2 Kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia - Ideas on PT or similar?

[rootb33r]

I'm considering adopting 2 kittens with CH. 1 has a more mild-moderate form and can get around pretty well; the other is more severe and right now at 7-8 weeks mostly drags herself with her front legs and isn't able to stand up very well or walk around easily.

I had a cat with CH for 14 years (mild-moderate) so after she passed away I specifically reached out to PAWS asking about kitties with CH I could adopt. I'm not worried about the milder case, but I am more concerned about the severe case and things I can do to help her since this is new to me and I will sometimes not be able to be at home to help her get to food or the litterbox.

I'll be working from home at least until Jan 2021 so the good news is I'll almost always be home to help her out for awhile as she's growing. I also remember my former kitty, Squeaky, did get quite a bit better over her first few months and years as she learned how to accommodate some of her issues, and her head tremor went away almost entirely by the time she was 5 or so. I don't think she was 'cured' by any means, but she learned how to manage around her disability and get around pretty well. She was also an amazing climber.

I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on ways I could work with the more severe kitten that might help her build muscle and possibly learn to get around a little better since the brain can be pretty plastic. I've been looking into things like kitty walkers / wheelchairs to help her get some experience walking, but I'm not sure how well that would work for a growing kitten since size would change so often. I've also read things like putting them almost in a 'sling' on their stomach so they can walk with their paws but only supporting a fraction of the weight can help, as a form of physical therapy.

If anyone has experience with this or resources online, I'd love for ideas on how to help her learn and maybe get a little bit better control especially while she's young. Money is not a huge issue (I'm not made of money but I have a pretty good job and I consider pets as part of the family) so I'm open to ideas that may be a little expensive if they have potential. I'm just not sure what to try.

I'm going to talk to my vet about it too once the adoption is complete in a week or so, but I'm not sure my vet is that familiar with more severe CH. I do have a former vet who I know has 2 CH kitties so I'm going to email him for ideas too.

Anyway I'm open to ideas, please post any resources, links, or just personal experiences you may have had with kitties with more severe CH. I'm not so much worried about my furniture or carpet (that can be replaced) but I also don't want her to be miserable and not able to get to food or litterbox when I do have to go back to work during the day...

 

[fionasmom]

You are a very kind person to want to help a special needs kitty who probably has little chance of a good home. If you were asking about German shepherds with mobility issues I could write paragraphs; however, all that might be useful to you would be to advise you to check ALL cart manufacturers. Since the days when my last GSD was in a cart, I do believe that there are more readily available for cats and that some are now adjustable to the size of the animal. There should be other adaptations as well such as issues with the front, rear, or both sets of legs.

Slings and harnesses designed for support are invaluable. There are specific rear end harnesses and a very small dog size might fit a cat....actually same goes for a cart which is designed for a yorkie or those little breeds.

 

[Furballsmom]

My hat is off to you!!
A group you might consider talking to is kittenrescue.org in California. They care for four severe CH kitties and have a remarkable daily schedule of feeding and care. (You can see the cats on one of the two webcams that are on explore.org.)

 

[rootb33r]

I have to dig up the links but it did look like at least one cart manufacturer specifically makes them for cats now! I would just want to avoid ordering a new one every 2 weeks since they grow so fast when young, but if it's adjustable that would be perfect.

May I ask what cart manufacturers you've used in the past? If you have just the brand name I can look up more info from there.

 

[rootb33r]

My hat is off to you!!
A group you might consider talking to is kittenrescue.org in California. They care for four severe CH kitties and have a remarkable daily schedule of feeding and care. (You can see the cats on one of the two webcams that are on explore.org.)

Thanks, I will take a look! The webcam sounds awesome. My biggest fear is I'll adopt and then realize the cat is going to be miserable if I leave her for 8 hours a day and I think that would probably kill me - I don't want the cat to suffer but I've also never had to give up a pet and I'm not sure I could do it. So I really want to make sure I have a good plan for the next 5 months before I go back to work.

 

[Furballsmom]

I've watched this cam a lot, and I've seen that they appear to have a scheduled poop time -these kitties are unable to use litterboxes, and pee pads (both reusable and disposable) help with pee.
Otherwise the cats sleep quite a lot.

 

[fionasmom]

I used Doggon Wheels at doggon.com . They say on the website that cats and rabbits can use the carts as well. When I got my previous GSD his cart from them, they did have a return policy which some cart dealers did not, and they were very helpful when a part broke and sent a replacement very quickly.

My guess is that most of these companies fit their small dog sized carts to cats as well.

You also might want to look at Eddie's Wheels at eddieswheels.com . They have a page of cats in chairs, about 6 of them with various conditions. Their carts are very popular with the GSD owners.

 

[Furballsmom]

Explore.org

Explore.org is the world's leading philanthropic live nature cam network and documentary film channel. Our mission is to champion the selfless acts of others, create a portal into the soul of humanity and inspire lifelong learning. Watch nature unfold live right now!

explore.org

This is the cam for them, they are always in this location in the room

 

[rootb33r]

I've watched this cam a lot, and I've seen that they appear to have a scheduled poop time -these kitties are unable to use litterboxes, and pee pads (both reusable and disposable) help with pee.
Otherwise the cats sleep quite a lot.

I'm thinking at least to start I'll keep them confined to one room and just spread puppy pads everywhere and see how it goes. It's a room I spend 80-90% of my time (it's where I work and sleep) so they won't be lonely and I can get a sense for how severe the issues are.

 

[rootb33r]

I used Doggon Wheels at doggon.com . They say on the website that cats and rabbits can use the carts as well. When I got my previous GSD his cart from them, they did have a return policy which some cart dealers did not, and they were very helpful when a part broke and sent a replacement very quickly.

My guess is that most of these companies fit their small dog sized carts to cats as well.

You also might want to look at Eddie's Wheels at eddieswheels.com . They have a page of cats in chairs, about 6 of them with various conditions. Their carts are very popular with the GSD owners.

Thank you! I will take a look at both of these

 

[Furballsmom]

One thing I don't know but have wondered is whether cat music would be of any use, such as MusicForCats. .

 

[rootb33r]

One thing I don't know but have wondered is whether cat music would be is any use, such as MusicForCats. .

I've never seen that but I'll take a look! My kitty did used to love CatTV but I think that was mostly because it was birds flitting back and forth

 

[rootb33r]

Just an update, I found this amazing video of a cat that seems about the same level of severity as one of the kittens (the more severe case) - I'm going to build the walker and see how it goes. I'm hopeful because the kitten in the video is 10 weeks which is the same age the kittens will be when I get them, and their little brains are so adaptable at that age. Fingers crossed.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi rootb33r !

I just did a quick search here and found a number of threads about kitties with this condition.

One in particular had this post by @Adelei:

"Look up Cerebellar Hypoplasia Cats and Kittens on Facebook. It's a closed group, so you have to request to join, but there's no reason why they wouldn't admit you, since you've got two CH kitties. They've been a wealth of information to me.​

​

I'm not sure how old your kittens are, but he will likely grow stronger with age. He does sound severe and he may never be able to eat and drink standing up, but you never know. Many parents of moderate or severe CH cats have had luck with homemade high sided litter boxes. They'll usually take a large storage container, cut a "door" or even the whole side out for the cat to walk into, with no lower lip or edge that they have to step over. The cat then leans up against the walls to brace themselves while using the litter. I've even seen them get very creative by using an even larger storage box, then putting something heavy in the middle so that the cat can have two walls to lean against. If you join the group, you'll get tons of helpful information, pictures of stuff like the litter boxes, suggestions for food dishes, etc. TheCatSite is wonderful, but when it comes to CH specific problems, having a group of 14,000+ members, all with experience owning CH cats, is very helpful too!"​

>>>> [Here's the thread Kitten with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, and that post is #9.]​

Here are the TCS search results I received: https://thecatsite.com/search/339805/?q=Cerebellar&c[title_only]=1&o=relevance

There's another member with a CH kitty adopted as a kitten who made tremendous progress with him with physiotherapy. The thread was very active for a long time after which she would return periodically with an update. For the life of me I can't find it now, but I'll keep you in mind should I come across it or she return. Meantime, I suspect you'll have your hands full with that FB resource.

I'm sure Squeaky is just beaming....I remember reading your story. What a legacy she's left !
.

 

[rootb33r]

I will take a look at FB, thank you for the idea! I rarely use it lately but definitely will for something like this.

 

[rootb33r]

I'm sure Squeaky is just beaming....I remember reading your story. What a legacy she's left !

I have thought this too but then also chuckle a little because Squeaky did not really like most other cats and was jealous as hell if she saw them getting attention. But I like to think she may be a little more charitable if she can see me now. I'm mostly kidding, but it did make me laugh to think about a bit.

 

[rootb33r]

I met the kittens today and they are adorable. One of them reminds me a bit of my previous kitty Squeaky. They both have CH and hers is a bit worse but her fur is the softest I've ever felt. I've decided to adopt them both and am really excited. I hope to take them home in about a week.