Feline hyperesthesia syndrome is a poorly understood condition causing episodes of apparent skin sensitivity and behavioral abnormalities.
Feline hyperesthesia welfare is challenging because the condition involves apparent episodes of significant distress that owners witness but veterinarians rarely observe directly. The welfare impact on affected cats — apparent pain, panic-like behavioral responses, and self-directed harm during episodes — is real and distressing. The uncertainty about underlying mechanism means that treatment is partly empirical, requiring systematic trials of different approaches to identify what helps individual cats. Stress reduction through environmental enrichment and pheromone therapy addresses behavioral components that may lower episode frequency regardless of underlying mechanism. Anti-anxiety medication and anticonvulsants provide welfare benefit for many cats with documented response.