Can cats be mentally retarded?

Question

I know its kinda mean but I do not mean for it to sound that way.

I have a cat who is 1 1/2 years old I raised from a baby. Her mother was very healthy and all of her sibling are but I kinda suspect that my cat... well, is not "all there"

Which is mean. I know.

She sits and just stares at the wall, or me! and other stuff that she does that really make me wonder.

I know those are not legit reasons to suspect.. ya just gotta see her to get what I mean

~~~~~~~~~~~MY Question~~~~~

is it possible for animals to be mentally unstable?

She eats fine, and is healthy.. physically.

Thx!

Answer 1

Yes! I have a cat named tiger who is mentally retarded. She acts just like the things you said. Their are many animals that have  disease. It is also fairly commen tho, for an animal to stare of into space tho, it's as if they are day dreaming, so to speak. Their are studies out their that say that animals-as in cats or dogs- can see things we cant. SO maybe their really is somthing on the wall, or on you, that you can't see. Or your cat could just be curiouse. They dont exactly understand what EVERYthing is.

Answer 2

could be, she may have epilepsy,,speak to your vet.

Answer 3

I guess ANYTHING is possible.

Answer 4

My female cat suffered from head trauma before I was able to find her and she now suffers from mental retardation, but I believe only a slight case of it. For about a week and half or so she would only walk in circles, but now she only circles when she's really excited. We're making progress with her and that's exciting for us. Because I already had one male cat that is a year and a half old I was going to try to rre homeher, but after finding out that she had brain trauma I decided it would be way too much stress for her. Not to mention that she requires more attention and care than just a normal, healthy cat. Of course, my male has to nudge his way in there but it's all good :). Just love your kitty for the way she is and things will work out.

Answer 5

Yes, they actually can. My cat has been diagnosed as bi-polar. As long as she's happy and healthy, she's just fine. She's lucky to have a family that accepts her for who she is and will take good care of her. She might need more care than the normal cat, just like a person would. So, take good care of her and she'll be your best friend!

Answer 6

Yes cats can have mental disorders! But sometimes cats can be just weird. I have a cat whom i call jump retarded, she'll attempt to jump to her cat post and smash half way up it. she's perfectly healthy, i just think she has depth perception problems.

Answer 7

any mammal can be retarded..usually lack of enough oxygen at birth

Answer 8

I had a cat who wasn't the brightest kitty alive who ended up brain damaged after a head trauma.  Just as some people are more intelligent than others and some can be permanently affected by a head trauma, our pets are the same.  

Before the brain damage, my cat could jump up on things but couldn't work out how to get back down if it was any higher than sofa height.  He could stare at a patch of sunlight for ages.  After the brain damage, he couldn't jump up on things and would stare at anything for ages!