You are here:

Ask the Veterinarian/Neurolical problem in cat

Advertisement

Expert: - 2/28/2011


Question
My cat is approximately 4 months and has been diagnosed with a neurological problem by a vet. She has head tilting, falls over when walking, sleeping or even just sitting still. She also walks or hits into furniture or walls. She basically looks like she is drunk.  This has been happening for 3 weeks now and keeps getting worse. She eats well and still loves playing.

I have no idea how this happened cause the vet did not do blood work etc. He said if she does not respond to treatment I may have to consider putting her to sleep. Is there anything I can do to help improve her chances.

Answer
She may have been born with this Justine. Momma cats that have panleukopenia while they are pregnant will have kittens with neurological issues just like this.Also kittens that get it themselves and survive commonly can have this disease. They develop CH,or cerebellar hypoplasia.

I am not a vet, but I do not know of any treatment except for steroids for this. Some kittens will recover enough to live a fairly normal life but they will not be safe from falls, etc.

They will never walk normally but will stagger and sometimes fall. If she is able to eat, use the litterbox, be spayed etc, then she can live a happy life with you. But she must be treated always as a 'special needs' pet.

If she cannot eat, or cannot stand at all, or react normally to you or look around at her surroundings, then the only kind and loving thing to do is put her down.

But give her some time. Ask your vet how long- say six months- you can give her to see if she will adjust and live somewhat normally.

Of course it's much harder to let them go by then, so you really need to do some hard thinking on this one.  

I did find this site after doing some research, so you might want to check it out.
http://www.chkittyclub.com/
 
take care and please let me know how she does.

Ask the Veterinarian

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.