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Zoot is....strange...something neurological maybe?

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OK, so ever since I got zoot, she's seemed a little off. She wags her tail like a dog, is a bit cross eyed, and just...weird. She's always rubbing on things, she wants to be petted, but runs when you approach her. Anyway, today she was really weird. It was as though she was chasing a bug, but there was no bug, and it she seemed like she was looking like a few inches from her face. Almost as though she were chasing eye squigglies. Then later she started rolling on the carpet, kind of like it had catnip on it, but there hasnt been catnip in this house for ages. Anyways, took some video, one from forever ago showing her tail wagging and such, the second one is from just earlier today when she was acting as though there was catnip. [url=http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/MiKheTosk/?action=view&current=V…] [url=http://s46.photobucket.com/albums/f122/MiKheTosk/?action=view&current=V…] (skip in a bit, i started far away so i wouldnt scare her...)

Dogrose Mon, 06/07/2010 - 02:08

The tail thing is a bit weird, cats will lash their tails if they are angry or wound up but I've not seen one wag like that! I've seen cats do the rolling like that on animal droppings (goat etc.) as well as cat nip. Could someone have trodden something in on the carpet that you can't see but has left a smell?
Maybe she is very sensitive to things? Does she tolerate being handled for long or get annoyed quickly?
The cross eyed thing might be relevant too- colour pointed cats can get it but thats directly due to the colour and she isn't colour pointed. Can she see OK out of both eyes? I had a one eyed cat that would run into things and couldn't tell how high a table top was to jump onto.
I know there is a syndrome in dogs (I know someone who has a Cavalier KC spaniel with it) where they try to catch invisible flies all the time.

Krickette Mon, 06/07/2010 - 09:32

She wags constantly, I've seen her in heat before and she mostly just does the weird "bumping her butt into the air" thing when you pet her and such. She doesnt roll around that much. I am getting her fixed soon but I didn't have time when school was still in and then forgot, lol. I literally just got off the phone with the vet.
Anyways,
She doesn't seem severely cross eyed, just enough that if you are looking for it you will see it from time to time.
She seems to have good depth perception though, she just acts strangly. I mean that tail is always going.
She likes to be held when she's somewhere safe, but if anyone else is around or she's in a new place then she will only tolerate it for a little while before the purring stops and she wants to get down.
I have seen her brother once before and he did the same bumping into things like he wanted to be petted thing, but he didn't wag his tail, or at least, not in the short time I was out there. I have also seen a black mommacat that I think they might have come from, and she seems very normal, though skittish.

Heidi Mon, 06/07/2010 - 11:47

I didn't watch very much of the videos ... but she looks normal to me.

The tail-wagging ... I don't think it is common, but it isn't unusual. I have two unrelated cats who 'wag' their tails when they are happy. Believe me, all my life I'd learned that wagging/whipping tails in cats meant bleeding and bandaids were imminent, but Louie and Shadow both wag their tails when they are happy. In addition, Louie's tail is constantly moving unless he is falling asleep.
The chasing invisible bugs and rolling, I think that is normal, too. Very similar to kids playing make-believe. They're just feeling good and playing, getting rid of some pent-up energy. Enjoy it, laugh and join in with some toys.

Jenks Tue, 06/08/2010 - 15:35

There is nothing wrong with that cat! Buster wags - and ALL my cats, are fixed and do that to my horse blankets.....I bring them in to wash and dare not set them down or the cats are all over them. She also could be in heat.

All mine also pounce on, swat at, or occasionally flip out in the air at invisible things when feeling frisky.

ThornandThistle Wed, 06/09/2010 - 02:51

my cat wags his tail...all the time, but then again he plays fetch and speaks when spoken to as well... I doubt there is anything wrong with your kitty. My cat on the other hand...who just hit me cuz i wasn't paying attention to him is a little special :) My favorite thing about him is that he gives "hugs" with his tail, you hold him and he wraps that tail around your body...or your leg if he's on the ground.

slaneyrose Wed, 06/09/2010 - 05:27

I would get the chasing invisible bug thing checked out... I had a dog that was hit by a car (she got a bang in the head) and she did that for a long time after so it could be something neurological. Best to check it out.

Krickette Wed, 06/09/2010 - 09:45

She's actually out and about this morning. Perhaps because nobody is home (the ac went out last night so it's around 85 degrees in here after we raised all the windows and turned on every fan we own.) Mom still says she's retarded, but I just think she's special. We'll see how she acts after she gets fixed friday, lol.

Rusti Sat, 06/19/2010 - 20:44

She looks fine to me...she's acting exactly the same as our un-fixed female. I should get a video of one of our male cats doing his "butt shake". If he's excited or wants food, he starts shaking his back end, almost like his butt is vibrating lol, and he picks his back feet up and down real fast, one then the other.

Heidi Sun, 06/20/2010 - 11:09

[quote="Rusti"]... "butt shake". If he's excited or wants food, he starts shaking his back end, almost like his butt is vibrating lol, and he picks his back feet up and down real fast, one then the other.[/quote]
We have three who do that and if/when they do it backed up to a wall or other vertical surface, it is called a 'fake spray'. I've always thught of it as 'uncontrolled excitement' that simply needed a release and the quivering tail was how they expressed that.