Cats suffering from Tom and Jerry syndrome

The charity passed on the accounts to a specialist veterinary centre, which is
now investigating the issue, along with researchers from the University
College London. The experts at the organisations believes the reaction is
similar to reflex epilepsy in humans.

The vets, from Davies Veterinary Specialists, based near Hitchin, Herts, are
now seeking more cases, so they can investigate what trends are behind the
reactions, to establish if some cats are more prone and some sounds more
likely to trigger the response. Appeals are being posted in the ICC’s Cat
Care journal, as well as major veterinary publications.

The team also want to conduct testing of affected animals, to see if there is
anything genetic which may make some animals more likely to suffer
sound-induced seizures. They believe it could even lead to greater
understanding of similar conditions in humans.

The seizures in cats do not appear to be related to volume, because many of
the “trigger sounds” are relatively quiet. The noises do not appear to be
particularly unexpected, either, as most are relatively familiar, such as
the noise of food being opened.

Mark Lowrie, from Davies Veterinary Specialists, said: “We want to see if

other vets and owners are aware of the problem. It could be they haven’t
even associated these fits with noise. I’m sure that a pattern will emerge.
It doesn’t seem to be occurring at times of stress. It is often when the
cats are being fed – which is probably one of their happier times of the

day.”

The reactions suffered by the animals are described as being similar to a fit,
with the cats displaying a jerking motion. Others have less severe
reactions, from being jumpy to freezing suddenly. They all recover, once the
noise has stopped and the seizure ceased.

One owner reported their cat, Moochi, had seizures caused by repetitious
clicking or tapping sounds, which caused him to convulse and lose control of
his balance.

Another animal, Jeffrey, has fits of around a minute in length, caused by
mouse clicks and the tapping of boiled eggs. Gracie suffered a similar
reaction to the sound of a newspaper, which caused her to run in circles and
collide with furniture. After that, she convulses.

Claire Bessant, chief executive of International Cat Care, said: “It is hard
not to smile, because it does all sound rather Tom and Jerry, but it would
be very nice to get to the bottom of it. People seem to be getting around
it, by making sure they tip toe around their animals and try to avoid making
the noise.”