The cat shakes when he sleeps. Trembling after sterilization - an alarming symptom or a normal phenomenon

Attentive cat owners always notice if something wrong happens to their pets. But changes can be both normal and beyond the norm. In what cases is it necessary to contact a veterinarian, and in what cases should you not?

Consider the phenomenon of a cat shaking. What causes this symptom, and how can you help the animal?

Causes of trembling

If your cat is trembling, you will definitely notice it. Even if it is a rather small trembling, which you may not notice visually under the fur, you will feel it when you touch the pet and stroke it or pick it up. The symptom may manifest itself more intensely. At this time, your pet's paws may twitch a little. It is impossible to confuse the symptom with others, but often the owners do not know what is in similar cases needs to be done.

There is no need to panic when trembling occurs, but this situation cannot be ignored. If this phenomenon causes you concern, since it occurs frequently and is accompanied by other symptoms, it is still better to show your pet to a veterinarian. But every owner of a cat should still know what reasons can cause trembling. Sometimes finding out the cause and eliminating it successfully eliminates trembling. But in any case, you need to consult a doctor.

Fear
Cats are not only very brave and daring, but also very timid. They are afraid of many things. Trembling may occur due to the fact that the animal has been exposed to some kind of stress. For example, circumstances in his usual life have changed. Some pets cope with change and stress more calmly. For others, adapting to something new is much more difficult. Therefore, they can tremble even because you changed their food for another one or a stranger came to visit, who for some reason causes fear or mistrust in your pet. As a result of fear, trembling begins.

You need to understand what exactly caused this reaction in your pet and eliminate its cause. After this, try to calm the animal as quickly as possible. Pick it up, stroke it, try to distract it. Such tremors are best treated with good emotions.

If you do not pay attention to this behavior, then in the future it may affect changes in the pet’s behavior, which may become annoying for you. Therefore, pay attention to caring for your pet and caring for it emotional state- very important.

Cold
This is the most harmless reason, which may cause your pet to tremble. But even ordinary cold may not have the most harmless consequences.

Hypothermia of your pet's body can lead to a cold. And this is already a cause for concern. It is very important to observe when keeping cats temperature regime. This applies most of all to purebred animals with short hair, as well as those who have no hair at all. In winter, such animals need heating. If you see that the animal is trembling, but in the room there really is low temperature, try changing the conditions under which your pet is kept, and observe the changes. Perhaps the house just needs better heating.

You can arrange a place for your pet in the warmest place in the house, where he will happily spend time in the winter. If necessary, dress your pet in special clothing. Such clothes do not have to be bought in stores for a lot of money. You can make it yourself using advice from a magazine or the Internet.

If a cat starts shivering while walking on a cold day, most likely the pet is simply cold. Therefore, it is better to stop walking. If your pet does not tolerate the cold well, then it is best to take walks only in warm weather.

Joyful emotions
Trembling can also occur for the exact opposite reason. That is, because of the joyful emotions that the animal experiences. For example, you were not at home all day, and the animal was bored alone. When you come home and he has the opportunity to lie on your lap, this is a real delight for the cat. When a pet finds itself next to its owner after being bored, it may well even tremble with joy. Researchers believe that a cat can tremble even after eating. But not because he rejoices in being full. When the stomach is full, the muscles of the body contract.

Another reason is sexual arousal
The symptom also appears at the time of sexual arousal. During this period, all their sensations are more heightened, they react to everything more strongly. If this feeling is not satisfied, this also leads to stress. If you do not want to specifically breed your pets, it is recommended to spay or neuter them.

When do you need a veterinarian?

The veterinarian will examine the animal and prescribe necessary tests. As a result, it may turn out that the pet has diseased kidneys. Along with trembling, the pet becomes more aggressive and its behavior changes.

There is another reason why trembling may begin. And she's pretty serious. This is rhinotracheitis. This disease can affect both an adult animal and a kitten. It can develop in representatives of any breed. With this disease, the pet's respiratory system is affected.

In order to identify a disease in your pet as early as possible and begin to treat it, it is better to show it to the veterinarian as soon as you become suspicious and concerned. If your suspicions are not confirmed, you can calm down, and if they are confirmed, you will have a better chance that your pet will recover faster, and this will not affect his health.

Small kittens are susceptible to development various diseases. The reason for this may be either the baby’s fragile immunity or even a minor injury received during childbirth.

A healthy kitten should be moderately active, with a good but not excessive appetite and healthy sleep. If there are any changes in your baby's behavior, or you notice something wrong, you should visit a veterinarian.

Often, small kittens begin to shake; this can happen both during active rest and during lunch.

If the kitten is kept in comfortable conditions with an optimal temperature, and the option associated with the fact that the kitten is freezing is excluded, then this may be a sign of a disease.

One of the main reasons why a kitten is shaking may be helminths (worms). Helminths are a fairly common occurrence even in cats that do not leave the house. Worm eggs can be brought into the house by a person, and into the body little kitten they can get in the womb, or through cat's milk.

Helminths pose a fairly serious danger to the further development of the kitten’s body. They can lead to complete blockage of the intestines and death of the kitten. The main symptoms of the appearance of worms may be lethargy, alternating diarrhea and constipation, impaired coordination of movement and severe bloating belly. In addition, the kitten begins to eat more and shake violently.

The next and quite serious reason why a kitten is trembling may even be a minor injury to the spine. As a rule, kittens receive similar injuries during birth. In the future, the injury creates conditions for pinched nerves spinal cord, the consequence of which may be a lack of coordination of movement, the kitten’s limbs stop “obeying” him and he begins to shake and tremble.

When found similar symptoms The veterinarian will refer your little pet for a lateral x-ray of the spine and prescribe a course of vitamin B injections.

If there are signs that the kitten is experiencing pain during movements, the doctor may prescribe sedatives and painkillers.

In such early age kittens can cause a lot of trouble for their owners. It is necessary to create comfortable conditions for them, educate them, play with them and treat them in case of illness, but all the affection and care will definitely return when the little lump grows up and turns into reliable friend who will thank you with his love for everything you have done for him.

When a cat is shaking as if he is cold, his owner should not ignore this symptom. There are a number of reasons why an animal suddenly develops this condition. Most reliable way Determine if everything is okay with your pet - contact professional help. However, a trip to the veterinarian may not only be useless, but also traumatize the cat’s psyche, which will begin to get nervous. In order not to expose your pet to stress once again, you first need to try to independently find out the cause of the symptom.

The cat is frozen

A change in air temperature in an unfavorable direction is the simplest and most logical explanation for why a cat is trembling all over. This is especially true for breeds that lack hair and are therefore more susceptible to changes in weather and microclimate at home. This situation can be solved by turning on a heating source or purchasing special clothing for the animal.

If your cat starts to tremble while walking, then environment uncomfortable for her. A frozen animal can get a bad cold and get other accompanying illnesses. In such a situation, it is worth reconsidering your pet’s walking schedule or abandoning them altogether in order to maintain his health.

The animal got scared

The second simplest explanation for trembling in an animal is strong fear. Such a tremor is invisible to the eye, but is felt as a small vibration in the pet’s body if you place your palm on it. In this case, it is worth finding out why the cat had this reaction. The reasons may be different:

• a change of scenery;
• the appearance of a new person in the house;
• presence of a foreign animal nearby;
• new item;
• unfamiliar smell.

Cats are frightened by situations they have never encountered. It is advisable to carefully introduce the animal to something new so as not to shock it.

Joyful emotions

Tremor in cats is sometimes a symptom great joy. For example, an animal missed its owner for a long time, being alone at home, and when it lies on his lap, it trembles. Separately, it is worth considering cases when the pet begins to shake in its sleep. Most likely, he is dreaming of some fascinating or emotional plot. To stop the trembling, simply wake up the animal.

Another manifestation of trembling is sexual arousal. A mature animal, during a period suitable for reproduction, can become so overexcited that it manifests itself in the form of a tremor. This emotional stress is very high, so it is worth letting the animal satisfy its sexual instinct. If you do not plan to breed cats, you need to subject it to the procedure of castration or sterilization. You shouldn’t use it to dampen your instincts. special drugs, as they can cause serious and even fatal problems.

Noticing that a cat is twitching in its sleep, the owner may be concerned about the well-being of the pet. If we are talking about adult cat, suspicions are far from unfounded. Let's figure out why cats twitch in their sleep and what it may indicate if a cat twitches too much.

It was cats, or rather, their dreams, that made it possible to prove to the whole world that animals also plunge into the world of dreams. Moreover, scientists suggest that Our pets' dreams are much richer and more dynamic than ours. It all started when doctors began to study the phases of human sleep. To confirm my assumption that in REM sleep healthy people lose the ability to move, an experiment was carried out on a group of cats.

All animals had a small area of ​​the brain removed, which was responsible for muscle atonia in the REM phase of sleep. After the animals were fully rehabilitated, the scientists' suspicions were corrected. The observed cats stood on their paws, walked confidently, and turned their heads, as if watching someone. While in a state of sleep, cats sniffed and turned their ears. The experiment proved that cats see, hear and touch dreams.

This is interesting! A healthy, adult animal does not move during REM sleep, although rapid eye movements and slight twitching are considered normal.

With development medical equipment It was possible to prove that during dreams, cats experience real emotions: fear, joy, excitement, aggression. Near the animals under observation, “pheromones” of a same-sex cat were sprayed and the observed one showed aggression. In the opposite case, when the scent of an animal of the opposite sex was sprayed, the observed behaved calmly or interestedly. That is, animals not paralyzed by the REM phase not only sensed the outside world, but also made natural, instinctive decisions. These observations led to the conclusion that in their dreams, cats see themselves and their surroundings very realistically.

This is interesting! Experiments were carried out on cats, dogs and rodents. Cats surprised scientists by very naturally emitting hunting in their dreams. The dogs unexpectedly hinted at the animal essence, imitating the behavior of wild wolves. The rodents broke all records, because even in their sleep they were able to solve the tasks assigned to them.

The study of human and animal sleep continues. Of course, today it is no longer practiced to remove part of the brain for the sake of observation. To relieve atonia during the REM phase, blockades of part of the brain are used. Modern scientists are on the threshold big opening, since the experiments included observations of brain activity using highly sensitive scanners. There is no doubt that cats dream, but perhaps we will soon find out exactly what their dream world looks like. Already today, scientists have managed to find out that their Kittens see their first dreams while still in the womb.

Read also: Is it possible to walk a cat?

A kitten's active sleep is not a reason to worry

Most of the speculation surrounding the concern comes from kitten owners. We dare to assure you that if your cat twitches in his sleep, but he is not yet 12-15 months old, this is normal. Don't worry if the kitten sleeps in an unnatural position or if its eyes are slightly open. The first is explained by the fact that kittens are not so demanding of comfort, the second is due to the presence of a third eyelid, a transparent film that protects the eye during sleep, even if it is open.

The kitten may twitch violently, roll over, and even meow after stress or active play. If the baby is sleeping and you notice that his paws are twitching, it means that the four-legged animal is walking or running in its sleep. Until 1.5–2 years of age, activity in the REM phase is absolutely normal and is explained by an incompletely formed nervous system.

The REM phase of sleep in kittens up to 6 months takes up about 80% of all sleep time. If you notice that your cat doesn’t startle in its sleep as often as before, you can draw conclusions about the strengthening of the nervous system and the maturation of the animal as a whole. The period of formation of the nervous system is very individual and depends on many factors. In outbred so-called aboriginal cats, it lasts up to 10 months, some purebred cats“remain children” until they are two years old.

When are there reasons for concern?

The owner should worry, but it is better to consult a doctor immediately, If twitching in a dream reminds. If you have the slightest doubt, wake up your pet and observe how quickly he wakes up. Healthy cat, even being in a completely relaxed state, will fully wake up within 10–15 seconds. If the half-asleep state seems suspicious to you, you observe that the cat has difficulty breathing, raising its head or swallowing saliva - call a doctor.

Read also: What to do if your cat is lost?

If you cannot wake up your pet or he loses consciousness, call a doctor immediately, as the seizure is likely to recur. After a severe seizure (depending on its cause), the cat may lose consciousness and never regain consciousness. Seizures are a very serious condition and indicate that the brain is unable to control the central nervous system.

Important! Videos periodically appear on the Internet of how a sleeping cat suddenly jumps up and runs, can crash into obstacles, etc. It may look funny, but this behavior indicates severe disturbances in the functioning of the central nervous system.

A separate risk group is pregnant and recently given birth cats. Immediately after birth, when the cat is resting, a seizure may indicate postpartum preeclampsia - Very dangerous condition which will lead to the death of the pet, if she is not provided emergency help. Constant, increasing trembling, turning into convulsions, is a sign of hypoglycemia, which quickly develops into a coma and is fraught with the death of the cat.

A seizure or violent twitching can be explained by a number of events that are not related to illness. After severe stress or fright, moving, fighting, or experiencing danger, the cat will most likely twitch in its sleep - this is not entirely normal, but special measures no need to accept. Reduced control over the central nervous system, indicates that the brain and neural connections cats are temporarily “canned”. Everything will return to normal when the pet’s body recovers. If the cat was not stressed and looked healthy all day, it should be excluded.