There are a number of videos on Youtube that show the effect of Cerebellar Hypolpasia in cats. Mimi has this condition but has adapted (as they all do) and is a loving and active cat (although she can't jump and does have balance problems). Cats with CH will have a natural lifespan.
This is Charley. It could be Mimi - just imagine a little grey cat with amber eyes and a pot belly!
15 comments:
Awww... poor thing! It's kinda funny to watch him though... :/
What a wonderful kit. How wonderful to inform. Ignorance is such a destructive force. Thank you for your encouraging comment.
They can be very amusing when they fall over and lurch around like drunken sailrs LB. No doubt about that!
Grald you found it informative Donetta
That's so funny, I stumbled upon this video yesterday and thought how lovely it was, such a beautiful cat. It goes without saying that none of our pets are perfect anyway :-)
Well maybe not far from perfection! Mimi is just like Charley.CH cats seem to be so affectionate.
Holy Smoke!! Does it hurt at all?
Mercifully it rarely hurts nothing but their pride Mutley! Mimi is alweays falling over. All she does is get up and continue toddling.
I love the way Charley goes sauntering into a room like a bow-legged cowboy! I wonder if Mimi would let you strap a little holster and cowboy hat onto her and take a video?
I this she might, she is a pretty thick kitty! She doesn't quite have Charley's gait though
I have a 7 month old CH kitty. She used to walk around quite a bit. Now she wants us to carry her everywhere. Do you do any physical therapy with your kitty?
Hi kisa. We've never needed to do any physical therapy with Mimi. In fact she tends towards being hyperactive!
There is the CH kitty club
http://www.chkittyclub.com/pages/home.html
Members may be able to provide advice to you. I hope this helps
Charlie is just like my Topsy Doodles although her symptoms are a little bit worse. She was born to a desperately ill and starved queen rescued from the streets of NYC and we fostered the four day old litter. All but Topsy went to the Rainbow Bridge in the first six weeks and while this broke my heart Topsy prevailed and has become the kitty of my dreams.
I did play therapy with her to help strengthen her limbs and she taught herself how to walk, even on my slippery wood floors. She is the most delightful and affectionate of my three cats and plays with them all day long.
She has the sweetest personality and is a snuggle bum lap cat that is only too happy to cuddle me to sleep every night with ceaseless purring. It is beyond wonderful.
OK so she falls down a lot but she has no idea there is anything wrong with her, cats have no sense of disability, and if she goes over with a plop, she just hauls herself up and totters on her merry way.
She does have some issues pertaining to the box but is smart enough to wait for me to help her and in the worst case scenario may need a good bottom washing but that is the extent of her "special needs". She eats well, if in a reclining position and drinks normally.
Watching her play is hysterical and she is always ready for a romp, she has become the favorite cat in the house and works it to the max.
If you ever have the opportunity to take a CH kitty into your life DO IT! Most people would have put Topsy down assuming she could never adapt but they are totally wrong! She is the most delightful and loving cat I have ever had and I am a cat person and have had cats all my life. Home is where the cats are!
So that is my tribute to Topsy Doodles, a special Cerebellar Hypoplasia cat who is the love of my life. Don't feel sorry for her, feel glad for me, she is a rare and unexpected blessing in my life and I wouldn't trade her for anything. I plan to do all I can to keep her healthy and safe with the hope she will have a long life full of love and affection.
Please feel free to ask me any questions as I did quite a bit of research before she came home and would be only to happy to assist anyone lucky enough to have brought one of these special cats into their lives!
TKP :)
Thanks TKP my Mimi is a CH kitty and a very happy little one. Our worst problem is that she forgets her toilet training.. but that's a small price to pay for a wonderful pet.
Hi jams!
Thanks for responding!
It took a while to get Topsy box trained but I finally did and now she waits for me to help her before she goes or if I hear her scrabbling in the box I leap to attend and that way keep her from falling in her poop.
Have you tried putting Mimi in the box right after she eats and stimulating her as her mom would have by wiping her hind end with a warm wet paper towel? This worked very well for Topsy although I cleaned her behind from her earliest days right through her kitten hood as her mom was a lousy caregiver. I learned the timing for her and she eventually learned to use the box.
Good luck and thanks again for responding. I know that my CH kitty is the love of my life and expect Mimi is the same for you. It's nice to have someone to share stories with!
Be well and write soon!
TKP
Mimi is an adult cat now. She did learn to use it but she unlearned it and there is nothing we've tried that will make her use it. It might not be a bad idea to try the kitten trick though!
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