It can be a bit of a shock to discover that your cat has suddenly fallen off and is unable to move around normally. Although you may be worried about a stroke, your cat's mobility issues may also be caused by vestibular disease.

What is cat vestibular syndrome?

Feline vestibular disease, sometimes called feline idiopathic vestibular disease or feline vestibular syndrome, is a process that affects the vestibular center of the cat's brain. When functioning properly, the brain's vestibular center helps your cat maintain balance, coordination, and awareness of its limbs. There are two main types of vestibular disease in cats. Central vestibular disease occurs when a brain infection or tumor adversely affects a cat's vestibular center. Perivestibular disease occurs when nerves in the ear or brain are affected.

Vestibular disease can occur in cats of all ages and breeds, although certain breeds, such as Siamese and Burmese cats, have been shown to suffer from congenital disease.

Symptoms of Feline Vestibular Disease:

Uncoordinated gait

Hover to one side

Head tilt

rapid eye movement

Loss of appetite

Nausea, vomiting

The most common symptoms of feline vestibular disease are uncoordinated gait or falls. Your cat may also hover to one side. When your cat stumbles, you may also notice a head tilt and/or rapid eye movements called nystagmus. In severe cases, your cat may begin to show signs of nausea, point its nose at food, or may begin to vomit.

Some owners may find their cat circling and tipping over, thinking they are having a stroke. Fortunately, stroke is less common in cats than in people. If your cat has had a stroke, it was most likely caused by hyperthyroidism, chronic kidney disease, or a heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Although these individual disease processes can be seen in older cats, stroke in cats is still considered rare.

Causes of feline vestibular disease

Like another disease name for feline idiopathic vestibular disease, the vast majority of cases in cats are idiopathic. That's just a fancy way of saying the real root cause of this disease. Sometimes, your cat may have vestibular disease due to a middle or inner ear infection. Even more rarely, vestibular disease in cats can be caused by brain tumors.

Diagnosing feline vestibular disease

Unfortunately, there is no one specific way to diagnose vestibular disease in cats. Rather, the diagnosis is made based on physical examination, medical history, and clinical signs. if shouldIf a more serious condition is blamed (such as an inner ear infection or a brain tumor), advanced tests such as MRI, ear culture, spinal fluid analysis, and basic blood tests may be needed.

Treatment of feline vestibular disease

Because most cases of vestibular disease in cats are idiopathic, treatment is primarily supportive. Your veterinarian may prescribe medications to prevent nausea and vomiting. If a cat's balance is severely affected, subtle changes to his or her living situation may be necessary. A low-entry litter box to prevent it from falling onto high surfaces where it could fall, and keep food and water bowls with you until they need to be rebalanced.

Cats with idiopathic vestibular disease usually make a full recovery within a few weeks. Depending on the duration and severity of the outbreak, there may be some lingering effects on gait, but in most cases, they can fully recover. If your cat's vestibular disease stems from a middle or inner ear problem, your veterinarian will want to treat the underlying infection. Antibiotics and/or antifungals may be prescribed to be taken orally and into the cat's ear canal.

Treatment options are also available for cats diagnosed with brain tumors. If the tumor is in an operable area of ​​the brain, your veterinarian can refer you to a veterinary oncologist for treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or even surgery. Of course, if you just want to keep your cat as comfortable as possible, your veterinarian can tolerate them.