Kitten with lack of coordination at 9 weeks

[Lizzie]

While I was at the shelter yesterday, I mentioned that I had been thinking of fostering. Half-an-hour after I got home, I got a call and agreed to foster four semi-feral kittens, now 9 weeks old. Someone else from the shelter has been working with them for a few weeks and they were spayed/neutered last Thursday. My concern is for the female, the runt of the litter who looks at least 2 weeks younger than the biggest male cat. (Although I knew that a litter could have several fathers, I didn't realize that a cat could go on being impregnated for a while after first becoming pregnant, and so the birth is led by the one who is ready and the others have to follow no matter how unready.)

Anyway, besides being very small, she has very poor coordination in her rear end. She does manage to run and she can jump a little onto her brothers, but she can barely manage to climb onto a shoe box and is constantly falling onto her bottom and then side. Her back legs are wide spread and very shaky. Is this normal? Is she simply very young and still recovering from her spay operation? She's having trouble with the dry food (Iams kitten food) that the volunteer left with me, she takes up several pieces and drops them before she crunches through one piece. Fortunately I had a few cans of kitten food which they've enjoyed. I'll get them something higher quality today.

I hope you can reassure me. It's scary looking after such young kittens which I haven't done for about 12 years.

[jazzcat]

I wonder if she might have what Laura's Babies Amy has? Sounds very similar. I can't remember what it is called but I'll do a search.

Edit: I found the link to Laura's post.
Amy's CH

[Lizzie]

I thought of that too but can one kitten in a litter get it and not the others? Also, wouldn't someone who has worked with kittens for decades have spotted this? When I commented on the female cat's size, she simply said they were all healthy.

[jazzcat]

I don't know anything about it but I do believe one kitten in the litter can suffer from it while the others are healthy. Maybe with her being so much younger things didn't develop fully in time. I wonder if the spay triggered things and that is why the previous foster thought she was healthy. I wish Laura was here to answer your questions.

Hopefully this is just a case of a slow recovery from being spayed. I personally haven't heard of it but I haven't been around a lot spayed kittens and I bet it's possible. Can you call the vet that spayed her and ask what they think?

[Lizzie]

I'll call the shelter later this morning to discuss with them. At least worrying about her is taking my mind, somewhat, off a long dental appointment this afternoon!

One of them pee'd on the carpet yesterday and that could have been her. I put it down to new home nerves but perhaps she is having trouble getting into the litter boxes, though they are the low kind. Is there a really low version that I can get, does anyone know?

[QueenScoopalot]

She does sound like she has cerebellar hypoplasia to me. Does she 'chicken peck' her food? I have a number of CH kitties here, and it's a birth defect that is caused by the mother cat contracting distemper (panleukopenia) while pregnant. It affects the cerebellum portion of the brain, which is responsible for balance. The way a cats uterus is set up is in 2 sections called "uterine horns". So some kittens can be affected by the virus in utero, while others are not. Sometimes entire litters of CH kitties are born, though it's more common for one or two to be born with CH. It does NOT get worse, and if anything the older she gets, the more she'll learn as to what she can, and cannot do. There is a group on Yahoo (chkittyclub) and often persons are looking to adopt these special kitties there. Here's a link to CH Kitty Club members stories (a few of mine are there)..read some & it may help you determine if this is what she has. Here's the link to the Yahoo group which is very active. You have to sign up to be a member, and I opt for digest form. Community email addresses:
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