# How common is Vestibular with cats?



## myfamilia (Aug 5, 2004)

I've had 12 kitties and numerous strays share their lives with me, but this is the first time I've ever exsperienced this disorder. I've also, never had a cat be with me 14 years either, but age isn't always related. So I was wondering how common it is and if anybody else would want to share their exsperience having gone through it? I know alot of times the reason is unkown. What, if any, were some of the things you did to help kitty cope? How long did it last? Was recovery slow coming out of it, or did kitty snap out of it as quickly as he fell into it?

It's a really scary thing to see this in an animal, especially a family pet. Understanding it and finding ways to help make kitty more comfortable while having to go through it helps.

Like, I've never found a more useful purpose for having so many pillows in the house than to use them to soften kitty's fall against hard furniture and sharp corners. Also, raising the water and food bowl up off the ground seems to help. I used the phone book.

susan and bugs


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

> What is vestibular disease in cats?
> 
> Vestibular disease in cats is a sudden disturbance of the peripheral vestibular system. The vestibular system normally helps maintain balance. The cat will have a head tilt, its eyes frequently will move back and forth, and it may fall or roll. *Vestibular disease is a common condition of cats of any age. *It rarely is observed in cats under one year of age.
> 
> ...


And here's a link with more info: http://www.thepetprofessor.com/secArticles/cat/Vestibular_Disease_in_Cats.asp


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

> Improvement starts within 72 hours, and affected cats usually are back to normal within 2 to 3 weeks.


That's wonderful news! I'll move this to Health and Nutrition for you.


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## jcook119 (Sep 22, 2004)

*Survivor*

Our cat Harley suffered from this condition a couple of years ago. It took him about 3-4 weeks to recover, during which he was boarded at our vet (he was an outdoor cat that we could not bring in at the time). He still has some head-tilt, but otherwise is a perfectly normal cat. As long as your vet has examined your cat and ruled out other causes for the behavior, it should be fine.

Thanks,
James


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## myfamilia (Aug 5, 2004)

thanks for the article, spacemonkey. I've been all over the net looking for information and that's one I hadn't seen plus it's the best one I've seen. My vet said sometimes it ends up being permanent. Wonder what would cause that? Might be referring to Vestibular disorder coming from neurological damage from inside the skull/brain instead of inner ear. Could a cat ever adjust to something like that? That's just plain ol' not right for a kitty kat.

my vet was telling me one of his cats had it so bad that she couldn't stop doing somersaults over and over. He had to keep her sedated on valium till she came out of it. Vestibular and Valium...whooh that's a double VV vortex invasion 8O :roll: :? :?: 

mellow, susan


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## spacemonkey (Aug 12, 2004)

Yes, cats adjust to can adjust to it and lead very normal lives. I'll re-post a reply I gave to lotocats, when her kitty had the a similar problem (her kitty has since made a full recovery):



> We had a rescue cat that lived very happily with a headtilt. He had it when we found him, and we don't know how long he had been like that, but he had adjusted just fine. He played and snuggle and ate heartily like any other cat. Unfortunately, shortly after coming to our home, he developed a severe URI, despite our best efforts to combat it. The poor thing would sneeze, and it really wacked his balance, so you'd hear a sneeze *thud* another sneeze *thud*. He got used to walking with his head leaning against the couch or cabinets or the wall, so he wouldn't fall as much. We kept him until his quality of life really diminished, but he was a great cat.
> 
> Anyway, said all that to say, that animals - cats, dogs, rabbits - can learn to live and adjust to a head tilt without any lasting damage. But let us know what the vet says and whether or not it's treatable.
> 
> ...


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