11 month old with Hydrocephalus

Our shelter recently had a kitten returned at 11 months. He was not getting along with the other kittens in the home. He had been adopted several months ago, and no one noticed anything wrong with him at the time. When he came back we instantly noticed he had issues. Well it turns out that he has or had hydrocephalus. Our vet was very hopeful that since he made it to 11 months he had a mild case and that he stood to have a decent life. He does have some nurological issues, but over all does very well. The vet feels this was a birth defect, but he was accidently stepped on in his home. So we are very nervous about what his changes are to survive. He is a very sweet cat and we have all gotten attached very quickly. We would love to take him to a specialist, but in rescue money is tight. We would need to raise special funds, and someone is working on that. For now I am just looking for people to share their experiences with hydrocephalus.

Bumping this thread up.

Hi there! AWWW this poor baby. All I know about Hydrocephalus (water on the brain) is that there is a build up of cerebrospinal fluid in the cavaties of the brain. It can be very serious as the head pressure is unbearable. I hope others will come along with some hands on experience. Yeah - a specialist would be the best for this kitten. I have no clue IF being stepped on caused this or aggravated the condition. I am sure this is a genetic birth defect though. Poor little one. Mega and please keep us posted.

I suggest you try this forum:

http://handicappedpet.net/helppets/

which is marvelous for cats with handicaps. The people on that forum have extensive experience in helping cats with neurological problems. I feel sure you will find someone who has helped a cat with hydrocephalus.

Perhaps the vet can put in a shunt to drain off the excess fluid, as they do with humans. Are you keeping track of the head circumference to see if the swelling is getting worse? Is it obvious from his eyes that he has hydrocephalus or is it not that severe?
 

I didn't think about tracking his head circumfrance, but that is a great idea. I will have to do that tonight when I stop at the shelter. To me his head actually looked smaller yesterday, but without a circumfrance there is no way to know for sure. His eyes look normal to me, maybe a bit odd but not as bad as some of them I have seen on the web.

I can't share much, because I found this site while searching for information myself.   We rescued a cat in eastern Europe who had multiple issues which were ascribed by the vets to surviving panleukopenia.  Since there was only the most primitive facilities, it was really a best guess.

Six months after we returned to North America, she started having seizures (at 3 years old). I read that most cat seizures could be traced to specific causes, so went to a neurologist.  You're right about expense, and the shock of finding out she had hydrocephalus, probably all along, and may never have had pan at all (although her mother might have had it) was pretty overwhelming.  She flew 36 hours to get here from the last place we were in, and *now* I find out it could have killed her!

I'm still in the process of working out with the neurologist what we can do.  It's complicated, because we never know when we will be called upon to travel abroad again, or what facilities there will be when we get there.  So far, my research indicates she has a shortened life expectancy, but there are surgical and pharmaceutical treatments that can make her life better, and prolong the time she has.  It may mean re-homing her with another special needs rescuer, but that's my goal:  the longest, best life she can have. 

If you can raise the money to get him seen by a specialist, the pharmaceutical treatments are not terribly costly.  Shunts are very effective, apparently, but need regular servicing and replacing. 

All I can say is, good luck, from someone praying for a little of that for her own cat!