Why is my 3-week-old kitten's head bent backwards? What to do?

his is an emergency. Take her to a veterinarian right away, as this points to either hypoglycemia or an infection or she got hurt while roaming. Confine her to a room at this age as roaming for such a small kitten is dangerous and they can get into trouble easily. Please have her seen by a veterinarian today.

If you are worried about her balance and the head tilt I would recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian. They will be able to take a full medical history and perform a thorough physical examination. They will be able to determine if your kitten has a neurological condition which could account for what you are seeing or if there is a possible ear infection or if what you are seeing is completely normal. In some instances they suggest further diagnostic tests such as X-rays or blood tests to investigate underlying causes. They will also be able to dispense any medications needed if there is an ear infection or any kind or if there is another treatable condition. Best of luck!

It's definitely not normal. I would recommend that you have the kitten checked out by a vet. There could be something congenital (such as a brain issue) or an infection causing these weird episodes. A complete physical and neurologic exam may shed some light as to the cause, or the vet may recommend bloodwork to get an answer.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing sounds like this could be what we call hydrocephalus, which is the abnormal dilation / expansion of the brain ventricular system due to the increased amount of spinal fluid being produced. This is typically a congenital condition but can be acquired. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Gizmo as soon as possible because this condition can become much worse. The veterinarian can recommend the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I'm so sorry to hear of your little Cutey's condition. Unfortunately in this situation there is not a lot of home care that we can recommend. If the kitten is not using the bathroom or eating or drinking, these are all grave signs of a poor prognosis. It could be that the kitten has a congenital (present from birth) anomaly that is just now presenting itself (example atresia ani where no true rectal opening is present, and this binds the fecal matter to within the body and causes a very distended abdomen). If it has progressed to this state already, the kitten may also be septic (have an infection that has spread through the body), especially if there is a rupture or perforation. The only thing I can suggest would be to make sure the kitten isn't hypoglycemic (low blood sugar)-you can use a bit of syrup syringed into the mouth (a very small amount...think about a half a teaspoon). I am so sorry for not being able to suggest any further home care, but this little one truly needs veterinary intervention or it will likely be fatal.

Thabj you for submitting your question regarding your kittens. I am sorry to hear about their condition. There is a disease known as cerebellar hypoplasia that results in progressive neurological signs in kittens. This could be the case for them. It is a congenital problem were the brain is malformed. In this case, there is no cure, but many kittens adapt just fine. Of course, there are other neurological diseases so it is difficult to say. Good luck!

This is definitely a situation where I would suggest taking him to a Vet asap. Many injuries are not visible to us after a "crush injury". Your kitten could have broken bones, internal bleeding, or even swelling in the spinal cord or a break.