u/West_Weight_3051

I was wondering if anyone’s cat is doing this, too. My 7-year-old male tabby woke up this morning - he was completely relaxed - and suddenly his stomach started sort of spasming and he had trouble breathing - almost sounded like an extreme case of rapid hiccups. It subsided after 30 to 60 seconds. Rushed him to the vet and was told it’s likely nothing. The vet listened to his heart and lungs with a stethoscope (and did an ultrasound on his bladder since he was FIC). We went back home around noon and I noticed that whenever he’s trying to fall asleep he starts spasming / twitching. He can’t sleep because of it. He’s otherwise healthy. I noticed he’s snacking more, grooming himself more and seems a bit restless. But he’s eating, drinking and playful. I didn’t see any spasms at other times. His spasms get better when he’s fully asleep - not completely gone but barely noticeable. Went back to the vet. She called another veterinary clinic to ask for advice and sent him the video I took. He said it doesn’t seem to be a respiratory or cardiac issue. I was told it’s stress and got two tiny doses of Pregabalin to calm him down. I don’t think it’s stress… Any personal experiences with this or advice? FYI, I live in Japan.

Edit: I should probably add that he’s been sneezing a lot more for the past 2 weeks. Not daily but a couple times a week - actual sneezing fits. He’s liking his nose more than usual as well. But the vet told me he’s fine.

Edit 2: I put my ear to his chest and could hear 3 rapid gasps with every twitch.