Why does my cat keep tilting his head to one side?
Vestibular disease is a condition in which a cat suddenly develops incoordination, falling or circling to one side, involuntary darting of the eyes back and forth (called nystagmus), a head tilt, and often nausea or vomiting. Vestibular disease is a disease that can affect cats of all ages.
What can cause a cat to be off balance?
An inner ear infection can cause a cat to experience vertigo. But a cat that stumbles, walks with stiff legs or shakes its head repeatedly may have a brain disease known as cerebellar hypoplasia, which affects muscle control and movement. It’s caused by infection, trauma or a disease, such as cancer.
What causes a cat to tilt its head to one side?
It can cause your cat to stumble, fall, list to one side, or tilt its head. You may notice your cats’ eyes moving erratically from one side to another as it struggles to keep its balance. Head tilt is usually one of the first obvious signs of vestibular syndrome. Protect yourself and your pet.
What to do if your pet has a head tilt?
If your pet has a head tilt, be careful and assist with descending and ascending stairs. Vestibular signs, a disturbance of our sense of balance, can be seen as a head tilt as well as other alarming signs such as falling, rolling, continuous circling and nystagmus (rhythmical, jerky movements of the eyes).
What causes a dog to tilt its head?
Other causes of head tilt include: Head trauma can cause vestibular signs that may resolve with time. Endocrine diseases such as hypothyoidism can cause vestibular signs. Encephalitis affecting the area of the brain responsible for maintaining the sense of balance can cause vestibular signs.
How does vestibular disease affect a cat’s balance?
Vestibular disease mainly impacts the balance and coordination of a cat. The most common symptoms of this condition are a tilted head and balance issues, but we will explore that further below. Why Is the Vestibular System Important? If their balance is impacted, it is harder for them to find their centre of gravity.
It can cause your cat to stumble, fall, list to one side, or tilt its head. You may notice your cats’ eyes moving erratically from one side to another as it struggles to keep its balance. Head tilt is usually one of the first obvious signs of vestibular syndrome. Protect yourself and your pet.
If your pet has a head tilt, be careful and assist with descending and ascending stairs. Vestibular signs, a disturbance of our sense of balance, can be seen as a head tilt as well as other alarming signs such as falling, rolling, continuous circling and nystagmus (rhythmical, jerky movements of the eyes).
Why does my cat have a false sense of balance?
Ataxia, Vestibular Disease in Cats. The vestibulocochlear nerve carries information concerning balance from the inner ear to the brain. Damage to the vestibulocochlear nerve can cause changes in head and neck position, as the affected animal may feel a false sense of movement, or may be having problems with hearing.
What happens if a cat falls and hits its head?
Hospitalization may be required for these cases as the imbalance can lead to motion sickness, anorexia and dehydration. Injuries to the head can cause ataxia and lack of balance also. Sometimes you will not know that your cat fell or struck its head, but cats are so nimble that this is lower on the list of possible causes.