Our little felines can be affected by diseases, pathologies or disorders that affect the central nervous system and/or peripheral, called neurological diseases and that can cause striking, serious and fatal symptoms, especially if not diagnosed in time.
There are two main neurological diseases in cats: epilepsy and vestibular syndrome. However, they can also be affected with some frequency by diseases or conditions located in the spinal cord or meninges. The causes of neurological diseases in cats can be idiopathic, tumoral, metabolic, inflammatory, infectious, traumatic, vascular and degenerative mainly, and the diagnosis is based on a physical examination and anamnesis, analytical and biochemical, an exhaustive neurological examination for localization damage or injury and diagnostic imaging tests, the best being magnetic resonance imaging. Computed tomography, radiography, and myelography may also be helpful. The treatment will vary according to the disease, requiring medical therapy, support, physiotherapy or surgery.
Continue reading this article on our site to learn about the main diseases and neurological problems in cats.
Vestibular syndrome
Cats can present two types of vestibular syndrome: central and peripheral, which in turn can be unilateral or bilateral. First of all, it is important to explain that the vestibular system, located in the inner ear (semicircular canals, saccule, utricle and vestibular nerve), also includes a central component associated with structures such as the vestibular nuclei of the myelencephalon and the cerebellum and is involved in maintaining the position of the eyes, limbs and trunk with respect to the body and head position at all times.
In a central vestibular syndrome, structures located in the central nervous system (the vestibular nerve nuclei) are affected, while in the peripheral, structures located in the inner ear and peripheral nerves are affected. Because it is involved in maintaining posture, if the vestibular system is damaged or altered, this maintenance is hampered, with the appearance of neurological signs in cats such as tilting or tilting of the headto one side, ataxia (loss of coordination of movements) and nystagmus (involuntary movement of the eyes laterally in central or peripheral vestibular syndrome, or up and down in the case of central vestibular syndrome).
The treatment of this syndrome will vary depending on the cause that originates it, so there is no specific and generic treatment for all cases. Therefore, it is essential to go to the clinic if you observe the symptoms mentioned.
Epilepsy
Undoubtedly, epilepsy is one of the most common neurological problems in cats. Epilepsy is defined as periodically repeated convulsive attacks Between one attack and another, the cat appears completely normal. In epilepsies, there is a sudden activation of a group of neurons that produce overexcitation and agitation in a body area of the cat due to the activation of a muscle or muscle group (focal epilepsy) or throughout the body when the entire musculature is activated (convulsion or generalized epileptic fit).
The causes may be idiopathic or of no apparent origin, diseases that affect the brain, vascular disorders or hypoxia, liver or kidney disorders (hepatic or uremic encephalopathy) or thiamine deficiency.
Epilepsy treatment should include drugs such as phenobarbital to reduce the frequency and intensity of seizures, as well as prevent continuous convulsions of more than 10 minutes, which can cause an increase in body temperature (hyperthermia) that can lead to the death of the feline. In emergency epilepsies, rectal diazepam or intravenous anticonvulsants can be used, among other treatments, to stabilize the cat and prevent hyperthermia.
You will find all the details in this other post: "Epilepsy in cats - Symptoms and treatment".
Spinal cord diseases
The spinal cord is divided into four functional units: the cervical, thoracic, lumbar, and lumbosacral cord. These units produce combinations of upper and lower motor neuron syndromes in the forelimbs and hind limbs.
Thoracolumbar or lumbosacral spinal cord disorders
Clinical signs highly indicative of spinal cord abnormality is paresis (partial motor insufficiency) or paraplegia(total motor failure) of one, several or all extremities with increased or decreased spinal cord reflexes, depending on the disease and location of the lesion along the spinal cord. For example, if the lumbosacral cord (area from the lumbar to the beginning of the tail) is affected, a paresis of the two hind limbs of the lower motor neuron type will occur, that is, with diminished spinal cord reflexes such as the patellar in the neurological examination of the cat., while if the affected area is the thoracolumbar area (back from the T2 spinal cord segment to the lumbar), the paresis is of the upper motor neuron, where the reflexes are the opposite or are normal or increased in the hind legs.
The causes of these thoracolumbar or lumbosacral spinal disorders are hernias, fobrocartilaginous embolization, neoplasms, spondylosis, discospondylitis or degenerative lumbosacral stenosis, among others.
Cervical spinal cord disorders
The most serious form occurs when the spinal cord problem is located in the first spinal cord segments, that is, the neck and back to the spinal cord segment T2, appearing paresis of the four limbs and ataxia When the lesion is located in the first half (segment C1-C5), it occurs an upper motor neuron syndrome in all four limbs, while if it occurs in the C6-T2 segment, a lower motor syndrome occurs in the forelimbs and upper in the hind limbs.
The causes are cervical disc disease, cartilage embolization, atlantoaxial subluxation or Wobbler's syndrome (cervical spondylopathy), among others.
Diseases of the meninges
Another target to be affected are the meninges, which are the membranes that cover the central nervous system and spinal cord The meninges are three layers, and from the inside out they are called the pia mater (thin and highly vascularized, in intimate contact with the brain), arachnoid layer, and dura mater. The cerebrospinal fluid cushions blows and we find it in the space between the pia mater and the arachnoid mater (subarachnoid space) and to a lesser extent in the space between the arachnoid mater and the dura mater (subdural space), in addition to other areas such as the cerebral ventricles or the ependymal duct..
The meninges can become inflamed or infected (meningitis) in isolation or also affecting the brain (meningoencephalitis) or the spinal cord (meningomyelitis), thus being another of the most serious neurological problems in cats. The most typical symptom is pain, which causes acute cervical stiffness e hyperesthesia of the neck and spine You can also have seizures and behavioral changes, as well as fever, anorexia and lethargy. Another problem with inflammation of the meninges is that, by reducing the absorption of cerebrospinal fluid in the subarachnoid space and the venous sinuses, it can cause hydrocephalus
This problem is diagnosed by determining an increase in white blood cells in a sample of cerebrospinal fluid. In cases of suspected infection, a culture of the fluid and viral PCR or a blood and urine test can be done. The agents involved in cats can be parasites (Toxoplasma gondii), fungi (Cryptococcus neoformans) or viruses such as feline leukemia, feline herpesvirus, feline infectious peritonitis virus or feline panleukopenia. Therefore, treatment will be subject to the underlying cause.
Cranial Nerve Diseases
In cats, the nerves called cranial nerves that leave the cerebrum or brainstemand innervating structures of the head can also be damaged and produce neurological signs in cats. Let's look at some examples:
- damage to the trigeminal nerve (pair V), which innervates the head giving it sensitivity and the chewing muscles, produces a lack of sensitivity and decreased jaw tone.
- damage to the facial nerve (pair VII) causes drooping ears and lips, reduced tear secretion and the tone of the tongue, as it innervates these structures. Damage to this nerve can be caused by otitis media or internal otitis.
- The glossopharyngeal nerve (pair IX), the vagus nerve(pair X) and the accessory nerve (pair XI) are responsible for controlling the motor activity of the esophagus for swallowing, the larynx and the pharynx, therefore which, on occasion, can be injured together and cause dysphagia, that is, swallowing difficulties, regurgitation, vocalization changes, dry mouth, inspiratory dyspnea, cervical muscle atrophy (in the case of accessory nerve damage), etc.
- The damage to the hypoglossal nerve (pair XII) that innervates the tongue causes its paralysis and atrophy, making it difficult to ingest food.
Although these are the most common neurological problems and diseases in cats, there are many more that can affect the central nervous system, causing other serious signs such as stroke. For this reason, it is essential to carry out adequate preventive medicine and go to routine check-ups to detect any anomaly as soon as possible. And if you observe any of the neurological symptoms mentioned, do not hesitate to take your cat to the nearest veterinary center.
