The search for a solution...

jpdmaximus

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Hi everyone, I am new to the site. I own a cat that is now about 2 and a half years old. He is a very sweet cat and is loved very much. 

A little background:

We got him when he was 8 weeks old, and took him home from the SPCA. He was so cute, playful, and rambunctious. He would always play around : jump, roll, somersault, hop into kitchen drawers etc... He was a super playful cat when we first got him. We did notice in the first few days of his arrival a kind of "crooked gallop" he had to his stride. It was as if his back legs were not in-balance with his front strides . We thought at first it was a cute unique characteristic that he had and didn't think much of it....

We have really seen his condition digress in the last year: It is very hard for him to walk now. You can tell it takes a lot of effort for him to move from point A to point B. It's just very hard for him to hold himself up. He also shakes a lot when he moves. We have to hold him up so he can go to the bathroom , because he cannot hold himself up for a prolonged period of time on his back legs. We also hand feed him and give him his water by hand so he can drink it. We have taken him to the vet a number of times. We have given him steroids, had blood tests run, and continously asked the doctors opinion and nothing seems to illuminate a solution. The last thing our vet recommended was taking our cat to a neurologist and to get an MRI done ; unfortunately this is a 2200 dollar procedure and we cannot afford it right now.

Now he is still playful from time to time. He purrs with us when we pet him , and still likes to receive lots of love! From what I see and feel from him , I cannot see that he is in pain. He is very much so hindered in his mobility.

Has anyone any thoughts on this? Have you experienced a similar situation? 

Thanks in advance! This looks like a fantastic site!
 

red top rescue

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His condition sounds a lot like cerebellar hypoplasia, which is damage to the brain while still in the uterus.  This is not uncommon in cats. This can have different causes, but usually it's because the mother cat had a viral infection which damaged the unborn kittens.  His symptoms are consistent with that, as kittens show the uncoordination, tremors, difficulty walking, etc.  Cats can live with this but they do require special care, as you are doing, since standing and walking are difficult.  I am not a vet and have not seen your cat so I can't give you a real diagnosis, but I've seen a few cats with this and in the right home they can live a long and happy life. 

The fact that he didn't seem to have it when you got him and it seems to have progressed might indicate he has the very rare genetic condition called cerebellar abiotrophy, which has the same symptoms but is caused by specialized cells in the cerebellum dying off AFTER the animal is born.  It is more common in horses, but also seen in dogs and cats.

Here is a link where you can check out the general description of cerebellar hypoplasia, and it links to another describing cerebellar abiotrophy.  If you think these descriptions may fit your cat's symptoms, you may want to read a couple of threads here which I will also provide links to. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebellar_hypoplasia_(non-human)

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/300160/cerebellar-hypoplasia-cat-care-tips

In this thread, Anne provides some additional links (post #4 of 5) to an article and a video

I hope this helps you identify your cat's problem and you can contact others who have posted for ideas on how to handle the care of your special needs cat.
 
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jpdmaximus

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Thanks so much for your feedback, I will check the link out. Yea I have heard of Cerebellar Hypoplasia , I haven't really investigated it thoroughly . The second one Abiotrophy sounds viable as well since he has digressed in terms of his mobility. Thanks for your feedback, that is very helpful. 

It seems that vets really can't help at certain points sometimes. We feel that he is doing pretty good right now.
 

red top rescue

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Do let us know how he's doing, and share your ways of dealing with his various disabilities so others may learn from it.  Also, ask your vets about the possibilities of those two diagnoses and see what they think.  I don't know if an  MRI would reveal anything if it's one of these conditions, but if he has something physically wrong with his spine, which is affecting his hind legs, it would show that.  If he were mine, I would probably really want the MRI, just to be sure.  If it's something you can't fix, at least you can relax and just deal with the effects of the disease. Having a "diagnosis" for things is definitely a human thing, and from the cat's point of view, he doesn't care, he just needs help doing some things. 
 
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jpdmaximus

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I will Red Top. We'll be taking him soon for consultation at the neurologist. I'll keep everyone updated on what the doc says/prescribes. Thanks so much for your feedback = )
 
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