Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome (FOPS) which The Cat suffered from in her later years is not a particularly common feline complaint. It is a chronic neuropathic pain disorder, the effect of which can be compared to trigeminal neuralgia in humans, which causes sudden and severe facial pain, often on one side of the face.
The first time The Cat suffered an attack was one Saturday morning. She was eating her breakfast as usual; at that time her preference was to eat on the lowest pallet under the feeding station and, as befitted her position as matriarch, her dish was always put out first (while trying to keep the other cats at bay on the top of the feeding station).
All was going as normal when, from the lowest pallet, there was a thudding noise accompanied by scuffling and the sound of a bowl being tipped over, and when I looked down, The Cat was clawing indiscriminately at the side of her face and mouth, lacerating her mouth, gums and tongue. Her bowl (which was spattered with blood) was quickly removed, away from her stamping paws. After a few minutes, she started to calm down; although she was friendly, she was not the sort of cat who would allow any human to pull back her lips or open her mouth, so there was no way to check on her injuries. But she continued to eat before heading off for her usual wash.
Obviously, research had to be done. It seemed unlikely that it was a problem with The Cat’s teeth or mouth as she had continued eating as normal after the attack, and the eventual outcome was that The Cat was suffering from FOPS. The list of symptoms and her reaction fitted this condition exactly.
Staying calm was a big part of managing FOPS, so The Cat was encouraged to make The Fourposter box her special place to eat. There she would be the only cat eating; she would have space around her, and her bowl could be removed quickly if necessary. Additionally she was more confined, which would give her less opportunity to lash out and harm herself.
The only other cats likely to join her there were Flora and Furrileesa, her kittens, and that would not add to stress.
Luckily, these attacks were not a daily occurrence and it seemed that The Cat understood that, distressing though it was, an attack would pass and things would return to normal. There was nothing the humans could do except remove her bowl and offer comforting words, hoping that the situation resolved quickly.
