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Cat Suddenly Growling and Hissing Randomly

  • 27-09-2025 10:08PM
    #1
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 11,942 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Have a 3 year old British shorthair cat, always been calm and healthy and a real affectionate boy.

    Since Thursday he has had episodes where he starts to hiss a few times and growls and lets out sad miaows and repeats for 15-20 seconds, then he is okay. There's no pattern to when he does this, other than it doesn't appear to happen when he is at rest and being still. Sometimes happens when he is walking, sometimes when running. It happens in any room of the house so doesn't seem environmental.

    There's no other signs of anything wrong, he's playful, affectionate, eating well, using litter box properly and still jumping about and very active. If I even go to stroke him during his hissing/growls he is not aggressive towards me and after he stops and i give him attention he purrs really loud and is affectionate as ever and totally himself.

    I had him on my lap earlier and touches his tummy, legs, back and paws, head, neck, and tail and tries to see if touching any particular area would give any kind of reaction but all he does is just purrs as he's the kind of boy who loves to have affection.

    I've booked the vet for first thing on Monday, but I wondered if there was anything anyone could suggest?



Comments

  • #2
    Hippodrome Song Owl
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 1,747 ✭✭✭Hippodrome Song Owl


    Good that you have made a vet appointment and at least he seems otherwise content and comfortable. From previous experience it could be a partial seizure. Try to get a video of it for the vet anyway. Hope it all works out positive for you and the little guy either way.



  • #3
    devnull
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Paid Member Posts: 11,942 Mod ✭✭✭✭devnull


    I haven't seen him do anything in the face unusual like twitching or odd movement or walk unsteady as I would expect with focal seizures (had a previous cat with them in her elder years), but certainly could be related.

    I had to go out today and left him with a family member for 7 hours and he slept mostly all day (not unusual for him) but didn't have one episode of this, but he's had 3 in the 4 hours I've been back. Again that's the only pattern we've seen, he's simply not getting them when he is laying down and at rest.



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