Cerebellar Hypoplasia cat care tips

[catladyvettech]

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• catladyvettech
• Jun 20, 2015

image.jpg

• catladyvettech
• Jun 20, 2015

This is my amazing cat Fernando who has cerebellar hypoplasia. That's me with him in the first pic, and he and his friend Charlie in the second pic.

Just wondering if any of you guys have cerebellar hypoplasia cats and if you have any tips and tricks to share. My Fernando's CH is so severe that he can't walk. He can crawl and flip flop around though and can move pretty fast when he wants to.

We've faced several challenges throughout his life. He's a year old now and I've had him since he was 4 weeks old. We had to figure out the potty situation and feeding and avoiding household dangers, etc.

He pees and poops on washable potty pads, eats from soft silicone dishes and I keep him confined in a play pen when I'm asleep or when I'm not home. The dishes I use are baby/toddler food bowls made of soft silicone. He used to bash his teeth pretty badly on hard bowls because he does the typical CH head bob when he's excited or trying to concentrate on something.

What do you guys do for your CH cats? Hopefully we can share some ideas and even just cute stories about our amazing cats here.

 

[denverwriter22]

Hello,

I have a blogging colleague who has a CH kitty.  If you want to private message me, I will give you her blog link.  I know she has some resources.  Her kitty's CH isn't as severe as yours, but I'm sure she'd be happy to help.  

 

[dandila]

I would think this condition is difficult to find information on.  Don't most vets recommend euthanasia if they are born with this?  How wonderful that you have chosen to care for this special cat.  It must be very time consuming.  I knew a woman who had a chihuahua with this condition and it sounds like you both are using some of the same solutions to the feeding and bathroom difficulties.  Her animal spent most of his time in the playpen or in her arms.  I wish you well in your endeavor and admire you more than I can say.

 

[Anne]

I remember we covered this condition  in a series of articles about "Special Needs Cats" -

 [article="29818"]Special Needs Cats Cerebellar Hypoplasia​[/article]  

There were several of threads on this too over the years. Here's one thread, but you can search the forum for more.

 Very special kitties indeed 

[thread="85038"]Cerebellar Hypoplasia Video  [/thread]

 

[catladyvettech]

Thanks, Anne. I'll check those posts out. Fernando and I are doing well now that we've figured out our routine and what works for him. I guess I was just wondering if there's other CH owners on here that want to share their own experiences. Maybe I'll make a social group for CH owners. Thanks, everybody.

 

[jamaal]

Hey!  I have 3, yes 3 kittens with CH, ( Also have 4 non ch cats ) I have had them for about 5 months now, they are 9 months old. One is severe, he flops around to get where he needs to go. and the other two are moderate-severe. They walk but fall over every few steps. When I first got them it was a nightmare! Pee and poop everywhere! Only one would go to the litter box faithfully. Every single day they would pee and poop on the floor...Now, they are great...The little severe boy can get to the box but if I have to leave and he hasn't gone yet, I just bring him to the box in the morning and at night, and he pees....no accidents. He goes poop at night in the box in his room on his own.  At night I put them in a bedroom, they have the house to themselves all day....I put baby bumpers along the walls so they don't hurt their heads when they fall over. I feed the severe one propped up against a wall, with a raised dish....and use high sided litter boxes, with corn litter...They are a little extra work, making sure the severe one pees, but its like walking a dog so he doesn't pee in the house...I just hold him up and walk him to the litter box, if he has to go he climbs in if not he turns around, then I know if he can go on the couch or not!  And playing with the severe boy and walking him around a bit helps his legs get stronger and now he takes a few steps before falling over. So he is getting stronger. Ch cats are awesome...so cute and fun to watch!! 

 

[veda2701]

Hi there!

We have had a very severe CH case kitten for about four months now. She can crawl to her litter box, but sometimes she does not get there in time. We have baths on Sundays so she keeps clean.

My biggest concern is that she can not eat or drink on her own. I have to hold her still and keep her head from bobbing. I do not know if I am encouraging this or if she is just that bad. We can not go away or leave her for a night or two, as she refuses to eat when someone else feeds her. Sometimes it takes me up to an hour to get her to eat and drink. Some days I cry out of frustration when she refuses to eat and because I do not know what she wants (she is very vocal and cries/talks a lot!).

When is it unfair to keep her alive? I love her so much, but our whole day and night revolves around her care and the other babies feel neglected. Is she happy? Does she miss anything? Will she ever eat on her own? Today is just a bad day for us, she has not been drinking water, but her wet food is very soupy, so she still pees 3 times a day. I just do not know how this ends....?

 

[jamaal]

How old is she? I have a severe boy, it was really hard at first but now its fine, hes on a schedule and everything. It took a while though. Still havent gone on vacation yet. Ive had them for 6 months now. He has gotten stronger from me playing with him and letting him get around on his own. But he just got used to his schedule about two months ago, and he still has accidents when he cant get to the box in time. He cries a lot too, which is from knowing i will come get him.

 

[veda2701]

She is about 5 months. She does not even try to get around on her own anymore, which is worrying me. That and the fact that she can not eat on her own. I wish I just knew if she was happy with her life. She just lies there and it breaks my heart...

 

[jamaal]

Do you help her get around a lot? Also how do you feed her? I used to have to hold up my guy to eat, but i decided to prop him up against a wall and sit with him while he eats, at ten months he eats on his own. He also has stopped trying to get around as much, but he cries a lot instead, which means come and get me! Which I am not doing anymore, hes becoming too dependent on me and others to take him where he wants to go. Playing with him , like throwing a ball around makes him use his legs and get around. And hecan do that for so long, happily, but when he wants to get into a room and he knows im in there he will just sit there and cry. But if im gone or asleep, he climbs up the baby gate, into the living room, hes climbed on the bed.... but never while he knows im there! I got him at four months old and he just really started doing all of these things at about 8 months old.

 

[veda2701]

I do. My husband thinks that I am the reason she stopped doing anything as she just cries and I am right there. I have started feeding her only wet, blended food which she finds easy to eat. But I still hold her. She does not drink water at all, but I add some to her food. I am thinking to skip midday feedings and maybe put it down for her to see if she eats on her own. Her head shaking is quite severe.

What bothers me is the fact that she stopped trying to get to her litter box. She sleeps on her own in her own room at night and knows that I do not help her then. I put down rubber mats so she can move easier, but more often than not I find her in the mornings in her bed, all wet and not even trying to move from it.

I have an appointment with an acupuncturist who will assess her muscle and neurological levels. They also do hydrotherapy along with all kinds of other treatments. She seems to like swimming when I give her her bath. I want to do everything I can before making any decisions.

Thanks for your reply - I will definitely try and leave her to do a bit more on her own.

 

[jamaal]

Do you have carpet? My lil dude wont even try to get to the litter box in my kitchen due to the tile. Play with her before you feed her, let her get moving and use her muscles. Hydrotherapy is supposed to be great for these guys, mine will not let me show him water! He runs from the water bowl if i try and offer him water, so i mix it in his food, but none of my cats drink water out of the bowl so....

 

[veda2701]

So relieved to hear about the water situation!! I thought she was going to be so dehydrated! Also mixing some with her food and it seems fine.

BUT.... She just ate a bowl of food on her own, propped against the wall! Thanks so much! I feel like crying! She was not happy, but I just closed the door and left her. Came back later and it was all gone! Lots that went flying everywhere, but I am sure she will adapt. So relieved...

I do not have carpet, but rubber mats that I thought would help - non-slip, etc. Do you think carpet would be better?

 

[jamaal]

Thats awesome!! Thats how mine was too, not happy, but now I just let him sit and eat, i leave him for a few come back make sure he didnt fall and flop off somewhere else! I usually elevate his bowl so he doesnt get off balance trying to lean over. And he he still makes a mess, less of a mess than before though! And carpet is definitely best for ch cats. They use their claws to pull them around, and the other two i have that can walk still use their claws on the carpet to keep them steady. Try getting carpet or runners, anything, it really helps the severe ones get around. Like I said before, he wont even go in the kitchen. The rest of the place has wall to wall carpet. Just be sure to not get brand new expensive ones because Im sure she'll have accidents on them trying to get around...mine did when i let him have the whole place to himself, he just couldnt get around quick enough, wasnt used to moving around that much and that far. But hes fine now.

 

[veda2701]

What kind of bowls do you use? I am still trying to figure out. I have tried various ones. But when the sides are low, they are too wide, when they are narrow enough, the sides are too high....

 

[jamaal]

Ive gone through a lot of bowls! But he uses a small dish I bought at a thrift store, and i just found a small box that fits under it that is the right height for him to eat comfortably without falling over! I dont use bowls with him because he moves his head too much when trying to get the food, so a saucer works best for him. It's just a matter of finding the best thing for her to eat from.