HELP! Spinning cat.

Hello There,

I am totally desperate, so I really hope someone can help us out there.
Our cat Lola spins, she looks over her shoulder and turns around in circles and can go for ages if we don't hold her or put her in a dark box.
Our vet cannot throw any light on the problem apart from giving her valium which still doesn't totally stop her from spinning.
It isn't her eyes, her ears, or anything inside because she has had a blood test, urine test, you name it we've checked it.
Our vet says he has never experienced this before, have any of you.
Please help.
Many Thanks

This may sound daft but she's not chasing her tail is she? Does she fall over or anything? How long does she spin for? How often?

Hello,
It's not tail chasing, she stares right over her shoulder to the small of her back. She bumps into things while spinning and she is terribly clumsy, always falling of sofa etc.
She will spin from 20mins to an hour or more if we let her, which of course we don't now.

P.S. She can spin from once a week to three times a day, really varies.

Gosh that is peculiar, I really hope someone on here can help. In the meantime here's some stop spinning soon <<<<<<<vibes>>>>>>> it must be so frustrating for you.

We had a dog when we were younger that we adopted from the pound who would spin for no apparent reason and would run into walls. When we took her back to have her checked, they said she had a brain tumor, which was causing her odd behavior.

Has the vet ruled out any mental or psychological disorders? I'm not saying your poor kitty has a tumor but it sounds familiar to our dog.

Good luck with your poor little girl.

Thanks so much for your replies.
Our vet did mention brain tumor and they checked for that with the blood test.
We rescued her just before Christmas so we really don't know where or what she has come from, it's such a mystery.
I think it's psychological disorder because she mainly does it when she panics about food ie. either getting fed late or not liking her food. However our vet doesn't think it's anything to do with that?!
Aaaaaaaa!
x

Originally Posted by Lolacat

Hello There,

I am totally desperate, so I really hope someone can help us out there.
Our cat Lola spins, she looks over her shoulder and turns around in circles and can go for ages if we don't hold her or put her in a dark box.
Our vet cannot throw any light on the problem apart from giving her valium which still doesn't totally stop her from spinning.
It isn't her eyes, her ears, or anything inside because she has had a blood test, urine test, you name it we've checked it.
Our vet says he has never experienced this before, have any of you.
Please help.
Many Thanks

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Dear Lolacat:

You might try visiting http://www.bestfriends.org and going to the cats area of the site and emailing the contact there. This is the best sanctuary domestically, and their doctors and cat experts are very good. They are "in the know" about a wide variety of cat issues, including spinning. Good luck to you!

Sounds like a neurological problem to me. Ask your vet if he/she might think that's the problem. You are looking at some big bucks for a specialist tho.

It takes more than a blood test to check for a brain tumor...

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Sounds like a neurological problem to me. Ask your vet if he/she might think that's the problem. You are looking at some big bucks for a specialist tho.

Click to expand...

BUT cats with this issue do very well with loving, patient caregivers; again, I would urge a visit to Best Friends' Cats and an email to their people: http://www.bestfriends.org

It does sound like it might be a neurological condition... it could be an obsessive compulsive disorder. Or possibly the cat has some brain defect (maybe resulting from a lack of oxygen at birth).

Is the cat healthy and happy otherwise? Does she bump into things when she's not spinning?

It could be, if she's otherwise healthy and happy, that you have a behavioral problem (possibly caused by fear or some past environment) that will ease up as she gets comfortable in her new home. Half a year isn't very long.

Other things to think about: Does she always do it in a particular part of the house? If so, is there something unusual about that area? Could the spinning be triggered by particular sounds or smells inside or outside the house?

Has she had a head injury?

Years ago we had a cat and I found him in his box in a coma- like state when he was about 6 weeks old. I was young so don't remember the details too well but the vet diagnosed him cerebral palsy.He lived to be 11 yrs old and always walked in circles.

I had a cat that had this problem; she had lost sight in one eye and her equilibrium was off. She'd spin until she fell down completely. Luckily, this only happened a few times, until she got used to her lost sight. Your cats eyesight may or may not be a contributing factor to the problem. Just thought I'd let you know another possibility.

Has she ever had anything happen to her that you know of while she's been either getting ready to eat, or while she was eating that spooked her or hurt her in any way that might cause her to associate not getting fed or feeding time with pain or something coming at her from behind..? Has she always done this or did it just start recently? Does she do it if you keep her feeding schedule regular?

How do her eyes look when she's spinning? Is she cross-eyed or is there anything else strange about her that you've noticed while it's happening?