Head shaking and leaning to the left side

[TinkerandWellington1213]

Hi, My cat who is 9 in April has suddenly started slightly shaking her head and its isn't all the time , then she is leaning her head to the left side , she's licking her chest . Could this be ear mites , she seems happy enough but she keeps wanting to scratch her ears but doesn't' , I've just gently massaged around her ears , she seemed to like that and the shaking and head leaning seems to have eased . I'm worried about her though . Very unfortunately we have no money for a vet as self employed and since covid and the lockdown of our business it isn't producing much money . Any home remedies would be a good start for now . Sorry if this sounds like I'm neglecting her I'm really not I adore her ,but I just don't have the money for a vet .

 

[Flybynight]

T TinkerandWellington1213
I would guess mites or possibly an ear infection. Where are you located, maybe there are low cost vet options, such as from the humane society.

 

[TinkerandWellington1213]

T TinkerandWellington1213
I would guess mites or possibly an ear infection. Where are you located, maybe there are low cost vet options, such as from the humane society.

Hi thank you , I'm in the UK, we use the blue cross animal hospital , but they still charge and its quite expensive. I wiped her ear out and a tiny black thing was on the wipe , I've looked at a product called Beaphar ear drops for cats and dogs , says kills ear mites and also ear wax, although i can't see any wax build up. I don't want to hurt her by looking and prodding too hard . She seems to be a lot better now still twitching a bit but not very often and she has tried to scratch her ear . I think its an irritation of some sort .

 

[Flybynight]

T TinkerandWellington1213
Hi,
Have you tried the PDSA? Some friends of mine have used them before:
PDSA - Saving pets, Changing lives

 

[neely]

From your description it certainly could be ear mites but without a vet examining her you can't be sure. I thought this thread might help explain why: Ear Mites
I'm guessing you have looked up her symptoms and treatment options but thought I'd post this article:
Ear Mites in Cats | PetMD

I understand that finances can be stressful at this time but can you call your vet and ask them about her symptoms? I know they won't prescribe medication without seeing her but perhaps they can advise you what to do until you can bring her in for an exam.

TCS has an Article that discusses what you can do if you have no money for vet care. If you scroll down it does suggest contacting the PDSA as Flybynight mentioned above: No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

Best of luck, please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[TinkerandWellington1213]

T TinkerandWellington1213
Hi,
Have you tried the PDSA? Some friends of mine have used them before:
PDSA - Saving pets, Changing lives

Thanks , just looked on there and did a symptom checker , I think it might be ticks and I'm going to pets at home later they have good advice in there and will have some ear drops , I'll go from there .

 

[TinkerandWellington1213]

From your description it certainly could be ear mites but without a vet examining her you can't be sure. I thought this thread might help explain why: Ear Mites
I'm guessing you have looked up her symptoms and treatment options but thought I'd post this article:
Ear Mites in Cats | PetMD

I understand that finances can be stressful at this time but can you call your vet and ask them about her symptoms? I know they won't prescribe medication without seeing her but perhaps they can advise you what to do until you can bring her in for an exam.

TCS has an Article that discusses what you can do if you have no money for vet care. If you scroll down it does suggest contacting the PDSA as Flybynight mentioned above: No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat’s Life – TheCatSite Articles

Best of luck, please keep us posted on your progress.

I tried calling the Blue cross but they are only answering the phone for emergencies and repeat prescriptions . I'm going to Petsathome later they have a lot of knowledge . When my cats were kittens i took them there and they weighed them to prescribe the correct flea treatment. I will certainly try calling another vet if I don't get any satisfaction from pets at home .Thank you for the link .

 

[Nice Loki]

Hi,

I am also in the UK and am registered with the PDSA.
To be eligible for free pet vet care through the PDSA you need to check their criteria, for example if you have Council Tax subsidy or are on Universal Credit.
If you are eligible, then you need to register with the PDSA before you can book an appointment, and you need to check to see if you are in the coverage of one of the PDSA hospitals.
A few hoops to jump through, but worth it if you can get free vet care. Also be aware that you can only get free vet care for 1 pet. Any other pets that need to see the PDSA are charged, but at a discounted rate.

Currently the PDSA are only seeing emergency cases.

 

[Tik cat's mum]

Animal trust don't charge for consultations, if you do a quick Google search you can find out if there is any vets near you. They are a non profit vets. You can also chat with a vet online. I use the RSPCA vet's and it's the consultation that seems to cost more than the treatment, so could be worth chatting to animal trust.

 

[TinkerandWellington1213]

Thank you all , very helpful I bought some ear drops and she seems fine today , no head shaking or head tilting . I am watching her carefully . Thank you so much for the advise and links
Tinker says thank you all xx

 

[neely]

And thank you for the lovely pic of Tinker, what a gorgeous black kitty. I'm glad to hear she's doing well and feeling better. Thanks for letting us know.