How GoodRx Helps Theo the Tabby Cat With His Feline Hyperesthesia

When Theo was just 6 months old, his owner, Colleen, started noticing behavior that stretched outside the usual levels of kitten energy and excitement. He was in a constant state of unhappiness or distress, and his eyes were always wide and glassy-looking. Colleen is no stranger to hyperactive cats, having two others (5-year-old Oliver and 14-year-old Jack), so she decided to take Theo to the vet when she felt something was off. Theo was diagnosed with feline hyperesthesia, a very rare disease that has the trademark symptom of rippling or rolling skin along the cat’s back.

Though feline hyperesthesia is often thought of as a seizure-like disorder, the symptoms are so varied that there is no consensus over what the main cause is. In addition to skin twitching and pupil dilation, symptoms can include loud, nonstop meowing, erratic running around, and other compulsive behaviors. Sounds like an amped up kitty, but it could actually be rooted in anxiety or trauma, a spinal or orthopedic injury, or simply allergies.

Many vets opt for a low dose of an anti-epileptic, antidepressant or anti-inflammatory medication to treat feline hyperesthesia. Theo was prescribed gabapentin, a common anti-epileptic drug, three times a day, and a 30-day supply was going to cost $44. It was going to get expensive pretty quickly for what was going to be an ongoing medication.

Colleen remembered seeing a GoodRx commercial on TV and wanted to make sure she could use it to save on pet medications. “Over the phone, someone on the GoodRx support team talked me through the process of making sure I had the proper script for pet medications and clarified further concerns,” she said. “I didn’t think it was going to work until I made it through the check-out at the pharmacy!”

With GoodRx, Colleen pays $8 instead of the $44 cash price every month. She tells us, “This might not seem like huge savings but the difference is nearly the amount I pay monthly for another pet’s meds. It’s a huge stress reliever for me!”

For the most part, Theo’s strange ticks have decreased dramatically, but he still has the urge to open doors and play incessantly with door handles. Still, Colleen is happy to get Theo back to his normal self. “Theo is one of the most hyper, in-your-face cats I have ever had to deal with, but he is also so lovable and sweet.”

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