A sudden loss of balance in a cat can indicate several different health issues, some that you might not immediatey associate with a cats' loss of balance.
The possible reasons are:
- Trauma to the Head
- Feline infectious peritonitis
- Toxic Plasmosis
- Inner ear infection or disease
- Lack of blood flow to the brain.
To check if there is a trauma to the hear, look for obvious signs of your cat having been hit by a vehicle, or any scratches where they might have fallen from a tree or fence perhaps? If this is the case, it is likely that there will be other telltale signs such as
- Lack of appetite (the bottom cats jaw is designed to separate if they fall/get hit, a condition called 'Highrise'
- Hissing when being stroked
- Going off to dark corners and sleeping non stop
If the imbalance is due to Toxic plasmosis or peritonitis, the virus or bacteria that is affecting you cats equilibrium should go once they receive treatment.
Even a simple ear infection in a cat could be the reason for your cat having lost his balance. However, this cannot go untreated as this could be caused by mites, and as a general rule if a cat has contracted ear mites, it is likely that they could have worms also, bringing with them a whole new set of problems.
There is a specific round worm that grows around animals hearts and this could restrict blood flow, although this is probably the hardest cause to spot! Ticks also attach themselves to pets, burying their heads and sucking the animals blood. Any of these parasites can make your cat poorly. Ticks and worms can be treated easily, but action must be taken, and prevention by monthly drops on the back of your pets neck, is so much better than allowing your cat to become illl and dealing with the problem then.
The simplest cause os that there is a problem with your cats whiskers as they use these for feeling their way around. Is there any chance that someone cut or plucked out your cat's whiskers? I had a cat that I rescued from some mean neighbourhood kids once, and they have taken scissors and clipped her whiskers off! She couldn't walk at all, she just kept falling over. Check that all of your cat's whiskers are intact.
