Is it possible that she had a close call with a car or some abuser, if she was outdoors at any time unsupervised? Reason I ask is it would seem that this syndrome only occurs when she is inactive and in one position for a prolonged period of time (assumption here). She could be sleeping on too firm a surface and develop a pinched nerve as a result (this could explain the reaction and the short duration of the problem).

Could you, perhaps, encourage her to sleep on a softer surface and see if that helps? She might be having nightmares from some encounter or she could be manipulating you just like a child would with an imaginary boo-boo to get your attention.

It could be a reaction to something in her food. Some cats, particularly calicos because they're recessives, have very sensitive systems that react badly to ordinary ingredients and additives. Try changing her diet over time and see if things improve. Just guessing but if something 'clicks' do check it out. It could be something as simple as gas pains or a more potentially serious kink in the intestines. Try removing anything with fine bones from her diet and see how things go.

Hope something helps. Do keep us posted.

Good luck!

Callie