One of the cats we take care of has a problem. There is something that goes wrong with his butt occasionally which requires (trivial) medical intervention. Nothing serious, fairly common in cats, etcetera.
Thing is. When it happens, the lack of integration in the cat becomes a problem. He’s never quite figured out why there are large cat feet near him, and sometimes he washes them and sometimes they kick him in the face. And sometimes there is suddenly a cat butt behind him and he has no idea why.
So when he develops discomfort in his rear end… he becomes terrified. THERE IS A BUTT. BEHIND HIM. He runs himself absolutely ragged trying to get away from this cat butt. He cowers in corners. He runs suddenly from one place to another. I have never before heard a cat who wasn’t within a day or two of dying breathe like that before. He collapses in total exhaustion, eventually, until he recovers enough to… do it all again.
So far, this has always manifested at times when it involves the after-hours surcharge at the local vet, and having to call someone in the late evening to come look at a cat’s butt. I am sure that it’s the glory of the job that attracts vets.
Still, for all that the poor cat is probably the dumbest cat I’ve ever known, he is a great creative thinker. Lots of cats chase their tails; this is the first one I’ve seen reverse the process.