Kitty lost his balance a few times recently - should I worry?

My little guy, Boo Boo, is a rescue kitty that I TNR'd. By the vet's estimate, he's now about 2 1/2 years old. We brought him indoors when he was about 8 months.

In the past few days, little dude lost his balance three times (that I noticed), while finishing a full-body stretching routine. Twice he almost fell off the windowsill, just now he fell off the end of the bed.

He was born with only one eye, the other had a congenital defect and had no sight from birth. When we TNR'd him, the vet sewed it up to prevent future infections. These episodes don't seem to be connected to his vision, but I'm throwing that out there anyway.

What could be up with him? He is as lively as always, has no other unusual behavior, and a hearty appetite. The cats eat a diet of wet food (vet's recommendation), right now we are rotating Natural Balance, Evo, Avoderm, and Weruva.

Nothing happened to him. He is a cat, after all. Each time, he straightened himself out mid-air, landed elegantly, and then walked off with an expression that said "I meant to do that." But I'm a little worried. Can this be a warning symptom of something serious?

Maybe you could write down a little diary or calendar of what you've observed, and, if it were me, I'd call for a vet appointment, telling them upfront what you've observed. If it's nothing, well, you'll have a clean bill of health and a peaceful mind - if it's the start of something, maybe catching it early can make a bit difference for a good outcome.

Good luck - I know none of us want to look like paranoid parents, but maybe call the vet and get his take on the situation.

I agree with darlili's advice. keep tabs on it and get an appointment.

On possible cause could be an inner ear infection starting.

Please let us know what happens with Boo Boo.

PS Hurray for you for the rescue!

Thanks! I feel so much better now that I "talked it over" with more experienced people. And eh, who cares how the cat feels as long as I feel better .

This is our first venture with having cats own us, so it's all new to me. Of course I can't help being a worried mama, that goes with the territory . Obviously I will now be spending most of the night frantically googling "cat inner ear infections" while little Boo Boy sleeps the sleep of the just next to me . And I wouldn't have it any other way.

I will call the vet tomorrow and mention it too. Meantime Boo is behaving very normally and lovably, as evidenced by his irritability when I try to sneak in extra doses of snorgles. So maybe it was nothing. Meantime I have to go look up "inner ear infections in Felis domesticus: indications, diagnosis, and treatment."

Thanks again!!

But remember, as my internist told me, don't let the internet make you crazy before you even talk to the doctor!

If your baby is eating, pooping, peeing and playing pretty normally, try to take a deep breath and stay calm, while, of course, asking for the first possible appointment at the vet - and, if you're like me, you'll probably be in the parking lot as you dial.

let us know what happens, and here's best wishes that you get only good news.

Have you checked his nails? My cat started to refuse to jump up and I think his nails were a little long and he slipped and/or got caught in the fabric of the thing he was jumping on. He still makes me pick him up, LOL, to put on the table to eat.

I was noticing the same thing with my boy, Walter about 6 months ago. (Interestingly, back then he was 2.5 years old, and his nick-name is Boo-Boo )

He was acting normal, eating, pooping, etc., but I started noticing he was being clumsier than usual - missing his landings, slipping off the back of the couch, misjudging his jumps and doing a faceplant into the ottoman! Didn't happen all the time, but enough for me to take notice - just like you!

I had him checked out by the vet, and he was fine. Just an adolescent kitty who was easily distracted by the world around him, I guess? The vet did thoroughly check his ears AND his vision, though. He's 3 years old now, and I can't even recall it happening recently. Seems it was just a phase. I hope the same holds true for your little Boo-Boo!

Thank you all so much for the replies and the concern!

All is well, !

We went to the vet last weekend, and he was pronounced in fine fighting shape. So either it was nothing or he got over it by then. He is back to ruling over his kingdom, happy and playful, and no more balance mishaps.

Thanks for all the kind words about rescuing our two goobers. I feel we sort of don't deserve any accolades, because I can't quite recall the details of what happened between the day I set out a plate of tuna for a pathetic scrap of an alley cat one day, to the moment when two fat smug balls of fur sat in the center of our bed, calmly having a long, leisurely baff, while they decided how many inches we would be allowed to occupy.

In short, they are a barrel full of fun and laughs, and I learn something new from them and about them every day.

Thanks again, with much love from BooBoo, Shunra, and their devoted chief cook and bottle washer.

Thanks for the update and the lovely happy picture you paint of the two of them!

Originally Posted by kitkaturday

I can't quite recall the details of what happened between the day I set out a plate of tuna for a pathetic scrap of an alley cat one day, to the moment when two fat smug balls of fur sat in the center of our bed, calmly having a long, leisurely baff, while they decided how many inches we would be allowed to occupy.

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They are sneaky little things, aren't they? I'm glad BooBoo is OK, that was MY nickname when I was a kid!