Sansa, a polydactyl, odd-eyed cat with hyperesthesia abandoned by owner

Sansa is a really gorgeous New York City snow-white domestic cat. She is a standout cat not simply because of her beautiful white coat but because she is polydactyl with six toes on each front paw and odd-eyed (technically called: heterochromia iridium). Sadly she is an anxious girl suffering from feline hyperesthesia disorder( FHD or FHS).

Quite a combination. Of these three conditions, the last is the one which probably resulted in her being abandoned by her previous owner. The newspapers say that she was abandoned because of her odd-eye colour and her polydactylism. I very much doubt that. Both of these conditions are considered attractive by the majority of the cat owning public. However, hyperesthesia is a slightly perturbing condition in domestic cats which isn’t understood that well. I think it caused her to be abandoned but here’s the good news: a new owner has tried CBD oil as a cure and it has certainly helped.

• What can CBD oil do for my cat?
• CBD Oil for Cats – An Alternative Treatment for Managing Pain and Chronic Illnesses

She is now in a nice new home with a really good owner, Karen, 33, who works in a health care consultancy. Sansa has her own social media webpage with 21,000 followers. Don’t they all have social media webpages nowadays? Personally, I’m a bit disappointed in that because it makes me wonder whether one reason why Karen adopted Sansa was in order to open up a social media page to attract a little bit of celebrity. Perhaps I’m being unfair but that happens quite a lot.

When Karen adopted her she was in a cage and the sign on the cage said that the cat inside was very nervous. She couldn’t see Sansa because she was hiding under the bedding. When she saw her she was immediately attracted and I can see why because she has a stunning appearance. When she got her home she was always fearful and hide behind the television console whenever the door was opened. She came out for food and then retreated.

Her feline hyperesthesia syndrome resulted in that classic skin back roll which is a clear sign of the condition. Karen thought that she was in pain but I don’t think this is the case. It is probably uncomfortable but no worse. It’s a condition which occurs in cats at about 1 to 4 years of age. Their skin twitches and their tail whips. They don’t want to be touched as if their skin is supersensitive. Sometimes their pupils are dilated. The experts are unsure if this is a neurological condition or a behavioural problem. Certain breeds are more predisposed to it such as the Siamese, Burmese, Himalayans and Abyssinians.

The classic treatment is anti-seizure medications such as steroids. Apparently these did not work for Sansa but CBD oil did. There’s quite a lot of discussion about CBD oil as a treatment for this sort of condition in our companion animals. It’s nice to know that it is being employed successfully in this instance. I’m sure that not all veterinarians approve of the treatment but it is gradually gaining acceptance across the board.

I’m sure we all wish Sansa a happy life in her new home. She appears to be a full-time indoor cat living in a high-rise apartment in New York City with a fantastic view as you can tell in the photograph above.

The odd-eye colour is caused by the dominant white gene which gives Sansa her white coat. It stops pigment being deposited in one eye which turns it blue due to white light refraction. The other eye has pigment, melanin, which gives the eye its yellow colour.