Ever heard of feline vertigo?

Our cat, Sinatra, has been acting funny the past few days. I noticed that he wasn't as steady on his feet as usual. He tends to get right up under us when we're walking around, so we gently nudge him aside with our feet so we don't step on him. Usually, he takes the nudging and just eases out of the way. Well, the other day, I nudged him aside with my foot, and he stumbled and fell over.

My immediate thought - "Cats aren't supposed to stumble and fall." I looked at him, puzzled, and reassured myself that maybe he just tripped over himself.

Well, a couple days passed, and I noticed another strange thing in addition to the stumbling, which was still happening. His head was titled to one side. I thought, maybe he's just trying to look inquisitive? Sometimes, when he's tuned into something rather intently, he'll tilt his head. This was definitely different; as if his head was stuck in this position.

At this point, I became extremely worried. I think I noticed the head tilt on Saturday, and the stumbling has been going on since about Wednesday. Poor guy....

I watched him try to jump on top of his litter box (this is where he eats his food because if we put it on the floor, Tucker eats it.). He jumped on onto it, but then fell off. Ooohh....I felt so terrible. I did a fair amount of fussing over him and petting him and just checking him out.

At first, I thought the stumbling was due to some matted hair on his underbelly/bottom area. I figured the matted hair was "pulling" and causing some discomfort with stretching his legs. So, I took a brush to him and brushed as much as he would allow. He hates to be groomed, so the fact that I was able to substantially thin some of the hair out was a huge success. However, now with the head tilt, I don't think it's the hair.

So, I did want any desperate person does in this kind of situation. I turned to Google. Jeremy suggested I look up vertigo in cats. He is exhibiting the exact symptoms - head tilt and stumbling. Poor thing; I bet it's freaking him out. It's freaking me out! I watch him so intently.... He's my cat; our first pet; if something were to happen I'd be so upset. I mean, I know he's just a cat....but still....you know what I'm saying.

I'm going to continue to watch him tomorrow. If it doesn't seem to be any better, I may call the vet. I'm going to have to go with a vet who will make house calls, though. The main reason I don't take Sinatra to the vet anymore is because he turns into the evil cat from Pet Cemetary when we take him in. The vet can't get anywhere near him and the only way they can get him up on the table is by using a net. Yeah...you're not going to get a cooperative cat when you pull the net out. So, instead of wasting money for a visit where they say, "Since he won't let me near him, I'll just have to go with what I can see...." I think I'll look into a house call.

Have any of you ever experienced this? If so, is it worth a vet visit or will it go away on its own?

Poor guy....