Natural Pet Health

Ataxia is the inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements. It can cause unsteady movements and a staggering gait. Ataxia in cats makes them move in circles and behave abnormally and this behavior is often very frightening for cat owners. Ataxia is usually caused by one of the following reasons.

* A nervous system disorders
* General weakness and anemia
* Deformities of bones, joints or spine
* Inadequate diet
* Muscular atrophy

The different types of ataxia occur due to the impairment of different nerves in the nervous system.

* Vestibular ataxia – a condition where the nerves related to the inner ear are impaired causing issues with maintaining equilibrium.
* Sensor ataxia – caused due to impairment of the nerves related to the limbs. This kind of ataxia causes unsteady gait.
* Cerebellar ataxia – caused due to disorders in the cerebellum. It can also cause explosive speech and nystagmus.
* Friedreich’s ataxia – is a sclerosis of the posterior and lateral columns of the spinal cord and occurs mainly in children.

The brain function in cats can be affected due to genetic reasons or a high dose of toxins in vaccination. To diagnose the condition properly, one needs to study the history of medications given to the mother during pregnancy. One should research whether such a condition is prevalent in the other kittens of the same litter. Trauma and nutritional deficiency also need to be studied. After adequate study, if it is realized that the cause of ataxia is a genetic disorder, the following investigation may be required.

* Clinical examination
* EKG
* CT Scan
* MRI
* Cerebral spinal fluid tap and analysis

Sometimes ataxia can be caused due to simple infections that have gone bad. Cat ear mites are less probable than dog ear mites but they can still be a cause of ataxia. Inattention to ear mites in cats leads to numerous infections that can lead to ataxia. Although elder cats are known to develop immunization to ear mites, home remedies for dog ear mites can be used for preventing feline infections.

A good diet and nutritional supplements can help in curing ataxia. But the diet and supplements can help only if it has been caused by non-genetic reasons. Cerebellar, sensory and vestibular ataxias are neurological in nature and therefore no specific treatment has been discovered so far. At the most you can take refuge in symptomatic treatment and reduce the pain.

References:

http://www.fabcats.org

http://cats.about.com

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