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my cat started acting dizzy and her head was shaking and she

 
Dr. Gene's Avatar
  • Answered by:Dr. Gene
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Customer Question

my cat started acting dizzy and her head was shaking and she is falling over i am beyond concerned i have other cats and kids and there is no where to take her this late at night what could cause this she is 6 years old she is an indoor /outdoor cat she has had her rabies shots and 1 destemper shot all of my cats have a mild cold right now but none of them are acting like this

 

Optional Information:
Type of Animal: feline
Gender: female
Age: 6
Name of Cat: scubbers

Already Tried:
wrapping her up stops her from falling over and wobbling

Submitted: 825 days and 4 hours ago.
Category: Cat Veterinary
Value: $28
Status: CLOSED
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Expert:  Dr. Gene replied 825 days and 4 hours ago.

Hi there,

Few questions for you:

1. Does Scubbers seem uncoordinated all over, or just her back end?
2. Does she walk around as if she were drunk or does she keep falling down and rolling over?
3. Does her head seem tilted to one side?
4. When did this start?
5. Can you tell if her eyes are moving rapidly side to side?

Customer replied 825 days and 4 hours ago.

its hard to tell where shes uncoordinated.she walks around life she was drunk and she would just fall over.yes it did seem as if her head was tilted to one side this started about an hour ago and her eyes did go back and forth .we had her wrapped in a towel so i do not kn when it eased up now she just looks weak

Accepted Answer

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Expert:  Dr. Gene replied 825 days and 3 hours ago.

Sorry for the wait..

Your kitty is experiencing what's called vestibular syndrome. This is a condition in which the balance center of the body is affected and the symptoms of disorientation and dizziness occur.

Vestibular syndrome is caused by problems in either the inner ear cavity, the brain stem or the part of the brain called the cerebellum. There are multiple different conditions that can cause vestibular syndrome - infections, cancer, parasites and others. One of the most common causes of vestibular syndrome is an inner ear canal infection or a polyp residing in the inner ear canal.

It is usually possible to differentiate an inner ear versus a brain problem by physical and neurologic examination; once the differentiation is made, then some testing may be needed, but treatment may be easier, once it is known where the problem is.

Because vestibular syndrome causes quite a bit of discomfort and anxiety/fear, it's best to get this taken care of asap. If you don't have an emergency clinic within driving distance of where you are, I'd take your kitty to your vet tomorrow morning, but it's really best to have her seen tonight.

For now, if you have meclizine (Dramamine - over the counter medication for nausea and motion sickness for people), give her a 1/4 of a tablet by mouth - it may help with the dizziness.

Hope this helps; please let me know if you have any other questions or need clarification on the above information. Best of luck!

Expert TypeVeterinarian
Category: Cat Veterinary
Pos. Feedback: 99.6 %
Accepts: 589
Answered: 1/6/2011

Experience: DVM degree from Ontario Veterinary College, diplomate of American Academy of Pain Management

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