12 week old kitten with head tilt

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  • #51831
    DMuller71
    Participant

    Hello everyone! Hoping to find some information here to help me and my sweet boy “Rocky”. I have had Rocky since he was 6 weeks old. Rescued him & his 2 brothers from under someone’s shed (through the local rescue organization). Fostered them for 6 weeks and returned them last Wed. The day before they were returned I noticed that Rocky was tilting his head to one side & occasionally rubbing his ear. I called the rescue place & explained what was happening and since I was technically returning them the next day it was decided that I would just wait until then to have them look at him. Returned them and mentioned to them again that his left ear needed to be looked at. Went home and cried and cried a river of tears because I missed my babies. Called to check on them later that day (they were all going to be neutered & made ready to adopt). They told me that they treated him for ear mites & they were all fine. Well…I couldn’t sleep all night. Called them in the morning and told them I was coming down to officially adopt Rocky. Picked him up and asked about his ear again. I asked them to please look in his ear and tell me if he had an infection. I could not believe the severity of his head tilt…mites may have been in there, but I was concerned that an infection could have also been causing this. The woman took him in the back (NOT even a vet) and came out and said “Yeah…looks like maybe infected…here’s some drops”. The drops were taken off the shelf and were warm and probably old. Never once did she tell me that the drops were supposed to be refrigerated (I found out later from my vet). I know I am rambling here. Just so frustrated. OK…took him straight to my vet as soon as I left the rescue. My vet did a good examination…did say that he saw debris & ear mite eggs in the ear. He flushed the ear. Gave me new drops (Tresaderm) and also oral antibiotic (Clavamox). Did a quick neuro exam also to check his pupils. His symptoms were: severe head tilt; falling over; rolling head in direction of bad ear; vomited twice). Pupils looked good: even and eyes not darting. So…we are treating him right now for the mites and infection. It’s been 5 days and I only see a small improvement. Head is still tilting alot! He is eating, drinking, peeing & pooping…also he plays and runs around (although not completely steady on his feet).I am so worried that this might be something else. Did alot of research and found info on Vestibular Disease/Syndrome. Will be taking him back to vet to have further testing done in the next few days if no improvement. Have any of you experienced this with any of your kittens/cats? Please help!

    #737938
    Moonshadow_NZ
    Moderator

    Hi DMULLER, welcome to TDK. I can’t really help you with the ear problem but a friend had an adult cat that had an ear infection that was quite bad and the cat had a permanent tilt to his head when the infection cleared up with treatment. The tilt never affected the cat, he carried on life as usual and didn’t seem to be at all hampered by it. The tilt made him look like he was always questioning you though. Sorry I can’t be more helpful and I really hope Rocky’s infection clears up soon.

    #737939
    pucca
    Participant

    I am sorry I have no answers, just that Rocky has the best possible mom because you are making sure he gets the care he needs.

    I have heard about very bad infections leading to permanent head tilts in some cases with dogs and cats, but they seem to adjust well and live a fine life. Hopefully though, your little guy’s issues will resolve. 🙂

    Keep us updated on your baby and congrats on owning him and being a failed foster!

    #737940

    What a GREAT kitty mama you are! Please keep us updated on the little guy. He will do fine, even if his issue is more severe (hoping not) because he has YOU!

    #737941
    Jeankit
    Participant

    Welcome DM & thank you for caring for this little kit.

    It sounds like you are informed on this subject.

    Here is a link with info for you & all interested:

    http://www.petplace.com/cats/head-tilt-in-cats-vestibular-signs/page1.aspx

    #737942
    anncetera2
    Participant

    DMuller, Glenn and I are currently treating our formerly feral cat, Bert, for nearly identical symptoms. Our vet will be seeing him again this Friday, to check up on his progress.

    Our vet was able to sedate him early on, and get a good look at both his ears. One eardrum has a small tear that she expects will completely heal. The other eardrum is so perforated that only about half the eardrum is still intact. The perforated eardrum had a raging inner ear infection, which she believes is causing his neuro symptoms (head tilt, imbalance, head shake, pupil twitch/wobble, vertigo resulting in loss of appetite).

    He staggers a lot less now, and can actually stand with his front paws on my lap, his hind legs standing on the ground, while I’m seated on the ground. He still has head tilt, but only sometimes. When he headbutts he sometimes loses his balance. This is MUCH improved! There was a period of time when he couldn’t really stand without assistance.

    His appetite went off for a bit, such that he had to be force fed. The vet explained that sensations of vertigo sometimes make for an upset stomach. He’s back to eating, drinking, and using the litterbox just fine. Even more promising, he now kneads when he’s lying down, and if I call him and snap my fingers, he comes over to be petted – even if he’s still a bit wobbly.

    It’s taken 3 weeks to get him this much improved, from his original state (staggering around like a completely drunken kitty). It will probably be another 3-4 weeks before we have a good idea how much better he’s going to get. He’s had special ear drops and antibiotics, which have not been all that awful to administer.

    Hang in there! It takes a while for these things to clear up. Hopefully your kitten won’t have permanent damage. Try to be patient, and be diligent in his treatment and follow-up visits with the vet. As long as he’s drinking, eating, peeing, pooping, and acting mostly like a normal kitten (who may be feeling a bit of vertigo), then he stands a good chance of recovery.

    Hugs!

    #737943
    Skyron
    Participant

    I’m also hoping its just an infection, but if he doesnt get better with treatment, it could also be a growth/polyp in his inner ear that is causing the problems. If that is the case, it needs to be removed surgically.

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