Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Cat with sudden severe balance loss from cerebellar abiotrophy at 2
By Biolatti, C et al.·Published in The Journal of small animal practice·2010·Department of Animal Pathology, Italy·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Late onset and rapid progression of cerebellar abiotrophy in a domestic shorthair cat.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A 2-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was brought in because he suddenly started having trouble coordinating his movements and developed tremors that got worse over five days. A thorough examination showed severe issues with his balance and movement, and tests revealed he was positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), but everything else was normal. Unfortunately, due to the rapid worsening of his symptoms, the cat was euthanized two days later. A necropsy showed that the brain damage was limited to the cerebellum, indicating a condition called cerebellar abiotrophy, which is a degeneration of the brain area that controls coordination.
People also search for: cat incoordination tremors · feline cerebellar abiotrophy symptoms · FIV positive cat care
Abstract
A two-year-old male domestic shorthair cat was seen because of sudden onset of incoordination and tremors that had rapidly worsened over five days. Neurological examination revealed severe cerebellar ataxia, intention tremors and bilaterally decreased menace response. Blood work evaluation included a complete cell blood count (CBC), serum biochemistry profile, urinalysis, faecal flotation, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis and retroviral testing. Except for testing positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) antibodies, all other results were within the normal range. The patient was euthanased two days later because of progression of clinical signs, and a necropsy was performed. Histologically, lesions were limited to the cerebellum and consistent with cerebellar abiotrophy. No secondary diseases that could explain the rapid development of clinical signs were found. It was considered unlikely that cerebellar degeneration was related to FIV positivity, as virus invasion of the central nervous system (CNS) is mainly limited to the cerebral cortex. This case report is the first to describe late onset and rapid progression cerebellar abiotrophy in a cat.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20136999/