Nystagmus in Cats – Quivering Cat Eyes

Originally published Oct 30, 2015

The first time I took Trigg, my blue lynx mitted Ragdoll cat, to the acupuncturist (can’t remember how old he was, but it’s been a few years), she asked me, “Did you notice the Nystagmus in his eyes?” I had never even heard the word and my regular vet had never said anything. Nystagmus is when the eyes quiver back and forth or oscillation of the eyeballs. She said it wasn’t a big deal and that it is quite common in Siamese cats.

I have always thought Trigg has somewhat of an eyesight problem – for example, I can come home and be wearing a sweatshirt with the hood up and he freaks out, not recognizing me until I vocally say, “It’s OK, Chiggy, it’s me.” and then he settles down and relaxes.

Anyway, I wanted to share his Nystagmus with you guys – hopefully, you’ll be able to see it.

Here’s what our regular vet said when I asked her about it:

“The nystagmus or rotary movement of the eyes are a normal finding in some breeds of cats. These are usually very mild like what we saw with Trigg.

Increased nystagmus can cause balance problems and that is when we need to treat. If Trigg is having trouble with balance or has a permanent tilt to his head then we should take a look. If he is “normal Trigg” but seems to have a little more ‘shakiness’ to his eyes when he is holding still than this is likely normal variation for your boy.

One more test would be to take Trigg’s head and gently but quickly move his head from side to side (2reps). If this movement causes increased nystagmus and immediate balance problems then we should take a look.”

Does anyone have experience with Nystagmus?

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