Question:
Hi everyone,
One of my 7 week old kittens is holding her head to the side and has poor balance. She's going to the vet on monday, but I talked to one of the guys at work who's a vet, and asked if it could just be an ear infection, without having seen her, he said probably not since the inside of the ear looks ok. He said that it's probably a disorder she was born with and that I'll probably lose her! Not what I wanted to hear at all. Anyway, cross your fingers that it turns out to be an ear infection and not anything serious. Thanks for listening, I'm feeling pretty sad, it's hard to see her like that.


Answer:
I don't want to undermine your friend, but it could very likely be an ear infection. Have you (or someone else) looked into her ear with a scope? You may not be able to see the infection with the naked eye. It could also be an inner ear infection or polyp. I think it's a little depressing that your vet friend has told you that you'll probably lose her without even seeing her. Good luck at the vet. If she gets worse, I would suggest getting her to the vet earlier than Monday.


Answer:
Hi, I didn't look in her ear with a scope. She seems a little better now, at least she can get into the litter box without falling over and she's moving around a lot more, climbing on the bed and cat tree, though slowly and with a tilted head. She's still not eating much solid food, though, but still drinking from her mom and water. I hope it's not a polyp, they sound horrible. I've never heard of them before, would they do surgery on a kitten that young or would she have live with it for a while?. I guess we'll find out monday. Thanks for you reply


Answer:
The first thing I think when I hear 'head tilt' is an inner ear infection. Unless there is an underlying immunity problem, they're easily treatable.

Here is a site that discusses polyps, their causes and treatment (if it's a polyp, surgery can be expensive but is 99% effective - ie they don't grow back):
http://www.pawpeds.com/pawacademy/health/polyps/

Either way, I agree with Candice that if your kitty worsens, you should try to get her into an emergency clinic if one is available.

Best of luck at the vet - please let us know how you make out.


Answer:
My cat Alex reportedly had polyps operated on just before we adopted him. We had to finish his course of antibiotics and he's fine now. He has a runny eye and some disgusting sneezing habits, but other than that he's a little brat and you wouldn't know he's ever been sick!!


Answer:
Hi guys, thanks for the replies. The kitten (her name's Chihiro) is pretty much back to normal now, except for the tilt. I dunno, it's weird, at the beginning she was really lethagic, could barely get into the litter box and now she's running around with the others, wrestling and climbing all over. There never was any discharge from the ear, her third eyelid is normal, same with her pupil, so I'm thinking it must be an infection. I'll let you guys know on monday. On a side note, it feels good to be out of lurking, lol.


Answer:
Good luck at the vet. Hopefully the vet will be able to confirm an infection or something similarily easy to treat.

And welcome to the "real" world.


Answer:
Originally Posted by Candycane
And welcome to the "real" world.
LOL!!

Well Chihiro went to the vet, and nothing is medically wrong with her, no infections or anything. She (the vet) said it was probably due to trauma and in a couple weeks she'll be back to normal. She's pretty much back to normal anyway, just a slight tilt now. But what the heck kind of trauma is my question. At least she'll be ok.
Everyone at the vet's just loved her, when I went to pick her up, I could hear everybody go "awwww!" in the back, lol. They charged me a cage fee, cause she stayed there while I was a work, but I don't think she was in a cage at all. When the vet phoned me at work she said Chihiro was hanging out in a nurses pocket, and she was wrapped in a towel being carried around like a baby when I picked her up. I'll have to get some pics on here.
I swore I wasn't going to keep any kittens, no more animals for me, nuh uh! But I think I'm seriously losing that battle, lol. My sister is taking the boy, Kohaku, and a co-worker is taking the other girl, Kogome. But poor little Chihiro, haven't found a home for her.
Anyways, this is the longest post I've written in my life. Thank you everyone for your advice and well wishes!


Answer:
I'm so glad to hear that Chihiro is okay! The trauma is definitely possible - she may have run into a wall or fallen off something.