A little(?) something I typed up a few weeks ago to accompany two cerebellar kittens that were adopted out through Petsmart.....And I sure do miss Henry & Trixie Belle. I educated a lot of people in one swell foop though!Originally Posted by Maya & Inka's mommy
Nobody doing adoptions had ever heard of CH, and everyone fell head-over-heels in love with my special adoptees.
Cerebellar hypoplasia is a condition caused by a mother cat contracting distemper (panleukopenia) while pregnant. Depending on what stage in the pregnancy she is affected, the kittens may be aborted, stillborn, or cerebellar babies at birth. The developing fetuses cerebellum (which controls balance) is affected by the virus that the unvaccinated mother contracts. Many adult cats are capable of fighting off the panleukopenia virus, and are immune for life after. The kittens however are not immune to the virus and need proper vaccines to prevent panleukopenia, and upper respiratory viruses that can be deadly. This is also known as an F.V.R.C.P vaccine. They are not in any way contagious to other cats in the household, as they don’t have the virus, but have been affected via the mother cat. Cerebellar kitties live a normal long life but need to be protected from dangers outside as they lack the coordination ‘normal’ cats have. They can’t run from cars and dogs like other cats, and should never be allowed outside. Also cerebellar kitties should never be declawed (or any other cat for that matter) as they depend on their claws to help pull themselves up things such as stairs. A nail trim of only the sharp nail tip is fine. They are very determined little cats, and often as they get older, they learn more about what they are capable of, and are quite surprising! Cerebellar hypoplasia is very similar to muscular dystrophy in humans as CH kitties tend to walk like they have fly-paper stuck to their feet, and many have head tremors. They have the capability of winning over many hearts of people who adopt these special kitties and are a joy to have. There is a very active website called “The Ch Kitty Club” which has many members from all over the world who have CH cats. They also have a group under Yahoo Groups which is very active and a good place to ask questions and get lots of feedback. Both are very easy to Google search for. Please visit the website and you can have your new family members picture and story featured on the website under the “members” link. ;-) Thank you for adopting a special needs kitty as these are often the last ones to get homes, and many are euthanised needlessly all over the world. Congratulations…you will have that little paw firmly wrapped around your hearts in no time! J Jan…(caretaker and doting slave to several cerebellar cats)
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks