Shaky Eyes?

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My cat Princess is a 7 year old who all her life has had “shaky eyes”. I have two other cats, one being littermate, both of which don’t have this problem. She seems fine, other than her usual aggression and anxiety issues, but I notice that her eyes are constantly shaking. I don’t know why but I’m not sure if I should be concerned.

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daftcat75

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Has she been checked out by a vet? This could be a neurological issue. It may be something else as well. Do you have a video?
 

daftcat75

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That looks like nystagmus. Its causes can be numerous from infection to trauma to tumor to "we just don't know." How's her balance? Does she get around alright? Run/play/jump okay? Good appetite? No vomiting?

Unintentional Eye Movement in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

Unfortunately, your first best test, an MRI, will break the bank. I paid about $2000 for one for Krista. You may or may not get an answer from an MRI. But I see that as a good thing because, if it were my Krista (and it was at one time), I would want to rule out a tumor. In Krista's case, her balance and appetite were also affected. It was non-optional. For her, it turned out to be a massive inner ear infection. Had we let it go, it would have likely punched through in one direction or another: ruptured eardrum or brain infiltration. The surgery to fix it was very costly. But it was covered by insurance.

If you think she can wait, if there are no other symptoms, and if she has not previously seen a vet for this in the last six months or so (the look-back period varies between insurance providers), you might want to sign her up for insurance before you go down the path of MRI's and possibly corrective surgery. Read the policy details about how long the look-back period is for determining "pre-existing conditions" as well as if there is any waiting period after signing up before you can file your first claim. I had Trupanion for Krista. A lot of her bills were not covered because she had a vomit visit in her look-back period. That meant all her future IBD and lymphoma bills were rejected. But, for the two bills they did cover, they were huge bills. They paid out more than I ever could have paid in.
 

Ellis75

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Is Princess a colorpoint cat? It's a little hard to tell from the video, but it looks like she might be. Nystagmus is typically a sign of something brain related in most cats and when it comes on suddenly, but it actually can be a benign condition in Siamese and some pointed cats. If she's had it her whole life and doesn't show and dizziness or other neurological conditions, it could just be her "normal." My flame point boy has benign nystagmus, probably just passed down from whatever pointed ancestors he had. I would ask your vet about it to determine if it's a sign of a neurological issue or just something she was born with.
 

daftcat75

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I thought I had another video of this. This was Krista with her nystagmus from the massive ear infection.

She also had jerky, swimming head motion.

View media item 423508
And this is how it affected her balance.

View media item 423507
But just because Princess only has the eye movement doesn't mean it's not something serious. You really can't know without imaging (maybe X-rays but likely an MRI will be required.)
 
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Is Princess a colorpoint cat? It's a little hard to tell from the video, but it looks like she might be. Nystagmus is typically a sign of something brain related in most cats and when it comes on suddenly, but it actually can be a benign condition in Siamese and some pointed cats. If she's had it her whole life and doesn't show and dizziness or other neurological conditions, it could just be her "normal." My flame point boy has benign nystagmus, probably just passed down from whatever pointed ancestors he had. I would ask your vet about it to determine if it's a sign of a neurological issue or just something she was born with.
Yes she’s a colorpoint cat, of no breed in particular. She has had it her whole life, and I do hope it’s not a sign of anything bad.
 
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I thought I had another video of this. This was Krista with her nystagmus from the massive ear infection.

She also had jerky, swimming head motion.

View media item 423508
And this is how it affected her balance.

View media item 423507
But just because Princess only has the eye movement doesn't mean it's not something serious. You really can't know without imaging (maybe X-rays but likely an MRI will be required.)
I actually do need to take her to the vet this weekend, just for shots and yearly checkup. I’ll bring it up with them and see what they think. Her balance is great, she’s mildly overweight but I’ve been much more careful in how I feed her. Her balance is perfectly fine, and she has no weird head movements. I’ll get her looked at as soon as I can.
 
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That looks like nystagmus. Its causes can be numerous from infection to trauma to tumor to "we just don't know." How's her balance? Does she get around alright? Run/play/jump okay? Good appetite? No vomiting?

Unintentional Eye Movement in Cats - Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, Management, Cost

Unfortunately, your first best test, an MRI, will break the bank. I paid about $2000 for one for Krista. You may or may not get an answer from an MRI. But I see that as a good thing because, if it were my Krista (and it was at one time), I would want to rule out a tumor. In Krista's case, her balance and appetite were also affected. It was non-optional. For her, it turned out to be a massive inner ear infection. Had we let it go, it would have likely punched through in one direction or another: ruptured eardrum or brain infiltration. The surgery to fix it was very costly. But it was covered by insurance.

If you think she can wait, if there are no other symptoms, and if she has not previously seen a vet for this in the last six months or so (the look-back period varies between insurance providers), you might want to sign her up for insurance before you go down the path of MRI's and possibly corrective surgery. Read the policy details about how long the look-back period is for determining "pre-existing conditions" as well as if there is any waiting period after signing up before you can file your first claim. I had Trupanion for Krista. A lot of her bills were not covered because she had a vomit visit in her look-back period. That meant all her future IBD and lymphoma bills were rejected. But, for the two bills they did cover, they were huge bills. They paid out more than I ever could have paid in.
Wow. I think I will definitely look into this, I never thought it could be anything so serious. As a kitten, she and her brother were pretty unhealthy. They both had really bad Diarrhea and minor respiratory infections when I got them. Could this have done that to Princess or do you think it’s something else?
 

daftcat75

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Wow. I think I will definitely look into this, I never thought it could be anything so serious. As a kitten, she and her brother were pretty unhealthy. They both had really bad Diarrhea and minor respiratory infections when I got them. Could this have done that to Princess or do you think it’s something else?
Couldn't say. And I couldn't tell you whether this is serious or benign either.

I looked at Trupanion. Their lookback period is 18 months. If you want to get her insured before you spend out of pocket on an MRI or anything after that, you should do that now and then wait the waiting period (30 days) before discussing this with your vet. Otherwise, you will need to wait 18 months for this to not be considered a pre-existing condition. Your vet cannot ethically inspect or test her eyes without making a note in her records.

My recommendation: Sign her up now. Put off her current appointment for 30 days after her insurance is approved. If you don't want to put off her annual check-up, then I wouldn't mention her eyes and hope your vet doesn't notice or make a note in her records.
 
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Couldn't say. And I couldn't tell you whether this is serious or benign either.

I looked at Trupanion. Their lookback period is 18 months. If you want to get her insured before you spend out of pocket on an MRI or anything after that, you should do that now and then wait the waiting period (30 days) before discussing this with your vet. Otherwise, you will need to wait 18 months for this to not be considered a pre-existing condition. Your vet cannot ethically inspect or test her eyes without making a note in her records.

My recommendation: Sign her up now. Put off her current appointment for 30 days after her insurance is approved. If you don't want to put off her annual check-up, then I wouldn't mention her eyes and hope your vet doesn't notice or make a note in her records.
Thank you, I will take your advice :)
 

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As said, it's pretty common in colorpoint cats. My mom's Ragdoll has it. So if she's done it her whole life and it hasn't gotten worse or caused problems it's probably the colorpoint thing. But it certainly wouldn't hurt to get a neurologist to take a look.
 
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