Tortoiseshell cat with ataxia navigates the stairs

This lovely tortoiseshell cat has ataxia, meaning a lack of coordination due to a disease which I believe is feline cerebellar hypoplasia as this is the most common cause of ataxia in domestic cats. We see quite a lot online. The cat is not in pain and neither is she in distress. She has probably suffered from it since birth (caused by feline panleukopenia virus in her mother, perhaps). And knows nothing else. She gets around and lives in a loving home. She'll live a nice life. She'll be a full-time indoor cat or if she has access to the outside, it will be supervised in a backyard.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

Other causes of ataxia might include bromethalin poisoning. It affects the central nervous system by causing oedema in the cells of the brain and spinal cord. One of the first signs is paralysis including seizures or the inability to urinate. Mild cases may show only ataxia.

Tortoiseshell cat with ataxia navigates the stairs

In Oriental breed cats some of them suffer from GMI gangliosidosis. The signs include corneal clouding and cerebellar signs such as ataxia.

A condition called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, which is an autoimmune problem seen in older cats generally six years of age and older tends to start in the rear legs with weakness and an ataxic gait.

High blood pressure in cats i.e. hypertension can result in kidney failure and including neurological signs such as ataxia or even seizures which may be secondary to hypertension.

Drug toxicity can affect one or more organs and systems including the nervous system with signs of neurological problems including disorientation, ataxia and coma.