What is Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome?
A head tilt may be mild and caused by something easy to treat, such as an ear infection or polyp. when a head tilt occurs in conjunction with other more serious signs (such as vomiting and ataxia), we may be dealing with Vestibular Syndrome.
Vestibular syndrome is not a specific disease but a collection of neurological symptoms and behaviors that are caused by a disruption or dysfunction in the vestibular system. This intricate and complicated system of nerves and anatomical elements is responsible for your cat’s sense of balance. The vestibular system also coordinates the movements of your cat's eyes, neck, head and limbs. If vestibular disease is suspected, your veterinarian will need to pinpoint the location of the problem and determine whether the symptoms are originating from the inner ear (peripheral) or the brain stem (central).
If your cat is holding its head at an angle and having trouble keeping its balance, it may be suffering from vestibular syndrome. Vestibular syndrome is a condition that occurs suddenly. 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.
Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome Average Cost
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Symptoms of Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome in Cats
The most obvious symptom of vestibular syndrome in cats is the odd slant at which your cat holds its head upright. This head tilt occurs in both inner ear and brain stem disorders. Other symptoms of vestibular syndrome may include the following:
- Lack of balance (ataxia)
- Uncoordinated movement
- Stumbling
- Walking in a circle
- Falling down
- Facial drooping
- Facial paralysis
- Strabismus (crossed eyes)
- Nystagmus (eyes moving up and down or back and forth)
- Nausea
- Vomiting
Causes of Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome in Cats
In many cases, your cat’s head tilt may be a symptom of a benign transitory anomaly. However, it may also indicate a serious underlying health condition. Your cat needs immediate medical evaluation to ensure the best and quickest way to resolve the issue. Here are the most common reasons for head tilt in cats:
- Bacterial infections
- Inflammatory disease
- Reaction to drugs
- Polyps
- Tumors
- Cysts
- Cancer
- Idiopathic vestibular syndrome (no known reason)
Diagnosis of Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome in Cats
Your cat’s obvious head tilt will be a major symptom your veterinarian will consider when diagnosing the systemic reason for your cat’s health issue. Other diagnostic tests, observations and evaluations may include:
Complete Medical History
Your veterinarian will want a complete history of your cat’s health including any unusual behaviors or symptoms noticed prior to the head tilt.
Physical Examination
A thorough physical examination is necessary for your veterinarian to determine the cause of the head tilt. This examination may include watching your cat walk around the examination room, taking vital signs and performing both an otoscopic (ear) and neurological exam.
Blood Tests
Blood tests will help your veterinarian diagnose infections and inflammation that may be causing the head tilt. Test results that register as abnormal help your veterinarian decide what may be the underlying cause of your cat’s vestibular condition.
Urinalysis
By examining your cat’s urine, the veterinarian can see if there is anything abnormal in the test results that would aid in diagnosing the cause of the head tilt.
Advanced Testing
In some cases, specialized scans that offer advanced imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computerized tomography (CT) may be necessary to make an accurate diagnosis, especially when the problem appears to be located deep within your cat’s ear or skull.
Treatment of Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome in Cats
Idiopathic Vestibular Syndrome
A wait-and-see approach is often used when idiopathic vestibular syndrome is suspected. Your cat’s head tilt will usually disappear on its own, and it seldom returns.
Infections and Inflammation
Your veterinarian will choose appropriate medications depending upon the underlying cause of your cat’s head tilt. Some medicines, like ear drops, may be prescribed as well as oral medications.
Polyps or Tumors
Depending upon the location and size of the polyp or tumor, your veterinarian may recommend surgery to remove the cause of the head tilt.
Drug Reactions
If your cat is having a toxic reaction to a drug, your veterinarian will change medicines and evaluate your cat to see if it needs additional hydration, especially if vomiting has occurred.
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Recovery of Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome in Cats
Your cat’s recovery period will depend upon your veterinarian’s diagnosis of the underlying cause of the head tilt. Even a simple ear infection will need follow-up appointments to ensure the infection is under control and that no additional damage has occurred within the cat’s ear.
Cats who have had surgical intervention to repair the cause of the head tilt need extra care while recuperating. Your veterinarian will want to see your cat on a routine basis until it is completely healed.
If your cat experienced severe vomiting along with the head tilt, your veterinarian may need to keep your cat on IV medications until the vomiting resolves.
A head tilt could be symptomatic of a serious medical condition. To avoid high vet care expenses, secure pet health insurance today. The sooner you insure your pet, the more protection you’ll have from unexpected vet costs.
Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome Average Cost
From 449 quotes ranging from $200 - $2,000
Average Cost
$1,300
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Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
mixed
Panther
4 Weeks
0 found this helpful
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Head Tilt, Disorientation
ive only had my kitten for a week, found him in the engine of a car. about three days after i found him he had a seizure so we took him to the vet. they gave him an iv drips and prescribed nutrigel and another supplement. he was fine until yesterday when he started tilting his head to the left, walking in circles and falling down when he walks. also his eyes keep roaming and he seems disorientated. i live in fiji and there is only one vet available in the country who is usually busy and told me to give my kitten water. is there any home remedies i can give him to help until the vet is available?
Dec. 28, 2017
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for your email. Without examining him, I"m not sure what might be going on with him, but I am concerned about parasites, infection, and infectious disease. Until he can be seen by your veterinarian, you can continue to give him the nutrigel every few hours, in case he is having episodes of low blood sugar. I hope that he is okay.
Dec. 28, 2017
Hey I have a Veterinary question to ask you.. my cat magic is 11 years old and outta nowhere tonight she doesn't seem to have any strength on the left side of her body, she keeps leaning to the left and falling completely on her side and her head keeps twitching towards the left, she can walk and she can even kind of run but her back legs seem to be spread out really far like she's having a hard time holding herself up and I'm just noticing that she keeps tipping to her left I had to kind of help her hold herself up while she tried to eat and go to the bathroom and she barely ate anything and even when she was eating it look like she was having a hard time with it.. have you ever seen anything like this, do you have any idea what's going on with her? She has ear mites I've been trying to treat them with the drops but could that cause her to lose feeling on her left side?
June 23, 2018
Mandi S.
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British Shorthair
Mars
7 Months
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Wobbling,Head Tilt
My cat stopped eating&drinking then got unbalanced in the third day. Vets started antibiotics&vitamins as they found infection in the blood test. Infection ended after 5days od treatment but the weakness on his limbs continued. Started giving vitamin b and immunex but i started thinking he is in pain cause he grumbles and he started tilting his head to his left side. Corona virus came positive and toxoplasma negative. All i want is a diagnose and a treatment, the next step will be an mri. Can it be a saddle thrombus? If there is any suggestion you can give, it will be higly appreciated. Regards
Dec. 25, 2017
0 Recommendations
There are various causes of head tilting which may include infections, head trauma, neurological disorders, poisoning, cerebellar anomalies, other developmental anomalies among other causes; a kitten positive for coronavirus isn’t surprising and shouldn’t be clinically relevant unless there are other symptoms which may be suggestive of feline infectious peritonitis. For developmental disorders and cerebellar disorders, an MRI would be the diagnostic method of choice. Regards Dr Callum Turner DVM
Dec. 25, 2017
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Domestic shorthair
Mango
4 Months
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Head Tilt, Fever, Uri
Last Saturday, my 4 month old kitten suddenly started wobbling, stumbling, and had head tilt and nystagmus, along with a snotty nose. We rushed him to the emergency animal hospital. They said he has both an upper respiratory infection and a possible severe inner ear infection. They gave him IV fluids, antibiotics, and an antiviral medication. He has been running a fever since Sunday, and the fever spiked at 106 degrees last night. They gave him something to bring down the fever. Thus morning they said he was playful & eating fine. But, this afternoon, he's lethargic, not playing, and is hardly eating. His temperature is now at 104.5. His head tilt is less than it was last Saturday, and he's no longer falling down, but I'm very concerned about this fever. At my insistence, they are doing bloodwork this afternoon. I called my regular vet & he said that I should not bring my kitten home until his temperature is consistently below 103. Should I insist that the emergency animal hospital vet do more testing, and if so, what? I'm getting upset and frustrated, because my kitten has been at the animal hospital for 5 days already. Help!
Dec. 20, 2017
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Thank you for contacting us about Mango, I'm sorry that he is having problems! The only thing that you haven't mentioned having him tested for is Feline Leukemia or FIV, which I feel fairly sure that they probably did. Unfortunately, with what we call 'Fever of Unknown Origin', the differential list is very long, and can be extremely costly to diagnose. Typically we tend to rule out a few common diseases and treat until the fever resolves, which can take some time, for sure. I wouldn't think he should come home until he is eating and drinking on his own. It seems that he is improving slowly, with the head tilt improving and having bouts of normal behavior. They seem to be getting it under control, and hopefully he will turn around and come home soon!
Dec. 20, 2017
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mixed
Sampson
14 Years
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My pet has the following symptoms:
Head Tilt
My cat Sampson has head tilting, but no problems with balance, walking, vomiting etc. although he might be sleeping a little more than usual. He is getting insulin for diabetes, amlodipine for blood pressure and steroids for IBD. If he had vestibular disease wouldn’t he have other symptoms? Should I wait and see or get him to the vet?
Dec. 16, 2017
Answered by Dr. Michele K. DVM
0 Recommendations
Amy, thank you for contacting us about Sampson, it sounds like you are taking very good care of him.
I'm not sure how long the head tilt has been happening, but cats do have episodes of idiopathic vestibular disease without other signs - sometimes they have problems with balance during these episodes, but not always. If he is eating and drinking well, no vomiting, and no balance issues, you should be fine monitoring him for a day or two to see if things resolve. The other causes for these type of signs might be an outer or inner ear infection or a brain lesion, and it would be a good idea to take him to your veterinarian if the head tilt isn't improving over the next 24-48 hours, if he worsens and is vomiting or not eating, or if he starts to develop seizure activity.
Dec. 16, 2017
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Head Tilt / Vestibular Syndrome Average Cost
From 449 quotes ranging from $200 - $2,000
Average Cost
$1,300
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Easily compare quotes from the most trusted pet insurance companies in the United States.
