cat holding head down

Question
My cat is keeping her head down, like with her chin tucked under.  It seems to be uncomfortable to her to have it up as usual.  She also is spending a lot of time laying down and sleeping, probably because it's difficult to walk around with her head down like that.  She seems to still have an appetite, but I am worried that she's not drinking enough because she has to lift her chin to get the correct angle with the water bowl.  I offered her water tonight and she didn't drink much.  She didn't drink any out of the sink, which she usually LOVES to do.  We were wondering if something is wrong with her neck, like with a pulled muscle or something, but can cats do that?!  Any other ideas or does it sound like a typical symptom of something you know?  I am short on money right now or I'd have taken her to the vet already...

Answer
One of the times I have seen this happen was with a cat that had a very rare thiamine deficiency. It took a new vet that had seen it in college to diagnose this.
Now cats and dogs do get muscle strains but this is not the usual thing.
I don't know how old this cat is but I can tell you that she does need to see a vet as soon as possible.

Another problem cats get (and this is more common) is Feline hypokalemic polymyopathy:
Here is what the Merck Veterinary Manual says about it:


Feline hypokalemic polymyopathy is a generalized metabolic muscle weakness disorder in cats secondary to hypokalemia associated with excessive urinary depletion or inadequate dietary intake. Extracellular hypokalemia causes muscle cell membrane hyperpolarization and secondary excessive permeability to sodium. This leads to hypopolarization of the muscle cell and subsequent weakness.
Clinical signs include generalized weakness, ventroflexion of the neck, abnormal gait, anorexia, and muscle pain. The neurologic examination is normal. Serum chemistries reveal hypokalemia (<3.5 mEq/L) and increased creatinine and CK. The urine has a low specific gravity, and potassium excretion is increased. Treatment is by potassium supplementation, given PO (5-8 mEq/day) or IV in cats with profound hypokalemia. Prognosis is excellent with early diagnosis and treatment.

Hypokalemia is when there is not enough potassium in the bloodstream.
Notice the ventroflexion of the neck. That is what your cat has. This can be fatal if not treated so you do need to get her to a vet as soon as you can.

I hope they find the cause right away and she does well. Please let me know what they find out.