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My new kitten is wobbly on her back legs and keeps falling. Why?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Curl | Female | 3 lbs

The new young cat I have is wobbly on her back legs, and falling when she walks

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenny, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 9th, 2017

She should be checked by a vet. This may be from an infection the mother had while pregnant known as cerebrellar hypoplasia or a developmental problem is she was small or the runt. If it just came on all of a sudden then her blood sugar may be low and it may need to be supplemented with karo syrup or nurtrical

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Rebecca, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on April 27th, 2018
Hi and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. There are multiple possible causes for a kitten to be wobbly in the back end. He may have an injury to his back or spinal cord if he suffered any trauma such as getting stepped on or closed in the door; or sometimes injury can even occur during the birth process. Some viruses can cause rear limb weakness. Or congenital illness may even occur if the mom was exposed to viruses or was sick during pregnancy.
I recommend taking Milky in to a veterinarian to try to determine the cause of his weakness or if there is a treatment to help him improve.

Best of luck to Milky.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My 6-month-old kitten is wobbly, falls, and drools. What's wrong?

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Kali is adorable! If Kali has been this way since birth she likely has cerebellar hypoplasia which is caused by a viral infection while she was inutero (while her mom was pregnant). It is underdevelopment of the part of the brain that controls coordination and balance. These cats can live full and wonderful lives. They are fun cats! There is no cure though. https://www.petcoach.co/article/cerebellar-hypoplasia-in-kittens/ I hope this helps!

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