my vet says that one of the 13 week old kittens has CEREBRAL PALSY

xxtashaxx

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right a little background on this as its only been on the PC/PK fourm.
fluffy had kittens (a hole another story) she had a few problems with the birth with the plencters getting stuck so she couldnt get to the kittens to clean them up then she just didnt bother which is where i steped in.
on the last one *wobbles* i couldnt get to him for about 5 mins after he was born as she kept moving as the plencter was stuck inside still, i got the sac from around his mouth cleared of but had to wait a few more mins before being ablee to do anything else.
anyway since then he has had this trouble with his head, its kinda like it goes from side to side and he gets confused on where he wants to go etc.. he climbs in his food to eat, but apart from this he is fine, uses the litter tray very well, drinks ok plays ok.
he does get startled very very easily and i have to quickly pick him up and settle him or his head will not stop swaying once his calm his fine again.
when they went for the first check up at 4 weeks the vet wanted to wait untill he was a little older bfore doing tests and to see if things got better, then they got flu so all was put on hold. everyone is ok now thank god.
anyway we took them all up y.dayto start vacs (because of the flu they didnt want to start them untill now) and the vet said from hearing everything i have told him and from what he has seen that my wobbles has CEREBRAL PALSY, but he has been luckly as to not have the mutated face etc.
they said its normally seen in cats whos mum was sick with Feline Infectious Enteritis, (Feline Panleukopaenia, Feline Distemper) during pregnancy which may have defects in the kittens.
she had a UTI at the begging which could also have an effect as she was on a long course of antibiotics, but normally they would have obsorved SP the kitten or miscarried. which she didnt do.
they said he can lead a happy life we just need to be extra carfull around him, his also so much more loving then any kitten we have ever had, (overly loving) which no complaints here lol.

i just wanted to find out if anyone has had experince with this, i have tried looking it up on the internet but they only seem to show bad cases of it and not like my wobbles.
thanks for reading this long thread lol.
 

arlyn

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That's because Cerebral Palsey is a human condition.
Try looking for info of Cerebeller Hypoplasia.

My MIL has a CH kitty, he's already 4 years old and still doing great.

Since he can't stretch himself out though, he has weekly chiro sessions.
 
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xxtashaxx

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thanks he did use a different name but maybe he put it into terms i could understand?
i did find something just now that it is noticable right from birth which his was. the vet said he shouldnt need any treatments as his a bouncy kitten and uses all his limbs, he also said he dosnt get worse as they get older (which is a relife)
thanks again for that lol i feel kinda silly now though.
 

arlyn

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Ahh don't feel silly, he probably put it into terms you could understand so he could explain.

No, they do not seem to get worse as they get older, if anythig, they seem to get slightly better as they learn to cope.
 
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xxtashaxx

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yea when he was tiny he didnt have hardly any control over over his head , but as hes grown he can hold it up and it dosnt seem to bother him like it did when he was only a few days old. it is mainly the being carfull how you walk around the house is when he gets stressed, or if one of the older cats puts him in his place he gets very unsteady, were thinking about finding him a very quiet home , maybe an earldy couple to home him, as i fear our house is a bit to noisy and full blown for him , but so far his coped with the 3 children running around and the other 12 cats. and he loves the fish tank lol. but i feel like we have got a special bond so that will only be if its in his best intrest.
 

arlyn

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I would not worry too much about it.
MIL's cat does just fine amongst the other 19 or so cats in the house.
He can do everything that they do, he just looks funny doing it.
He has no trouble standing up for himself.

He is crated at night, and when no one is home as a precaution.
His crate has crib bumpers, a nice hidey bed and a litterbox, he actually loves his crate.
 
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xxtashaxx

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yea i always put him his siblings and mum into a room of their own at the moment when im not home and at night only because there still kittens, when and if he gets a bit more inderpendent i may seprate him when i start leaving out the others to have free roam at night and when im not there , but at the moment he needs a sibling with him (he seems to do a lot better when around a nother cat or myself.
 

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There was a kitty at the HS here, well, the sister had it bad & the brother just had head wobbles. Both got placed together. She has trouble getting into/out of the LB, just basic things that need minor accomodations, but nothing much!
 

arlyn

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Yeah, if anything, I think you should insist that the CH kitty be placed with one of his siblings, another cat he can trust.
Disabled cats do so much better when they are with another cat that they have bonded with.
 

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We have a kitten with CH, he is going to stay as a long term foster, and I know someone who also has a cat with it, and while the condition doesn't get worse, there can be issues that only appear later in life, i.e. her cat could use the litter tray fine as a kitten as her body was light enough, but when she grew, she struggled to stand long enough, so uses puppy pads now as a tray is too much for her. It does depend on how severe it is, our kitten apparently has bruises on his face as they have laminate flooring and he can't always stop himself in time to avoid hitting the wall!! PM me if you want details of the person I know, she would be happy to share experiences.
 

tari

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I have a CH kitty, too. My Forest has CH. While it's true that CH doesn't actually get better, they do, in time, learn how to function better. When we first got Forest, at 6 months old, he could barely walk. His back legs wouldn't stay underneath him...he'd end up getting frustrated and drag himself around with his front legs. Now, at three years, he tears around the house like a maniac when the mood strikes him and chases the other two cats. Nothing slows him down. He's also learned how to climb up on the furniture and get into everything he wants to get himself into.
Forest has taken a few tumbles and has a few bruises (and a chipped tooth that he got somewhere along the line), but it never slows him down.

I wouldn't trade my CH kitty for anything. He's very affectionate and has the funniest personality. He's one of my biggest blessings and he reminds me daily that some of the best things in life aren't what others would consider perfect. Everybody who hears about him rolls their eyes and says "only you would want this cat, Tari", but as soon as they meet him they fall in love, too. He's reformed many avowed cat haters.

There's a group online of wonderful people who all have CH kitties, and it's been a wealth of information to me. The CH Kitty Club has a website at www.chkittyclub.com. They also have a Yahoo group under the same name.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions or just want to compare stories. I'm a bit out of pocket at the moment because I'm out of town for a business meeting, but I'll respond when I can...and I'll be back home on Tuesday.

Give your CH kitty some hugs and nose bumps (the CH version of kisses) from Forest and me!!
 
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xxtashaxx

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thank you everyone for all the great information and links i will deffently have a look.
he can climb stuff (well he does the cat tree) and his not had any trouble walking so far can just be a bit wobbly at times (hence the name wobbles)
the main thing i think is the confusion he sometimes seems to get where he dosnt know which way to turn or where to go. i think we will keep him as i dont think i could part with him were keeping his brother and sister and his other sister is being rehomed today with my neighbour who only wanted the 1 kitten.
 

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Not had a kitty with Cerebral Palsy, but I do have a disabled kitty with Manx Syndrome, a nuerological disorder.

Even though he has some disabilities, my Atticus is the most loving, dear kitty I have ever had. He is a fighter and I am sure your baby will be too. Having a disabled kitty takes some adjustments and patience, but is so very rewarding.



I also have Atticus's two sisters, Ella and Cleo as I could not bear to separate them. I had the mama too, also a manx, but she passed away in January due to undiagnosed cardiomyopathy. She didn't show signs of illness..it was awful. But I digress. I have five kitty cats all together. Will get some pictures up soon.
 
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