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Full Version: Help - 6 mo kitten has spinning eyes, generally drunk and wobbly movement
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I just want to say first off that I think this forum is fabulous. I've learned so much and gotten so much help from some very nice people!

There is now a new medical event that is eclipsing the diarrhea-drama. Starting 3:00AM last night, I was brushing my teeth and noticed Meekus watching me (as always), but he seemed a little bobble-head-y, which I thought was strange, but maybe he was over-stimulated.

15min later, as I was doing my bedtime routine, my husband yelled at me that Meekus was falling around like a drunkard in the living room. It was clear the situation had worsened badly-- his eyes were shaking in their sockets, he lost some control over his hind legs-- when he sneezed, all 4 legs would slip, and he'd land completely on his side.

At 4AM we took him in to the 24 hour emergency clinic (Fifth Avenue Veterinarians). Unfortunately, we left at 8AM none the wiser-- in-house blood tests showed his electrolytes were normal, ears weren't infected, and since they didn't have a neurologist in house, they could only recommend hospitalization (at $1500/night) with no real certainty that it would help.

So we took Meekus home and went to our regular vet at 2PM. Meekus was still wobbly but his eyes had calmed down unless stimulated. He got a thiamine shot, but the vet (who is a GP) had no real insight either. He said it could be vestibular disease, which would resolve itself in a matter of days, but since Meekus is so young, he was at a loss. We're going to continue with the thiamine, just in case it is a result of his diet, which is 80% fish / 20% beef.

The vet receptionist said the house cat also had the bobble-head issue as a kitten, but has since grown out of it.

Has anyone had any experience with this? We can't see the neurologist until Tuesday and are quite worried in the interim. The vet says he's stable, I feel he does better in dark conditions, and he does eat when coaxed. My worst fear is a concussion, brain tumor, etc.!!
It is understandable why the vets have considered vestibular disease. There are links on this at Tallyville

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Point...inks5.html
I was thinking vesitbular as well
can I ask is it normally to feed 80% fish over there?
firstly let me say how sorry I am to hear that Meekus is still having problems... the sypmtoms you describe certainly fit with vesitbular disease and the links that Jan posted are excellent the good news is that the condition seems to rectify itself within a short time.

I do hope that you have better news when you see the vet please keep us posted
I really dont have any advice but I wanted to tell you I will keep him Meekus in my prayers.
I hope Meekus recovers quickly...thinking of you.
Hi all, thank you so much for the help and well wishes! An update, last night I noticed that Meekus did better in the dark, so I turned off all the lights in the house and played with him in the dark. There was a noticeable improvement in his condition, I would say 50% improved. This morning he seemed 80% better, and he was 100% by noon.

I have no idea why-- whether the thiamine injection did the trick or if it spontaneously miraculously resolved itself. I bought thiamine vitamins (as suggested by the vet) and resumed feeding him fish catfood today. The thiamine supplement should prevent this from happening again, in case this was caused by thiamine-deficiency.

Sempreragdolls - I only feed him 80% fish / 20% beef because that's what he eats. He's SO picky. In order for him to eat enough in a day, I keep 7 different flavors open and rotate because he gets tired of flavors very quickly. If he was older, I wouldn't be so catering to his pickiness, but as he's a growing kitten, I'm just doing whatever it takes to get his tummy full. Smile
my cat hanna has a very simlar problem... but at times we think shes just a complete ditz cause ya... its taken her at least 7 months to recover 80% but we cant ever let her outside in fair she will go into that attack again...
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