Cerebellar hypoplasia (video of Amy)

[Laura's Babies]

phesina, can Elmer run better trhan he can walk? Amy cam run like the wind, it is walking that she has a problem with. His pictures are so adoreable, he reminds me so much of Chester!! Those l-o-n-g legs!!! Has he grown into them? He is going to be one really tall boy!! I reconize that stance he has in that first picture, I see that a lot in Amy.

Talking about Amy as much as I do is to educate, so others would see what a little wonder these babies are, that they are just as deserving at having a great life as any other kitty. If it can save 1 CH kitty, then I will preach until I am blue in the face. They have so much to teach us and I know that is why she was sent into my life... to teach me so that I could also teach. SHE is the teacher and I am her student! I adore her (in case no one has noticed) and she is the center of my heart. I know Elmer is yours too! What absolute wonders they are!

Poor baby, today she went to sleep on one of the kitty sofa's and she was sleeping hard! I heard a ker-thunk and looked and she had fell off of it in her sleep and had the most puzzeled look on her face.. I went and got her and sat on the sofa and loved on her for a long time. I took this picture just as she was dozing off... She is happily sleeping on the human sofa now.

[phesina]

Hi Laura, Elmer can run quite fast, but he does it by kind of throwing his body ahead.. he lunges forward with his front paws, and his back half doesn't follow right behind but swings from side to side a bit, and usually he falls then. And he picks himself up, and again lunges forward with his front paws, etc., etc.. until he gets where he was going.

He can keep up with Poppy when they stalk each other, so she has to jump up on something if she wants to get away from him.

When he walks, he wobbles on all four legs. He makes his way along as if he were walking on stilts, and he falls over from time to time.

Whenever he falls, he just picks himself up and keeps on doing what he was doing. He does not seem to consider himself disabled or lacking in skills that other cats have. As far as he knows, this is the way everybody is! He and the other cats react to each other as equals (Elmer an equal who just happens to fall over a lot).

He is a long, tubular figure of a cat. He has grown some into his legs, but they are still quite long. He has sort of a dachshund's trunk on a giraffe's legs! I think his head is a little smaller in proportion to the rest of his body than on most cats.

Amy is so beautiful and so touching. I am not surprised that you love her so deeply and cherish her so much. She is so cute and sweet sleeping there on her couch. What a wonderful life you give her and she gives you!

Again, I thank you and Amy for helping me to realize that Elmer was to be my boy! Everyone who meets him falls in love with him and his example of prevailing in spite of life's difficulties.

Love,
Pat and Elmer

[mumpkees]

I'm currently dealing with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome with Nakita. It's a neurological disorder (possible seizure activity) that makes her attack her hind legs and back and sends her racing across the room (it looks like she has been shocked).There is no cure (or known cause) for that but there is meds that I may have to put her on since her 'episodes' seem to be increasing. I'm trying everything (nutritional, environmental, stress reducing etc) to see if I can control them before applying the meds.

Besides CH babies, we have two with FHS. FHS is thought to be 'related' to epilesy. We also have an epileptic dog (all of her 13 years) and two blind CH cats with epilepsy amongst the group. There is an excellent yahoo group for feline epilepsy and many on the group have FHS cats. I have some information I can share with you as will others on the group. Is your baby on any meds? We currently have both on meds - Junior's FHS is under control (after he literally chewed off his rear outside toe and was steadily working on the next toe - scary awakening to the condition). CrazyBoy is on his second medication and while he isn't self-mutilating yet, he lives up to his name and we will soon be trying to figure out what our next treatment option is going to be. /mari (mumpkees)