Feline vestibular disease causes acute onset severe disorientation, falling, and nausea in cats, with welfare requiring appropriate supportive care and owner reassurance during recovery.
Vestibular disease welfare is characterized by acute severe distress that dramatically improves over days, making the initial presentation disproportionately alarming relative to the actual welfare trajectory. Cats in the acute phase are experiencing severe nausea, disorientation, and inability to control their movements - states of significant acute welfare compromise. Effective anti-nausea medication (maropitant) addresses one of the primary welfare harms rapidly. The welfare approach requires keeping the cat in a safe confined environment during the acute phase, providing nursing care, and managing owner anxiety that can itself impair welfare-appropriate care.