Loss of Balance

The cats move with an athletic natural breed. For them it is not normal to vacillate on his legs, or are very old, are recovering of an anesthesia or have a degenerative serious disease. If our cat is enough young and healthy but seems to vacillate on the legs, it is necessary to monitor him carefully: it can be the first symptom of a problem of health. It is necessary to see if the cat jumps with difficulty or falls heavily on the floor. Is he starting using the walls for not lose the balance?

If you see him insecure, you must have him in house, in a place where he cannot damage being raised and stooping the furniture or the shelves, and to take him to review the veterinary as soon as possible. The veterinarian will want to know the record of vaccines of the cat, when he started losing the balance, in which time advances the problem and if it is worse in some moment of the day, if it seems that the cat has pains, if he has had a fight or an accident and if he has another symptom of disease. If the cat has a strap, it is convenient to take him with us: this will help to the veterinarian to do a diagnosis.

A wide range of problems

The balance is controlled by the organs of the internal ear (the semicircular channels, the utrículo and the saculo), that indicate the vertical position and detect the movements of the head, sending this information across the vestibule nerve to the cerebellum, the part of the brain that coordinates the position and the movement of the body. Any disorder of the ears or of the brain as consequence of a disease or an accidental wound can alter the mechanism of the balance.

The infections of the ear are causing a form of insecure walk insecure and the loss of the balance, and normally they can treat with antibiotics. There is a disease called vestibule syndrome that does that the cat inclines towards a side, sometimes with rapid and strange movements of the eyes. The animal is in the habit to be with the tilted head.

The wounds in the brain, tumors, poisoning and slight epilepsy: they all can concern the balance and the movement in major or minor degree; the attacks of epilepsy accompany other symptoms, as a sudden collapse, as a sudden collapse, the attacks of epilepsy and loss of the balance in a deficit of potassium that could affect the normal functioning of the brain. Before this wide scale of possible reasons it's fundamental that the veterinarian examines to our cat as soon as possible, to be able to have a rapid diagnosis and a prompt treatment.

Q/A A few time ago I have treated to our new kitty, with a powder antifleas that I bought in the shop of pets; later, during a few hours, he seemed not to support well on the legs. Do I throw these powders and try with another thing?

Yes. Is it possible that your kitty is sensitive to the insecticide or that the dose has been too big for his size. The insecticide is working attacking to the nervous system of the cat. Make sure the product have the label "for cats " or "for cats and dogs ". The liver of a cat cannot assimilate any substances that the dog supports well.

I have heard that raw fish can damage the cat's brain. Is it true?

The raw fish has a enzyme that destroys the vitamin B1 (tiamina), that is essential for the normal functioning of the brain before being absorbed by the intestine of the cat. Also an excess of boiling of the food can destroy the vitamin B1. The best thing for your cat is a commercial balanced well food, although you can give him sometimes a treat or cooked fish.

What is the cause of a vestibule syndrome? Is it dangerous?

The syndrome or vestibule disease is a disease that presents suddenly and affected to an adult cats, especially during the summer months. The reasons are unknown, but almost all the cats recover completely in 2-4 weeks without need of treatment. There are some of them that stay with a bit tilted head.

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