Yep. One of the first things she looked for was an ear infection, but he's
fine. The problem with feline idiopathic vestibular disease in this instance
is that the onset is usually quite sudden (like when humans get an inner ear
virus...) and it usually goes away in a few days, but as you said, it can
sometimes last for months. This has been happening very slowly, over a period
of about three years. She said that it is probably a very slow-growing tumor
on his right side. I wish that it could just be a vestibular problem too, but
this vet's practice is dedicated to cats only, so I'm sure that she knows
what's she's talking about when the symptoms are this pronounced. The only
thing that kind of baffles me is that she didn't take my word for it when I
told her that something was wrong with him several years ago. You know how
people are very "in tune" with their pets, just like they are with their
children. I can tell when any of them is the slightest bit "off." Our
youngest male started acting very out of character one night in 2005--my
husband yelled at him for trying to spray on our laundry sorter, and I knew
right away that there was something seriously wrong. (A) he never went out of
his box, and (B) he was neutered. I immediately called the emergency vet
clinic, and they told me that my instincts were dead on and to bring him in
immediately. He had a urinary tract blockage, and if I had waited until the
next morning to bring him in, his bladder would have ruptured, and he would
have died.
yngver wrote:
Everything came back negative--the vet said that she's 99% certain that he
has a malignant tumor, probably in the brain stem or near a vestibular nerve.
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
) Sharon
I wouldn't be too sure about the vet's diagnosis. Did you also google
Feline Idiopathic Vestibular Disease? This happened to our cat and the
head tilt and wobbliness were the symptoms. It eventually went away but
it took a long time. Our vet couldn't find anything wrong with her
either. Did your vet look for an ear infection?
Good luck--like I said, I hope your vet is wrong about the tumor.
-yngver
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