Neurological Problems

Neurological disorders are remarkably rare in cats, a tribute to their evolutionary credentials. Viral infections like rabies, panleucopenia virus, and feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), as well as poisons and a variety of parasites, such as toxoplasma, damage nerves.

However, traffic accidents are the most common causes of nerve damage: almost half of all cats hit by cars have head injuries.

Also, broken backs, almost inevitably with severed spinal cords, are not uncommon. Unlike other body cells, nerve cells cannot regenerate; there is no repair possible.