My childhood cat, skippy, was just put down at the old age of about 23. Have another cat, hatty, that I got in my teens, but lives with my mom; I guess she's her cat now. Anyway, hatty had always been nice but very independant. Earlier this year she just lost her balance, something called idiopathic vestibular something or other. Now she walks around with her head tilted to the side, won't jump up on high things, and is very needy and quite vocal.