Fortunately, like dogs, cats respond to medications that augment the amount of brain serotonin and that affect neurochemical receptor development through stimulation of 5-HT(1A) receptors. |
