CH Kitty Thread (You Tube videos)

[catmandu]

And Great News. I Took Some Steak Bits With Cheese Down And When I Came Back An Hour Later They Had Vanished Along With The Rest Of The Dry Food.
So Rossalnos Alive Well Ad Hungreeee!!!!!!!!!!!
If Only I Could Actually See Her And Get Her To Use The Litter Box.

[phesina]

I just wrote quite a bit about my sweet little guy Elmer in the other Cerebellar hypoplasia thread (http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...&page=1&pp=15). This is adapted from what I wrote there:

Last year I saw a thread Laura had posted about Amy and CH, with a video of Amy. I was alarmed and saddened at first but saw what a good life Laura was giving her (and she was giving Laura too). And I learned something about Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which I had never even heard of before.

That made all the difference a few months later when a tiny kitten came to our shelter who couldn't stand up long and wobbled and fell over when he tried to get anywhere. Because of Laura and Amy, I wasn't alarmed and didn't feel helpless with him, and I was able to help reassure other people there about him. Everyone fell in love with little Elmer, as he was named, and after a few weeks I wound up adopting him myself!

He is a bigger boy now, and he still wobbles and falls over a lot but doesn't let that stop him from doing what he wants to do. He is not bullied by the other cats. In fact, he and Poppy, who is a year older, often get into chasing and wrestling matches with each other, and Elmer gives as good as he gets. When Poppy has had enough, she jumps up on something to get away, and then he can't get her. He also likes to stalk and grab at moving objects like twitching tails (occasionally even getting the one attached to him!).

Recently he has mastered getting up on my bed! He leaps up high enough he can grab on to the top with his front claws and pull himself up the rest of the way.

He is able to get into and use any litter box handy, though it is a bit of a climb and fall process. He lies on his side to pee but can stand and wobble to poop.

Laura and Amy, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Elmer and I are both very grateful to you, and Elmer regards Amy as his beloved mentor. Because of you, Elmer has a home and he and I have both had our lives enriched.

AND... Elmer met his sweetie Taccoa, another adorable CH kitty who lives with LVPETS2002, here on Pet Talk!

Here are some pictures of him, the first from last October shortly after he came to live with me, the next in December, and the third one this past March. (These are different pictures from the ones in the other thread, though they are from the same time periods.)

Pat

[Laura's Babies]

I am so stunned at how much Elmer looks like Chester! Except Chesters legs were not that long.

I am glad my posting about Amy has helped some become aware of this and helps people decide to adopt others and it makes Amy proud that she is able to help her fellow CH'ers find good homes. So little is out there about this condition that Elmer could also be use to help educate and make people aware of what a joy these kitties can bring to those who have them and the lessons they have to teach us.

[phesina]

Laura, what other kinds of things do you do to spread the word about the joys of CH kitties besides introduce people online to Amy? Elmer would be proud to be a spokescat for his CH brothers and sisters.

Pat

[Laura's Babies]

I tell everybody I can about Amy is what I do. I have went to cat shows and (am going to another in September) and told them about Amy...(anyone who will listen to me!) I am not surprised that few have heard about this. The Spay Baton Rouge poster cat is a CH kitty (Miss Tuxie) and she is suppose to be there and that gets the conversation going. She attracted many to her cage at the last cat show but no one was there to explaine correctly what it is or what causes it. I plan to print out stuff to hand out and possiably take my laptop with the video of Amy on it to show those who are interested. I just take advantage of ever chance I have to talk about it to anyone who will listen.. Many, many people have come to my house and asked what was wrong with her when they see her and I really go into it good with her here to back me up.

I talked about her a lot on the internet, other boards as well as here and I really feel like that reaches a lot more people.. When I posted the video, it touched people so much more than just trying to describe it in words. It gives them a tool to judge by when they come across one, who otherwise would have never had a clue and avoided a cat like this. We need to make use of every chance we have to spread the word about these wonderful kitties that bring so much joy into our lives...

I find "cat people" will talk about their babies with anyone who will listen... at the cat food isle in wal mart or at the grocery store, in the pet stores, doctors offices...anywhere there are people and the word "cat" comes up!

My vet took on a recent graduate from vet school and he saw Amy once and was asking me a LOT of questions because he has a friend with one that is worse than Amy. Like is she able to eat standing... then I told him about the feeding station Mike and I made for her... Does she lay down to play....YES! Does she use the litter box on her own and stuff like that. That feeding station has been a real BLESSING for Amy!