Neurological damage?

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OK, so the kittens are five weeks old now and doing great :)  I have been able to sex them (three male, 1 female).  The kittens are running, jumping, climbing and being simply adorable nut jobs, LOL!  I have noticed something of concern though with the female kitten, she has these full body (not head) shaking events that make her look like she is having a spasum or something under her skin.  I have seen cats do this, but NOTHING like to this extent.  If she is walking or tries to walk during this event she looks like a drunk (falls over or becomes very unstable).  She can go on to run and play just fine as soon as it stops, but it does this very often (at least 10-20X day).  I asked the vet and he brushed me off and said just to keep an eye on it.  I am concerned because I have some people showing interest in adopting when the babies are old enough, but I do not feel right when I do not know what is wrong? 

Is this normal at five weeks?  None of the others do it!!

What could it be?

I keep trying to get it on video because she does it all the time, but it is hard to see on the video.  I will try to download it in the morning.
 

emilymaywilcha

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Is there a veterinary neurologist within driving distatnce? A major university with a vet school should have one. My guess would be epilepsy, which is a lifelong brain disorder that causes uncontrolled jerking movements called seizures. The diagnostic test for that is not available at regular vets, so you'll need to find a neurologist at a major hospital for that. However, regular vets can do other tests for other causes of seizures or determine if it is a grand mal seizure when you describe the symptoms. A vet can say they definitely are grand mal seizures and your cat does not have diabetes, brain cancer, or something else to explain them and label it epilepsy. There is nothing wrong with that because epilepsy is not fatal if treated with medication, but if it were my cat, I would seek a neurologist to diagnose her.
 

farleyv

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I would get a second opinion...actually a first since your vet brushed it off.  It does sound like it needs to be addressed.

I have gotten another opinion before, please do not hesitate to do so.  I sure hope all is well with this little baby.  My motto is if it is concerning to me, I trust my instincts.
 
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Baby ash has stoped eating kitten food (wet) and is only nursing at this point. She is seven weeks old now and this concerns me. The kittens have the appointment to be spayed in one week and the vet said if she is still not eating kitten food by then they will look more into what is wrong. I think I will take her down to uf this week anyway, she is shaking all the time and has developed eye dranage (none of the others have it). I know it is genetic and nurological, but they can not tell me more, like will it affect her quality of life or eill she even live?
 
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