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Wobbly walk, falling over, weak back legs, walking in circles

Ni-Hao

My 8 yr Burmese (neutered declawed male) has, for the last 1 1/2 yrs been showing signs of being dizzy or wobbly - appetite is good & he grooms & toilets normally, last blood work was normal, temperature is normal but he has this worsening problem with walking in circles, leaning against the wall, seems confused and dizzy and falls over from time to time, it's gotten much worse the last 2 weeks - saw vet today who says its neurological, probably something in his brain (lesion, scar,inflammation or tumor)I can't afford $2000 for an MRI - I'd appreciate any information or insights you can give & recommendations on what I should do?

Symptoms: Head Tilt, Coughing

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• Master Advisor Torunn says:

  January 20th, 2008 at 11:08 AM

  Hi there I am sorry to hear about your cat. Your vet is right though, it is likely to be something neurological and to find out what it is he does need an MRI as there is very little you can see on a normal x-ray. It could also be middle and/or inner ear disease. Has he had an ear infection lately? If these are left untreated they could lead to damage to the organs of balance in the middle ear, and cause head tilt and circling. But if there has not been any ear problems (you would notice this as the cat would scratch his ears, and they would be waxy and sometimes bleeding) there is most likely a tumour, inflammation or something else in the brain and from the signs you describe I think it is in the Cerebellum which is responsible for coordination. Even if you do an MRI this could only find out where and what the lesion is, and surgery in the brain of a cat would be very risky, I do not even know who does that. So the best thing to do is to keep him comfortable and make sure he is happy, and I am sure you will make the right decision when the time comes. Torunn Beurling DrMedVet

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• User suggests:

  April 09th, 2009 at 06:41 AM

  This sounds very similar to what my cat Lucy had. She was 13 though and had periods of 'normality' and then times when she couldnt walk and was disorientated, falling over, sleeping more than usual and generally very unwell. My vet also suggested a neurological problem because her front legs were weaker than her back legs and if he pushed her front legs against the edge of the table she had no resistance. Unfortunately, the general opinion was that Lucy had a brain tumour and I had to make the heartbreaking decision to have her peacefully put to sleep. I was somewhat heartened to think that she had had a happy life with us after being rescued.

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• Gaby suggests:

  May 20th, 2009 at 11:01 AM

  Hi! My 9 months old kitten does the same thing! however mine fell down a flight of stairs when she was a few weeks old. I have sent out my question on this website, in the wait for a response. But it seems like maybe what my cat has is normal. How long have you had your cat for? If you dont have it since it was born, can you ask the previous owner if something happened that could have caused this? Im not sure about the tumor though... I love my cat to death, and i believe it is important for me to care for her obviously. But like you, I cannot afford a $2000 MRI... Look around. You will probably find out your cat must have fell or hit its head at a young age and it might have slightly damaged their brain. Then again, im only a pet owner as well, not a vet.

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• User suggests:

  August 05th, 2009 at 04:56 PM

  Your kitten may have feline distemper. I know I am currently treating my 4 yr. old female cat with homeopathic (herbal) remedies as I can not afford to take the cat to the vet as usually it is a $600 venture. If you decide to look for medicines, check out carefreepet.com and nativeremedies.com. That is where I bought my products. I have only started today with the therapy so I'll post how she is doing after a couple days. Jen

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• User suggests:

  August 28th, 2009 at 07:57 PM

  Test your cat for Toxoplasmosis. Toxoplasmosis causes many different kinds of neurological problems. The treatment is simple - a double dosage (based on the cats weight) of Clindamycin for 2 weeks. I do cat rescue work and have succesfully treated several cats with this parasite. Antech Lab offers a nice panel (SA-190) that tests for Toxoplasmosis plus a CBC and much more for under $100.00.

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