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Why is my cat suddenly twitching, biting hips, gagging, and vomiting?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 1 year and 11 months old | 7 lbs

My 2 yo female tabby cat started acting out of the ordinary last night. It started with her sleeping then literally jolting up and running. She tried to come back to bed and it happened again. Then I turned the light on the watch her behaviour. She was twitching out of control and biting and both side of her hips. Then following that she would gag. She did throw up yesterday around dinner time (she never throws up unless she eats to much grass because she's a short hair).

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

Veterinarian

Published on July 24, 2017

Poor Duckie! Her sudden behavioral changes could be due to a variety of issues, including irritation from flea bites, hip/back pain, abdominal pain (possibly from a virus or parasites), among others. Since she has been chewing on her hips more, it is possible that she's consumed much more hair than usual and may be vomiting hairballs as a result (this is still possible in short hair cats). If she has fleas, she may have also picked up tapeworms from the fleas, which can cause vomiting. If she is otherwise eating and acting normally, you can start by making sure that Duckie is receiving a high quality flea preventative, such as Advantage, Revolution, or Bravecto regularly. If you notice a heavy burden of fleas on her, you can also give Capstar to kill the adult fleas more quickly. However, if her abnormal behavior and vomiting continue, Duckie should be examined by her vet to try to determine the underlying cause of this issue. I hope that all goes well!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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