My Cat Staggers As He Walks: What Do I Do?
On some occasions, if your cat staggers when walking? It could be due to lack of balance or even weakness in the hind legs. This oscillation can occur to varying degrees and can even impede our cat’s movement, so it’s good to know what’s actually happening.
My cat staggers when walking: otitis?
Balance is found primarily in the ear, and imbalances that occur in the ear or nervous system can produce ataxia.
Ataxia is the loss of muscle control, a disorder that can be the cause of the problem if the cat staggers when walking.
So one of the things we have to rule out is an ear infection known as ear infections.
Otitis can occur for several reasons, such as the accumulation of mites that infect the ear or a simple reduction in defenses.
Although mild, external ear infections do not cause these symptoms, an ear infection can complicate and affect the middle ear, which can lead to ataxia.
These ear infections can also be caused by a blow or even the appearance of a foreign body in the ear.
A typical case is that of beetles, an unknown danger for your dog or cat, which causes tremendous pain and severe otitis.
My cat staggers when walking: trauma
Another of the most frequent reasons for these symptoms, if our cat staggers when walking , is that he may have suffered some kind of blow or serious trauma.
These injuries can cause disorientation in the animal. In many cases, bed rest solves these problems, but we must remember that if we suspect a trauma, we must visit a veterinarian.
This is because there is a possibility that damage to some internal organ has occurred.
Food can also be related to this type of process : cheap rations lack several minerals and proteins that can cause this type of weakness.
That’s why we should always be especially careful when feeding our pets and looking for the best food for cats.
The childhood and old age stages are especially critical, so specific food for older animals and puppies should be provided to our pets at these stages of their lives.
Thus, we will be able to prevent them from suffering from nutritional deficiencies.
My cat staggers when walking: spinal problems
If our cat staggers when walking, and seems to have weakness in his hind legs or poor mobility in his hind legs, it could be that the problem has a nervous or even spinal origin.
The cerebellum and the peripheral nervous system are responsible for moving the animal, so that nervous or brain problems can trigger this type of situation.
The vestibular system is responsible for balance, closely related to the ear, therefore, in addition to otitis, damage to the vestibular system may be another reason behind oscillation.
More serious problems that require treatment, such as a herniated disc, may also be behind this symptom.
If our cat staggers when walking, there may be many different processes behind the problem. And while some of them may only be temporary and heal themselves, most are processes that require the assistance of veterinarians so that our pet doesn’t get worse.
Some of these illnesses may even require surgery.
That’s why we recommend that if you notice these symptoms in your pet, you should visit a veterinary clinic you trust.
It will take several tests to reach a definitive diagnosis. Therefore, never trust the opinion of lay people or the internet.
