New cat with neurological issues

Question

I just adopted a 12-year old cat from the humane society today, and she was diagnosed there with a neurological problem. They say that she most likely has had this her whole life, and she has a perfect clean bill of health. She basically acts like she's drunk. Like her depth perspective is off or something. They said that she can do everything normal, get around fine and stuff, she just is "slow" both mentally and physically. I have 3 other cats right now, and right away she was interested in meeting them and everything went off great between all of them (which surprised me, because normally I introduce them over the course of a week or so). They mostly leave her alone. It's like they sense that she is special or something, it's kinda cute.

So, first question- Is there any "diagnosis" that anyone can think of that would explain this? I know it can be a result of a number of things, but maybe if someone has a cat like this or has experience in this then you can give me some advice.

Second- Is there anything "special" that I should do for her? There are no stairs in my house, it's a duplex and I live on top so she won't have to deal with that, and so far she seems to be getting around very well. She is aware of where 3 of the litterboxes are, since that is the room that I let her out in to adjust alone at first. And she has found the 4th litterbox in the bathroom. The layout of my house is very simple for the cats.

I just want to do what's best for her- I have always spoiled my cats royally :P (none of my cats are overweight or anything though, I don't spoil them by feeding them c**p)

Just any general guidelines would be great, since I've never had a cat with neuro problems before.

Answer 1

Hi there... your cat may have been born with a disorder sometimes known as Cerebellar Hypoplasia.  Bacterial or viral infections could've caused the neurological disorder.  However, the disease can also be caused by malnutrition, poisoning, injury or general accidents during development in utero.

Many cats function with this disorder quite well so long as there safeguards put in place around the home as you've already done.

This cat is blessed to have found a home with you.  

Here are some videos of cats who have cerebellar hypoplasia: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_qu...

Answer 2

Kinds souls like you bring tears to my eyes. How very sweet of you.

You said the humane society diagnosed her - did they give it a name, or just a general "neurological problem"? You intuited her experience well, for I believe it is a problem with depth perception. I've seen this with one other cat, and the owner said part of her brain was missing. Otherwise, same as you described. I was also thinking of a parallel syndrome in people.

We've used homeopathy with our pets (our vet is holistic), and there are other trained veterinarians (http://drpitcairn.com). Dr. Pitcairn and his wife wrote a natural pet care book 20 years ago or so, recently updated. That's how I learned about homeopathy.

I don't hear that you are concerned about her condition, as much as protecting her from mishaps. Still, since you are clearly such a devoted cat parent, you might want to see what's possible with homeopathy. She's probably feeling dizzy as all get-out, and it can be as simple as a head trauma from birth or environmental circumstances (which homeopathy treats). Our pets (dog/rabbits/cats/fish) have been drug-free, their lives obviously extended, using homeopathy for the whole of their lives.

Bless you, bless you for providing a loving home, a quiet heart to an older citizen of the Earth, who clearly deserves to be "royally spoiled" for however long she graces your family.