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Vestibular Disease in Cats

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Cats may sometimes suddenly lose their ability to orient themselves and become somewhat tipsy. And some cats are more than just a little dizzy—they cannot even stand. That is quite a worry for an unprepared owner.

We term this feline vestibular syndrome, or idiopathic vestibular disease. Now that's a big mouthful of words. What we are really saying is that the vestibular system, which is a part of "control central" for the cat's balance, gets out of kilter for no obvious reason.

Cause of Vestibular Disease in Cats

The root of the problem is proposed to be changes involving the peripheral vestibular system which is seated deep within the inner ear. Current thinking is that the special endolymphatic fluid in the semicircular canals or the interface with the special sensory cells lining the canals becomes abnormal. Inflammation, abnormal endolymph fluid circulation, or toxic insults involving the receptors or nerve have all been proposed to result in these balance problems. No one has been able to confirm a single common cause for these cases.

There is no obvious pattern to this problem. We see cases here, there and everywhere, though some studies find a slightly increased incidence of this disorder in late summer and early fall. Some veterinarians also see a tentative association with recent outbreaks of respiratory infections.

Signs of Feline Vestibular Syndrome

The signs of vestibular disease in cats can be quite alarming to owners, who often believe their feline friend is having a stroke. These signs include:

  • Vocalizations that may sound anguished
  • Rolling around on the floor
  • A head tilt to one side
  • Nystagmus, or eyes that oscillate back and forth
  • Leaning against walls or furniture in order to walk
  • Falling down
  • Vomiting
  • Seeming "out of it"

Sometimes, if both ears are affected, the head may not be tilted much and the kitty may not want to move at all. Affected cats are most certainly as puzzled by these sudden occurrences as we are.

Other Potential Causes of Balance Problems in Cats

If your cat develops any or all of the above signs, your veterinarian will do a thorough examination to determine whether vestibular disease is to blame. Some other conditions that cause balance problems in cats include:

  • Polyps, infections, or tumors in the ear canal
  • Encephalitis: infection of the lining of the brain, which may be caused by such illnesses as FIP or toxoplasmosis
  • Spinal cord disease or trauma
  • Drug toxicity
  • Blue-tail lizard toxicity (in the southeastern US)

Treatment of Vestibular Syndrome in Cats

Excellent improvement in the signs of vestibular disease is usually seen in 2-3 days. It can take a few weeks to fully recover normal head orientation and full mobility. A cat with any of the signs of vestibular disease should be assessed by a veterinarian promptly, and if idiopathic vestibular disease is confirmed, it is a better diagnosis than many others that produce these sorts of signs.

Treatment for vestibular disease is supportive and includes:

  • Keeping your cat in a well-padded area where she can't fall down stairs or otherwise get hurt because her balance is off.
  • If she is not getting up on her own at all, you will need to help your cat change positions every hour or two to prevent sores.
  • You may need to carry your cat to the litter box and back. She may have accidents where she is laying, so you will need to be diligent with checking her bedding, changing it, and washing and drying her off as necessary.
  • You may need to bring food and water to your cat and ensure that she eats it.
  • Your veterinarian may prescribe anti-nausea medications or anti-motion sickness drugs to help your cat be more comfortable. Do not give your cat any medications without speaking with your veterinarian first. Cats are extremely sensitive to many human medications and can become very sick or die if they are given.

In more serious cases, your veterinarian will advise admission to the hospital so that more aggressive supportive care such as sedation, intravenous fluid, and injectable medications can be provided.

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Disclaimer: This website is not intended to replace professional consultation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed veterinarian. If you require any veterinary related advice, contact your veterinarian promptly. Information at CatHealth.com is exclusively of a general reference nature. Do not disregard veterinary advice or delay treatment as a result of accessing information at this site. Just Answer is an external service not affiliated with CatHealth.com.

Comments (36)

  • avatar
    Thanks for valuable answers
    2
  • avatar
    ou So glad I read this, elderly cat had funny episode last night which ticks all these boxes. Off to the vet today anyway but thought she was off to another plane last night. Cara is 17 and I love her to bits. Thanks
    9
  • avatar
    This happened to my 17 yr old female cat  toffee ,last night got a fright when I seen it happening thankfully she's fine now 
    2
    • avatar
      No way... my 17 yr old female cat Toffee had the same a few weeks ago... :(
      1
  • avatar
    On Google Search, I asked what kind of food should I give my cat with Vestibular Syndrome and all the sites including this one talk about everything else and no suggestions of foods that may help her recover. uwAa8
    4
    • avatar
      I'm not aware of any foods that will specifically help treat vestibular syndrome, but it's important to make sure your cat keeps eating. Sometimes that means bringing food and water over to her and coaxing her a bit to eat. When she is dizzy, it may be difficult for her to get to her food and water. 
      5
    • avatar
      I was given id prescription cat food from the vet .
      It will help with nutrition.
      -2
  • avatar
    my cat has vestibular caused by ear polyp. She had surgery to remove this and nearly two weeks on the head tilt varies from day to day. Really good yesterday and 45 degrees today. Can the head tilt vary or should i contact her surgeon?
    0
    • avatar
      It would be a good idea to contact the surgeon with any concerns you have during your cat's recovery period, including this issue of a head tilt that waxes and wanes.
      0
  • avatar
    My cats been like this for months.  I took her to the vet and they put her on antibiotics and gave her a booster shot to help.  Two weeks later I brought her back and they gave her a different medicine.  She plays and her appetite is good but her head is still tilted and she can't jump up on anything too high anymore.
    1
  • avatar
    My 14 year old cat started having this early Saturday morning. We went to the Emergency vet. His blood tests were all normal and his physical examination showed no issues. However, the vet scared me by saying it was most likely a brain tumor. I had them give him an anti inflammatory shot. We came home and he was fine. He has episodes here in there. It seems to come bon more when he rolls on his side or is excited. The episodes do have a bit of back and forth with his eyes and his back end is a bit tipsy. He is still moving around and interacting though with falling. I was told they were seizures, but it doesn't seem like they act like that. So, can a cat with Idiopathic Vestibular disease have the episodes that come and go?
    0
    • avatar
      Vestibular disease can have varying degrees which may result in more mild signs in some cats than others. Other neurological conditions such as seizures are also possible. We recommend that you consult with your regular veterinarian for further evaluation.
      1
  • avatar
    Our 9 year old cat was diagnosed with vestibular disorder. She had all the usual symptoms and she seemed to recover in about three weeks, but she still is not her old self and seems to not feel well. She is still not eating well, she stays in her bed most of the time although she can walk now without falling over. Can vestibular disorder cause any permanent damage or injury to cats?
    0
    • avatar
      There is sometimes some residual head tilt or nystagmus after a bout of vestibular syndrome, but there may also be something else going on with your cat. If she isn't eating well, we recommend contacting your veterinarian.
      -1
  • avatar
    This happened to my 2 year old cat and it was scary! I took him to the vet and they said they don't know what caused it. Well he can walk alot better now but still has a head tilt and still kinda falls off balance sometimes. Now my 6 month year old cat has the same thing! From the research I've done if 2 cats have it in the same house it's a toxin they are being exposed to, they both play in the yard and we have some woods around the house. It is Sunday so I have to wait to take her to the vet but I can't figure out what it could possibly be and I feel so bad for her! Any suggestions what toxins can cause this!!
    1
    • avatar
      We're sorry to hear that your cats have this issue. Parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungal infections, toxins, congenital issues, and trauma can all cause these signs. Please keep us posted as your veterinarian determines what is going on in your cats' cases.
      0
  • avatar
    My 15yr old cat went missing for 2 months
    And when we found her she couldn't walk at all. she had lost 4 and a half kilo and she had a full head tilt and all the signs of the above disease .
    Since then a feline speacilist has seen her and she has been treated the same as said above.
    She was in ICU for 1 week and came home being able to walk but still wobbly and no head tilt at all.
    She has been home nearly 7 weeks and improving everyday .
    She starting to jump up again walking around more and is now no longer on nausea or stool meds.
    Back to eating normal and regular to the toilet.
    I have found if we don't make her look up at us and lay on the ground to interact with her she doesn't fall over at all.
    She is learning what she can and can't do now with her new disability.
    And is becoming more settled with no dizziness.
    Thank you for this information.
    My Dr at lortsmith did tell me the name of this but I forgot.
    So typing in her symptoms to google bought me here with ease.
    3
  • avatar
    My cat is 3 months old and she/he has her/his head tilted to the right, I have been provided with griseofulvin for treatment.If there is other treatments, Please reply.
    -1
    • avatar
      The treatment will depend on the cause of your cat's head tilt, and that is best determined by the veterinarian who examines your cat.
      0
  • avatar
    I had a lynx point Siamese cat that suffered from this. HE was only about two years old when it happened, and it was caused by a bad ear infection. He was not able to stand, his head was tilted to the side and bouncing up and down, and his eyes were rapidly moving back and forth, and he couldn't use the bathroom on his own, drink, or eat on his own. We took him to the vet, and got him on nausea medicine, and ear drops. We had to keep him in a cage, covered by a blanket, in a quiet room, so he wouldn't get too dizzy, and so he wouldn't hurt him self. It was a few days till he could eat and drink on his own, and another few weeks till he could stand and walk on his own. But he was still always affected by it for the rest of his life. His balance was never fully back to normal after it, and one time he fell backward off a chair and broke his tail. He would randomly start walking in circles, and when ever he got upset about something, his eyes would start to slowly move back and forth. But he did live to the age of 9, when the combination, between both the vestibular disease, and the cancer got to him.
    2
  • avatar
    My cat, MacKenzie,is 14 1/2 yrs old and very active. He has had the head tilt and off balance on his right side. Had a head X-ray and nothing really stood out. His blood and urinalysis both came back normal. It has been a month now. He seems to compensate for his right side weakness. Otherwise he dies everything else normally. He’s very loving and energetic. Will he recover completely. He is strictly an indoor cat and very pampered. We love him so much and hope he improves. In his 14 years he has never been sick. We do board him at our vets when we go away. Could he have gotten this disease from being there?
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    0
  • avatar
    I just put my cat down because of this. Now I am worrying I did the wrong thing. He was 15, but pretty healthy. The saw no polyps in his ear so they said it was probably an infection or tumor in his brain & the prognosis was poor. They said they rarely see it in cats. His pupils were a different size. When my dog had this her eyes darted back & forth. This was not happening with my cat. The idea it could be toxins worries me as I had put a Seresto flea collar on him a week earlier. Wondering is that could have caused the problem.I am so heartbroken, but could not afford the $1000 estimate to treat him. :(
    1
    • avatar
      We're so sorry to hear that your cat. The veterinarian who is present and examines your cat is always the best source of information for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment recommendations.
      0
  • avatar
    My cat has this after a deep ear cleaning!! This was done while she was under anesthesia for tooth extraction and cleaning.She was fine before, I am so upset. How long does it last? It's been about 2 days.
    0
    • avatar
      We're sorry to hear that your cat is having difficulty. We strongly recommend you contact the veterinarian who performed the procedure to let him or her know what's going on if you haven't already done so.
      0
    • avatar
      How is your cat doing how? My cat had an ear cleaning and now has to lean against the wall to walk. Did it take a long time to recover?
      0
      • avatar
        Following up on my post from August - it took a long time for recovery, during which time she was returned to the vet, force fed for 10 days, on multiple medications...,once she came home she ate on her own, and bit by bit regained her personality and strength.  She still can’t jump up very high, and has managed to use her claws to wriggle up furniture.  We got her pet stairs so she could reach her beloved window, but even now, we are positive changes still happening. We took her to a new vet, who was really disturbed by how long her symptoms were lasting, and I appreciated his candor and hhonesty. He said that the cleaning must’ve been very  aggressive. My kitty is 13, but was always very athletic and active. I’m so happy that she’s improved so much, and the best part is the return of her feisty personality, which was gone for about 3
        months 
        0
  • avatar
    My cat is 12 1/2. He had all the symptoms over 2 days now. We took him to the vet with a clean bill of health. Not once, did the vet suspect this disease. We tried to tell 2 vets that his eyes trail as if he is following the wall that's moving. Both said they did not see this. We were on the verge of putting him down due to the vet suggesting it's a lesion or tumor. This is the 3rd day. He still has his spells but is improving. He eats, drinks and goes to the bathroom on his own, even going in circles. I'd wish us the owners was heard more than just processing as usual with a heafty bill for checking all vitals to come up with, put them in a room and let them go in circles. Eventhough Gus is having spells, he's purring and laying next to us. When he lays down and gets up, he walks straight for about 15 minutes and has a spell. Each day he is improving. All I can say, is you as the owner knows your animal. Dont be quick to make decisions. We LOVE our animal and would have been devastated if it went the other way.
    3
  • avatar
    My cat whos been gone 4 years this year, got put down because of this, she was 16. And to find out its treated so simple i'm so annoyed because they simply put her down becaue of her age not being it was incurable. They said it was a disease in the brain thats more common in dogs than cats.
    0
  • avatar
    My cat, who is 9 was diagnosed with this about a month ago now. We gave her a medication for an inner ear infection to rule that out. She’s gotten a lot better but is still not 100%. She has the head tilt which we were told may be permenant. What worries me is her lack of balance that she is still experiencing. She’ll be fine, then go to scratch her ear and fall over. She recovers a lot faster but it’s the lack of coordination that is concerning. I’m now under the impression that she will never fully recover from this, and will forever be a bit uncoordinated. Is this something that others have seen?
    Thanks!! 
    0
    • avatar
      Hi Deanna, my 13 year old cat is having the exact same symptoms as yours. My Moseley had a severe attack 4.5 weeks ago. Everything that I read says that they usually recover in 2-3 weeks. Just like your kitty, he seems fine except for the symptoms that you describe. He seems a little better when I give him the anti-dizziness meds, but I don't know how I feel about giving them to him too much. Probably the same as you. At this point, my regular vet recommends seeing a neurologist which I can do, but I don't know that they'll be able to do anyway. As most vets suggest, we're "treating the symptoms" . I already know that the MRI is $2,000 & that's only just for test which doesn't treat anything. He doesn't seem to be in pain, just uncomfortable with his own lack of coordination, so I guess i'm going to take a wait & see for now. Thanks for listening....
      0
  • avatar
    My 17 yr old cat suddenly displayed a healt tilt and wobbly back legs , she’s been in the vet for 2 days tests inc a CT scan have shown up nothing but a outer ear infection which the vets tell me shouldn’t be causing the vestibular problem !! I’ve just brought her home and she’s worse than when she went in , I’m hoping it’s just the results of having an anthestic and that things will calm down 
    0
  • avatar
    16yo Cinny fell off the bed (very high) Thanksgiving night and was found balled up on floor squalling. She could not move. She was treated at the Emergency Vet for abnormal eye movement/head tilt/inablility to walk and possible cerebral swelling. Mannitol reduced brain inflammation in 12 hours and she was able to stand/walk/eat/use litter box. Came on very suddenly with no warning or symptoms. Kitty is recovering well and getting back into the groove very slowly. She sees her Vet tomorrow for follow up.
    0
  • avatar
    This happened to our 16 year old cat on Christmas Eve (we were out of town until Christmas.).  We monitored him closely when we got home,  and he had all of the symptoms of vestibular disease except nausea and throwing up (from dizziness.).   It is now 5 days later. His eyes stopped twitching on Tuesday, and his head tilt comes and goes. We took him to the vet on Thursday and vestibular disease was the diagnosis.  He is suffering from IBD and is on budesonide, but other than that he is still jumping up on furniture, going up and down the stairs, eating tons (he needs to gain weight) and drinking water.  I'm hoping all that I've read on the internet that his symptoms will improve is true.  My vet had never seen it in a cat before.




    I think he had a minor event like this 2 months ago, but he recovered within 10 minutes.  He staggered across the floor and sat quietly by his water dish.  Then he got up and walked away in a straight line.  Not this time around.




    We are going to monitor him. If he is not gaining weight (due to his IBD) over the next couple of weeks, we are going to make a decision about whether or not we should let him go.  I will post to let you know if he improves and if so, how long it takes.
    0
  • avatar
    Has anyone's cat have this for over a month? My cat had an episode where she was dizzy for a day. The vet gave her a anti nausea shot an scolded me because she was six months late for her rabies shot. (We had just retired from the military and moved to a new area). The following week I took her in for her rabies shot. Within an hour she could not longer stand without falling over. This was six weeks ago. I keep calling the vet and she said there is nothing physical wrong with her and it should go away on its own. I feel bad because she has been stuck in my dogs exercise pen with her food and litter box and bed for a month and a half to keep her safe and be side she can only make it to her litter box half the time.
    0
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