Couple weeks ago I found my 2.5 yr old cat hovering in the back of a closet. When I pulled her out, I saw her eyes were fully dilated, she had trouble keeping her balance and her head was tilted. My vet was puzzled, gave her some antibiotics, anti-inflammatory's and vitamins thinking it was an inner ear infection although he couldn't really see anything when checking her ears. She was pretty lathargic. Now she seems a little more lively, is eating okay but still has this tilted head. Anybody have any ideas or have been thru this before...what can I do? Is is curable? Please help...
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Cat with tilted head
- Thread starter vic1952
- Start Date
Did the vet run any tests on her? Do any bloodwork? That's the first thing I'd do. It could be something neurological. Did it just start happening?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
No didn't do a/thing like that but I'm going to take her back to him again...I don't know I guess I feel that as long as she plays and eats that maybe this thing will go away. I'm probably not being realistic though...
Try to locate a feline neurologist. This is what I did when my cat lost her balance and had difficulty walking. It turned out to be a middle ear infection and yes, she did get better.
The vet will *not* be able to see any signs of infection if it's located in the middle ear. A neurologist can diagnose this type of infection using physical tests he will do with your cat; for example, placing her on her back and watching her eye response.
My cat was put on a fairly new antibiotic, Zeniquin. During the first two weeks her balance improved, but even with the new med, she developed a slight head tilt, and though her eyes weren't dilated, there was a day when they were moving back and forth rapidly as if she were reading! I was very relieved when the rapid eye movement disappeared - it took longer for the head tilt. I was told that sometimes, unfortunately, it doesn't go away. Usually, though, unless the head is at an extreme angle, cats adapt to it pretty well.
Luckily for my kitty, the tilt did go away, but just a couple of months ago returned for almost 2 weeks. She has been on Zeniquin since first being diagnosed, not unusual for chronic ear infections. This med has made all the difference for her - never thought I'd be so happy to use an antibiotic long term!
Since your vet is already puzzled by your cat's symptoms and has prescribed treatment, it sounds like he's done all he can do. The good news is that you do see some signs of her behaving more normally. I would seek a second opinion, preferably from a neurologist, if you don't see continued improvement in another 5-7 days.
The vet will *not* be able to see any signs of infection if it's located in the middle ear. A neurologist can diagnose this type of infection using physical tests he will do with your cat; for example, placing her on her back and watching her eye response.
My cat was put on a fairly new antibiotic, Zeniquin. During the first two weeks her balance improved, but even with the new med, she developed a slight head tilt, and though her eyes weren't dilated, there was a day when they were moving back and forth rapidly as if she were reading! I was very relieved when the rapid eye movement disappeared - it took longer for the head tilt. I was told that sometimes, unfortunately, it doesn't go away. Usually, though, unless the head is at an extreme angle, cats adapt to it pretty well.
Luckily for my kitty, the tilt did go away, but just a couple of months ago returned for almost 2 weeks. She has been on Zeniquin since first being diagnosed, not unusual for chronic ear infections. This med has made all the difference for her - never thought I'd be so happy to use an antibiotic long term!
Since your vet is already puzzled by your cat's symptoms and has prescribed treatment, it sounds like he's done all he can do. The good news is that you do see some signs of her behaving more normally. I would seek a second opinion, preferably from a neurologist, if you don't see continued improvement in another 5-7 days.
I completely agree that you should ask your vet for a referral to a neurologist if you want to pursue this further. A standard neurological assessment can pinpoint whether the cranial nerves are affected (due to a tumour or other neurological disease), or whether it's something less severe like a middle or inner ear problem. Best of luck!
Was one eye dilated, or both?
sounds like a common head tilt. but in my experiences with them, it is usually caused by strokes, or blood clots "trown" in the brain... purely neurological. how severe is the tilt and does the cat tend to follow in the direction of it's tilt causing it to lose balance and fall over...?
