Kitten With Cerebellar Hypoplasia

GinnyWeasley

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Does anyone have experience or a cat with this? Adopting one tomorrow. He’s 1 of 4 kittens to have it. Owner says he uses low lying cat boxes and can manage his way around!!

Thanks
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I think it's wonderful that you are adopting a special needs kitty :worship:.

There are several members here who have CH cats. If you do a search under "CH" you will find many threads about them. If this little one is able to use a low lying litter box and gets around pretty well, sounds like perhaps it's a mild case, which is good. No reason why he can't live a long happy life with you. He may just look a little clumsy, but I'm sure it won't bother HIM. He doesn't know any different. To him, that's the way it's supposed to be.
 
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GinnyWeasley

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I think it's wonderful that you are adopting a special needs kitty :worship:.

There are several members here who have CH cats. If you do a search under "CH" you will find many threads about them. If this little one is able to use a low lying litter box and gets around pretty well, sounds like perhaps it's a mild case, which is good. No reason why he can't live a long happy life with you. He may just look a little clumsy, but I'm sure it won't bother HIM. He doesn't know any different. To him, that's the way it's supposed to be.

They definitely didn’t tell the truth! Got him today and he’s severe. Can’t use the box, has to lay down to eat and drink. His front legs barely support him. And his poor eyes are so sick!!! He’s so sweet though and my heart breaks for him. He’s going to fit right in though!!
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Even if he's severe, HE doesn't know any different, so to him, he's normal. Use Puppy pads if he cannot use a litter box, or they actually make cat diapers if that's going to be an issue.

What's going on with his eyes? That probably isn't related to the CH. Did they simply not take care of the little guy?
 
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GinnyWeasley

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Even if he's severe, HE doesn't know any different, so to him, he's normal. Use Puppy pads if he cannot use a litter box, or they actually make cat diapers if that's going to be an issue.

What's going on with his eyes? That probably isn't related to the CH. Did they simply not take care of the little guy?
We got his sister also and she walks great, if she stands long she loses her balance. I believe his eyes are just really infected. I thankfully had kitten eye drops so I cleaned them and put drops in.
 

profcat

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Oh! We had a CH cat for 15 years-- he was WONDERFUL. He passed away years ago, but we still miss him. Here's a video I made of our Boo. His last year, he got to go out a bit and run around in the grass. He loved it:
We adopted him when he was 1 and they told us he'd never eat or use the box on his own. He did all those things and MORE. He did appreciate low boxes, bc he would slide in and lay down to pee. We also used larger boxes so he had more room. And we needed to keep the boxes EXTRA clean for him, because we didn't want him laying down in a mess. He ate on his own as well, laying on his side and pulling the bowl of food to him. And with water, he just kind of bobbed his head up and down to eat it.

We did have more carpeting then for him, bc it was easier for him to get a grip on. We also had a low footstool that helped him get up on the bed, and another one for the couch.

He was the most determined cat I've ever met. He would try so hard to climb up on stuff, again and again, never giving up. And while he dealt with some IBS and also had diabetes in his last couple years, he was as healthy as a horse most of his life! Let me know if you have more questions!
 

Adelei

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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! :)

Congrats on your new babies! I hope everything works out well for you!
 
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GinnyWeasley

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Oh! We had a CH cat for 15 years-- he was WONDERFUL. He passed away years ago, but we still miss him. Here's a video I made of our Boo. His last year, he got to go out a bit and run around in the grass. He loved it:
We adopted him when he was 1 and they told us he'd never eat or use the box on his own. He did all those things and MORE. He did appreciate low boxes, bc he would slide in and lay down to pee. We also used larger boxes so he had more room. And we needed to keep the boxes EXTRA clean for him, because we didn't want him laying down in a mess. He ate on his own as well, laying on his side and pulling the bowl of food to him. And with water, he just kind of bobbed his head up and down to eat it.

We did have more carpeting then for him, bc it was easier for him to get a grip on. We also had a low footstool that helped him get up on the bed, and another one for the couch.

He was the most determined cat I've ever met. He would try so hard to climb up on stuff, again and again, never giving up. And while he dealt with some IBS and also had diabetes in his last couple years, he was as healthy as a horse most of his life! Let me know if you have more questions!

We tried the box a couple times and when we put him in he cries and cries like he’s scared to death. I haven’t noticed any pee or poo and put a pad down that he loves to chew on. He’s eating and drinking and playing with his sister. He’s very determined. He just has no control at this point.
 
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GinnyWeasley

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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! :)

Congrats on your new babies! I hope everything works out well for you!
Lady said they were born July 4th. Here’s my sweetheart. He has truly warmed my heart!!
 

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