Cerebellar Hypoplasia in 2 week old kitten???

[Silentstar03]

My cat at 5 kittens on March 22nd. 1 was stillborn, but the other 4 will be 3 weeks old on Sunday. 3 of them are developing perfectly normal, but I've been keeping my eye on the little grey male for the past week. Once his eyes opened and he started walking around more, I realized that his head never seems to be still. It is constantly swaying back and forth unless he is resting it on something. He is also a little slower getting around than the others. However, he is the biggest and is definitely able to get around without any problems. It just takes him a little longer and he loses his balance more frequently. I've also noticed that he pretty much falls over almost everytime that he looks straight up. I've been doing a lot of lresearch and I think he may have Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). Is there anyone on here who has experience with this and can tell me if it seems like he may have it? I've tried uploading a video but I'm not able to so I've posted a video to youtube.

 

[Sarthur2]

The kitten does appear likely to have CH, but it sounds like he is managing. Most can live normal lives but should be indoor cats only. There is no cure for the condition. You could ask a vet whether cortisone would help steady him at all. The kitten will probably be very sweet and loving. Will you keep him for yourself?

 

[Silentstar03]

The kitten does appear likely to have CH, but it sounds like he is managing. Most can live normal lives but should be indoor cats only. There is no cure for the condition. You could ask a vet whether cortisone would help steady him at all. The kitten will probably be very sweet and loving. Will you keep him for yourself?

He is very sweet and playful. His walking seems to have improved over the past week. At first he could only take a couple of steps before falling onto his back. Now he only tumbles over when he looks up. He definitely does not have a severe case if that's what it is. We were planning on keeping one of the 4 kittens. My husband have already decided that if he has it than we will definitely be keeping him. I would hate for him to end up in a home where they can not care for him properly, and the idea of him being passed around from home to home just breaks my heart.

 

[Kitty Beholder]

When do you plan on spaying mama and the kittens? Super cute! Glad you will take care of him.

 

[Silentstar03]

When do you plan on spaying mama and the kittens? Super cute! Glad you will take care of him.

I already have an appointment for mama to be spayed at the end of May. However, we will have to see how that plays out. Which ever kitten I end up keeping will be neutered/spayed as well asap.

 

[Silentstar03]

Here are all of the kittens. A boy and a girl of each color

Just wanted to give a little smile to some of you during these rough times.

 

[Sarthur2]

They are precious!

You might want to keep 2 kittens so they have a playmate. So glad you will be keeping the CH guy though.

 

[talkingpeanut]

See if you can get the kittens fixed and vaccinated before they go to their new homes. The vet will likely be able to give you a discount, and it sets the kittens up for success for the rest of their lives.
Many vets, mine included, are doing contactless drop offs right now, so it may be possible even given the circumstances.
Good luck!!

 

[Silentstar03]

Just wanted to jump on here and give a quick update. The kittens are now 3 1/2 weeks old and doing very well. The little grey boy has made great improvements over the last week. He still has a little bit of a head sway but not nearly as much and he only seems to do it when he is walking. He has also become much more steady on his feet. He can finally look up without falling over. Yay! I started noticing after I made my initial post that he had a tendency to walk in circles. This led me to doing more research. After seeing his major improvements, I'm wondering if perhaps he had developed bilateral vestibular syndrome and is now recovering from it. He had all of the symptoms.

 

[Silentstar03]

Here is a video of him today. You can still see a slight head sway when he is walking.

 

[Sarthur2]

Good to hear that he is improving. I do see the head sway, and he still appears a bit unsteady on his feet. Hopefully he will continue to get stronger and steadier. Thanks for the update! Do check in again!

 

[Silentstar03]

Good to hear that he is improving. I do see the head sway, and he still appears a bit unsteady on his feet. Hopefully he will continue to get stronger and steadier. Thanks for the update! Do check in again!

Yes he is still a little unsteady, but he has improved so much. Just a week ago he couldn't take 2 steps without falling over. Whatever the prognosis, his outcome is looking great at this point and I couldn't be happier.

 

[Sarthur2]

I agree! He looks like he will be just fine. I know it is a relief for you!

 

[Silentstar03]

I agree! He looks like he will be just fine. I know it is a relief for you!

Absolutely! I had him out without his littermates so I could get a good video of him, so he was looking around for them lol. He is a sweetheart and very playful as well. It just warms my heart now when I look into the box and see him look up at me without his head swaying and without him falling over. A week ago I had to hold his head just to get a picture of him without it being blurry from the head sway. He's a strong little guy that's for sure. He was the first to learn how to climb out of the box. His back legs seem to get away from him at times when he moves to quickly. It's like his front end can't keep up with his back end lol.