Looking for advice & support.... Beast Boy was diagnosed with "Manx Syndrome"

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
Hello all!

I'm new here and introduced myself and my fur babies in the appropriate thread. :wavey:

I just found out yesterday that my precious, sweet, wild & crazy flame point Siamese manx has "Manx Syndrome". :alright: I've been researching my butt off, but am being told some weird things that are breaking my heart. A friend of mine works at a vet clinic in Florida so she was asking questions for me. They said:

1) "it would be most humane to put him down"..... Wha?!? I never even considered that....

2) "he will get thrombosis and die in hours".... Wha?!? I googled it and didn't find much about this being a significant or dominate thing with these kitties.

I know that my sweet Beastie is going to need a lot of love, care, attention, and medical attention. I'm willing to be the best I can be to make his life the best.

Any thoughts on the 2 things I posted above? I've read a couple threads on here about manx syndrome. I'm open and ready for any and all advice. I never even knew this was a "thing" with tailless kitties.

Thank you all very much for any advice or support. :heart4:

Sarah
 

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
Beastie is very lucky to have you. 


Can you tell us, please, what all symptoms you have observed thus far?  What information have you of his having (Manx Syndrome related) problems before he came to you -- what type problems, for how long?  Has Beastie had any spinal X-rays done to determine the degree to which he will likely be affected?  What have been his own Veterinarian's remarks?

I need to take some rest now.  I will be back later.     
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
Well as of now his only symptoms are uncontrollable bowels. Like he will be sleeping and you're petting him and boom! He's pooped. If you hold him vertically it's like you're just pushing pee out. It comes in waves. Some days are better than others. His bowels are solid, FYI.

He is a stray rescue. A friend asked me if I wanted him bc he had been hanging around his house. I know nothing about his past. He has no infections and is up to date on all of his vaccinations. When I got him he was literally COVERED in fleas. I picked off about 50 then bathed off about 100 then another 50. I've never ever seen a kitten covered in fleas like this. His underbelly looked like a static tv. It was awful.

Tomorrow will mark 2 weeks with this angel boy.

No spinal X-rays. The vet said we could do that but it's very costly. The vet is amazingly supportive and said if I can find any online treatments that are tried and true he will do anything for Beast Boy to live a happy life. He didn't even charge me for the visit, tests, and day long stay at the clinic. He's a great vet.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
Should I get a spinal X-ray? I don't know.... I've had about 50 cats in my lifetime and have never encountered a more unique kitty than this..... He's so special. I adore this kitten.
 

nansiludie

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 14, 2014
Messages
2,171
Purraise
1,213
I found this about  a kitten born with manx syndrome, http://www.lifewithcats.tv/2015/04/17/2-bebe-kitten-born-with-manx-syndrome/

Maybe the person who has Bebe might be able to offer more advice. I have not ever dealt with manx syndrome. I do hope that Beastie does alright, to me, its the quality of life that determines if and when the kitty may need to be put down, if Beastie is not in any pain and enjoys his meals and playing, I see no reason to give up on him yet.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #6

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
Oh and I want to point out so e pretty positive things, IMO.

- he poops on a puppy pad in a specific place. Most urine is in the box, if not it's in this same place or on whoever is holding him vertically. If you cradle him like a baby he won't pee.

- he is also pretty trained to only sit on towels and blankets. He gravitates towards them.

I don't think he's as bad as others and that we caught this syndrome quickly however my concerns are life expectancy and health issues.

Thanks!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
I saw the Bebe story and cried my eyes out.... Maybe I can contact them and find out about Bebes severity. Thank you. I don't see a reason to give up either, he eats, he drinks, he purrs, he is so happy. He is a dreamboat aside from random bowel issues. He feels like a minx. He is the softest kitten ever!
 

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
Bebe appears to have open, external Spina Bifida, a much more troublesome Spina Bifida presentation than our own babies have (theirs is internal and presumably less severe  -- but of course this is not to say that it is not a very serious health condition, whatever its degree).

I have heard and read of some Manx Syndrome kitty children becoming “down in rear” (as with hind end paralysis) at various ages – like four months; six months; three, four, five, six years; etc.   Many have gait abnormalities some-to-all of their ambulation time.  I understand many have long good lives without problems so severe that they cannot somehow be managed. Some develop normal or *normal enough* pottying functions; some have bowel dysfunction of or tending towards either extreme; and with some, these things can range anywhere (of any sorts) from one extreme to the other.  Some need frequent bathing.  Some need their rump areas bathed very frequently.

I do not think the X-raying is necessary for our Little Ones.  It can be helpful, though, in predicting particular prospects for individual welfare and the types and severity of likely impairments.

-------------------------------------------

My little boy Bunny, only about a month older than your little Beastie, has not been X-rayed either.  From very gentle, very careful touching of his back, we can tell that his spine extends no farther back than his sacrum – beyond there, his colon can be felt within along the rest of the way to his rear end.  He came to us at four days old with his rectum bleeding and protruding.  His Doctor advised us that because of his short spine, there were neuromuscular developmental deficits about his rear end and its functions, and that some kittens so affected outgrow these issues, eventually attaining apparently normal function/s.

Bunny had some bladder incontinence, sometimes during excitement but also and especially during sleep, until he was near six weeks old.  I will write generally about his colorectal dysfunction problems shortly.  There have been some times with apparently improving bowel function – even regularity -- when we have expected that he was outgrowing his problems, developing to having more in the nature of normal strength and functioning back there.  When I joined TheCatSite last month was one of those times.  Then things got worse again.  Things have since improved again.

We have two soft hairbrushes for Bunny – a soft-bristled natural boar bristle brush and a much smaller soft-bristled nylon bristle brush, the type made for use on human infants.  We are very careful not to brush over his perianal area, nor – except only as has been necessary sometimes to assist him with defecation -- to press any more than ever-so-gently at and around where he would otherwise have had spine – the rear part of his back, and the back and upper sides of his rump.  When lifting and carrying him, we support his rear end structures by supporting either under his hind feet or under (behind) the back side of his thighs (but not the back side of his rump).

----------------------------

Bunny has always vocalized in connection with defecation, defecation efforts, and defecation urges.  In the beginning, deeper pitched screams told me he needed help about it.  When he became a little toddler, he would come to me, sit before me, cry, and nudge me insistently to tell me he needed help about it.  He still vocalizes before and in his litter boxes.

At times he dropped scattered BM segments in places other than his litter boxes.  A possible explanation is that he was lacking in normal sensation in his colon, but given that he obviously had sensation – urges and even pain – back there, I think it is more likely that he just had not developed the ordinary degree of bowel strength/control.

By the time Bunny was eight weeks old, the rectal prolapse that had nearly always accompanied his defecation was occurring with diminishing frequency, and he had defecated twice without coincident bleeding.  For a time, his problems seemed to be improving, because he was defecating nearly every day without assistance.   He was then eating canned kitten food with only about a ten percent (by volume) match in kitten chow.  Then came more bouts of constipation and his needing manual assistance about it.  For a time we added mineral oil laxative to his food when he was irregular; then for a time it was Cat Lax when he was irregular.  Around age sixteen weeks, twice his BMs amassed from constipation were so large and their passage so difficult as to be scary; one of those times, the accompanying rectal prolapse lasted over twelve hours.

We then eliminated the (little) dry component of his diet; started him on daily Lactulose; and we added substantially more water to his canned food.  The next week, two days after his neuter procedure, we bought MiraLAX and discontinued his daily Lactulose.  He has since defecated – and with nearer to normal size BMs (!!!!! Whew !!!!!) -- without help, either every day or (at least) every other day.  We still have not had to open the MiraLAX container.

Now, at a little over five pounds body weight, Bunny eats three 3-ounce cans of kitten food (with plenty more water mixed in) as six meals daily, served a few hours apart.

I suspect that, besides the constitutional (nerve system structure) abnormalities, and besides need for additional water content in his diet, another factor in Bunny’s recurrent constipation may have been his regular routine of having some days with much-reduced activity.  I am always very tired, and I require a great deal of rest.  Since about age eight weeks, every three to four days, Bunny has chosen (yes, entirely on his own inspiration and decision) to take the day off from so much (usual) play, to take rest with me instead.

---------------------------------

Deep gratitude to all in TheCatSite community  -- Wanda Doms and many others – who have shared so much invaluable learning that I have found from looking around on this site and have applied to Bunny’s care.  From them I learned so much particularly helpful stuff -- that the best diets for kitties are exclusively of wet foods; that adding water thereto has beneficial effects; that feeding discrete meals (with some hunger between) can improve on a kitty’s digestive functioning and cycling; that there are some troublesome effects possible from extended use of any of numerous laxative products, including but not limited to possible problems from sugary type laxatives; that if regular laxative use were necessary, MiraLAX would probably make for the best management; and much more.  My Husband and I thank you all, and so does our Bunny.  You all have truly improved our lives.

----------------------------------

For now, some suggestions to consider__

-- Strictly limit Beastie’s dry type training treats to nearly none, or eliminate them altogether.  Never feed him dry chow.  Never let him have access to dry chow.  I suggest you feed him separately from your other household members so you can know with certainty – because you may need to know with certainty -- when and what he has been eating.

-- Always keep track of your little boy’s excretory functions – regularity, timing, any indications of any difficulties.  If he ever needs laxative use, you will need to know if and when it is producing (or not) the desired results.  Once things are going smoothly, stuff he consumes should make the entire transit of his alimentary system in roughly twenty-four hours time.  Always keep mindful, in case you ever see fluid stool (not necessarily of very thin or watery consistency), that it could possibly be leakage from behind/around fecal impaction.  Once constipation is resolved, some fluid bowel leakage will likely follow before long.

-- Keep your children’s – and others’ -- handling of Beastie under your supervision unless they have sufficient understanding, maturity, and consideration always to appreciate his special condition and needs for great care in handling.

-- Do not delegate his coat grooming, not even his bathing.  Metal combs, rigid bristles, wire bristles, and misplaced or even ordinary pressure or tension (as may be customary or usual habit for groomers) at some areas could do damage to those precious, unusually limited nerves in those areas of most concern.  As you are already surely burdened with ongoing animal care needs and other family responsibilities and can fairly expect to remain at least as burdened, I think it would be fine to accompany him to have his claws clipped and to make sure nobody does you and Beastie any good-intentioned *favors* of doing any grooming outside the scope of claw trimming.  Go ahead, make it easier on yourself that way whenever you can. 

-- I recommend bathing him regularly.  A few days before his monthly topical repellent application is due would be a good time for his bathing.  If it should become necessary for him to have frequent baths, it will be easier for both of you if he already has regular baths in his experience.

-- Do your best to prevent fly access, gnat access, etc., and make sure your human household members understand the deadly danger of maggots.  I will post later about how you might prevent fly access during any necessary outings and also how you can reduce/minimize fly access at your household.  Frequently check your Beastie’s rump area for cleanliness, too..

-- Do your best to discourage any rather high jumping.  Consider that with lesser heights to and from which to jump, there would be lesser impact forces on the spine and those nerves extending at and near its rear end.

-- Understand that the naturally tailless ones such as our little boys are at very high risk of theft and at very high risk of cruel exploitation, besides.  They are wanted not only as *different*-looking pets, but for breeding too, and also as research specimens.  Have your Beastie microchipped; have him neutered; have him wear identifying tags, at least whenever it is necessary for him to be away from home; and take great care to keep him indoors-only.  Also with regard to protecting your Beastie by keeping him indoors whenever possible, consider too that the anal and perianal tissue of nearly every mammal has (physical) protections from direct sunshine and its hazards; but your baby’s has not, and he has very fair coloring, besides.

----------

I will be back later.
 
Last edited:

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
The vet is amazingly supportive and said if I can find any online treatments that are tried and true he will do anything for Beast Boy to live a happy life. He didn't even charge me for the visit, tests, and day long stay at the clinic. He's a great vet.
Veterinarians like yours should be cloned.  Lots.  Really. 


I suggest also that you have Beastie demonstrate for his Doctor how he urinates when held in that vertical positioning.  Have his Doctor show you how you can make reasonably sure of having Beastie's bladder sufficiently voided so as to head off any troubles that could come from urine retention.
 

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
He is a stray rescue. A friend asked me if I wanted him bc he had been hanging around his house. I know nothing about his past. He has no infections and is up to date on all of his vaccinations. When I got him he was literally COVERED in fleas. I picked off about 50 then bathed off about 100 then another 50. I've never ever seen a kitten covered in fleas like this. His underbelly looked like a static tv. It was awful.
 
I just hate it when that happens -- flea arrivals, I mean.

Good work!  Good for you! 
 

So sorry__ When I made that remark about Bebe's condition, I had not seen that particular video (with X-ray views) linked up there.  I had seen some other views of Bebe long before, though, that gave me the impression that his Spina Bifida was external. I seem to recall that it looked worse than what that video shows. Even in that video linked up there, it appears there might be some fluid leakage.  Perhaps he had a surgery in the interim between the time of that linked video and the time of his adoption.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

beastie momma

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 15, 2015
Messages
9
Purraise
2
Mewtant Mommy,

I don't think I can love you anymore. I read all of this aloud to my hubby and it is our Beasite boy to a tee and you, my friend, are a PLETHORA of information. Wow. I'm so happy I found this group. I wanted to give him an X-men name bc I felt like he was a mutant. We went with Beast Boy from Teen Titans and a nickname "beastie Boy" as an homage to my favorite rapping white boys. Haha!

He eats dry food. We have 3 other indoor cats that are 4 years old. Beastie can unlock the garage cat door so how can contain him? And our house shifts with houston weather when doors don't shut. How do I make him eat separate food?

Thank you, thank you! Xoxoxo
 

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
One of the most effective practices to prevent animal escapes -- using doors only in "airlock" fashion -- also happens to be a very good way to reduce or minimize fly and other flying bug access. By "airlock" here, I mean not (necessarily) true airlock doors, but using (sets of) doors in series, always having either in the series completely closed before the other door in the series is opened.

Among all the security systems available, there are some (powered lock sets with door-to-door-communicating sensor systems) that can make for the arrangement that neither door in a series can be opened unless the other is closed. These devices are made to ensure pretty reliable "airlock" style door practices where there are, say, differently-abled, forgetful, careless, irresponsible, or otherwise unreliable persons among the users. Of course, there can still be failures from power disruptions (or power source failures), mechanical malfunctions or failures, and/or use of emergency override control that would permit more than one door on such a system to be opened at the same time anyway.

Bunny Never leaves home unless harnessed, leashed, wearing his tags, and (And, not or) inside his latched travel crate. When he is at home, unrestrained, there is Always at least one closed door between him and the outdoors. The practice -- without exceptions -- of using doors in airlock fashion is an Absolute rule here.

There are three entries to our house. One is the (single) front door. It is Never opened unless/until Bunny is already put away behind another closed (interior) door. Another entry is from the garage. That door is Never opened unless/until the garage door is completely closed, and the garage door is Never opened unless/until that other door (in that series) is completely closed. The one other entry here is the back door, which opens to a screened-in porch with screen door (all the screening being of the nylon type). Neither door in that series is opened unless/until the other is completely closed. Bunny is Never permitted access to the porch; but if he should ever escape to the porch, its screening enclosure and (latched) door will most likely buy us the very little time necessary to retrieve him to the safety of the indoors.

Anyone who lives indoors and has even rather limited use of their arms and legs can keep their kitty (or kitties) from going outside. As some examples, even a small porch (or stoop) might be enclosed and have a door added to be used in series with another in airlock fashion. A person having only a single-door entry at their single-room dwelling might add to (inside) their household a cast, airspace-insulated PVC type shed (they are available in a wide range of sizes) with a door and integrated grating across its vent openings; with that improvised additional interior room, they could prevent escape through an exterior door, and they could leave their kitty or kitties therein with all necessaries (food, water, litter box, bed, and toys) for their well-being for the routine absences of their human household member(s).

Door-dashing, by its very definition, is (successfully) done only by able-bodied animals. Door-dashing plans can be easily and harmlessly defeated by loosely wrapping an otherwise culprit kitty in a bed sheet, a blanket, anything like that, then putting the inconvenienced kitty away behind the (closed) door to a safe (kitty-proofed) interior space -- even if that safe interior space is one of the modern PVC type sheds as I generally described above.

-----------------

Have plenty of flyswatters in your home. Consider the presence of any (living) fly or flies in your home an emergency.

There are some great electric flyswatters -- they look like little toy racquets with metal grids -- that make bug-killing easier and no-mess. They present some hazards to others than bugs, though, so they should not be accessible to pets nor any others who would not have the maturity and understanding always to use them responsibly and with regard to their precautionary safety warnings.

-----------

Translucent polypropylene storage tubs with latching lids -- of the Sterilite, etc. type -- can make excellent, safe (except for overheating danger), economical travel carriers for most smallish pets, and they can easily be draped for shading (Essential!) and to help prevent fly access. To drill (way too small for escape) ventilation holes in the lid and in (along) the upper walls of the container part, first brace the area to be drilled over a wooden board beneath it (stand on it to keep it braced over the board during drilling). Roughness about the ventilation holes can be sanded away with sandpaper or emery cloth.

There are also some oblong shaped polypropylene travel carriers designed for birds. They can work very well for many types of small mammals too. They have smooth ventilation holes in their domed lids and also around the lower part of their (lower) container sections. The ventilation hole arrangement in this type is conducive to (cooling) updrafts. These also can easily be draped for shading (Essential!) and to help prevent fly access. The domed lids of this type have additional openings (apparently for handling within, without having to open the domed lid) that can be sealed closed with ordinary silicone caulk. The little caulking job, once done, should be put outdoors to fully "cure."

There are also soft-sided carriers -- styled as large handbags, tote bags, and duffel bags, and having screened panels -- for small to smallish dogs and cats. These are typically made of synthetic -- even plasticized -- materials. These are generally not so good at holding their (intended) shapes, and their materials also tend to stiffen (in distortion) as they age.

---------

For draping material, you should use only white (for best sunlight reflection), fairly loosely-woven, all-cotton material. White cotton flour-sack type dishtowels are ideal for this use. If they are not large enough for your needs, you can sew some of them together to make larger (area) drapes of them. You can find them at those big discount department stores having names ending in the syllable "Mart."
 
Last edited:

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
He eats dry food. We have 3 other indoor cats that are 4 years old. [...]   How do I make him eat separate food?
 
Bunny’s Doctor informed us that of cats having been fed exclusively dry diets, by age one year, some eighty percent would never thereafter accept any wet cat foods; and that by age two years, some ninety percent would never thereafter accept any wet cat foods. 

Your Beastie Boy is plenty young enough to make the transition to entirely wet diet. 

[thread="305587"]Food Thief#post_3830633Originally Posted by MewtantMommy  [img]http://www.thecatsite.com/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/img]
 
Animals know from smell when another is getting medicine or food different from theirs.  Sometimes, as when they are given only scheduled meals, they see another/others eating nearby as in competition with them for food.

For a time I had two boys who were fed exactly the same meals, in separate identical dishes, at the same times, and one wanted to fight the other for food at their mealtimes.  First I tried placing their meals and them into separate large deep Sterilite storage tubs.  That turned out not to be a complete solution.  The rest of the solution was to drill ventilation holes in the lids and clamp the lids on until they were finished eating.  The cleanup was easy – just tipped the tubs over the kitchen sink and used the spraying hose in them.
[/thread]
 
Last edited:

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
Mewtant Mommy,

I don't think I can love you anymore. I read all of this aloud to my hubby and it is our Beasite boy to a tee and you, my friend, are a PLETHORA of information. Wow. I'm so happy I found this group. I wanted to give him an X-men name bc I felt like he was a mutant. We went with Beast Boy from Teen Titans and a nickname "beastie Boy" as an homage to my favorite rapping white boys. Haha!

He eats dry food. We have 3 other indoor cats that are 4 years old. Beastie can unlock the garage cat door so how can contain him? And our house shifts with houston weather when doors don't shut. How do I make him eat separate food?

Thank you, thank you! Xoxoxo
Hmmmm.  I am going to hazard a really wild guess here – that you have not (yet) encountered any angry or frightened raccoons or skunks in your garage.

Did you know about these critters? 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baylisascaris_procyonis

Did you know that one of these – yes, like this one – is quite capable of killing a grown man?


Did you know about this?

http://www.chron.com/news/houston-t...tinues-for-snake-in-movie-theater-1482652.php

Yes, I am trying to scare you – but not to make your life fearful nor dreadful.  I am trying to scare you only to encourage you to make some safety-minded changes you reasonably can, because I wish for you all to be okay, safe, well as you can be.  I appreciate and love you all too.  Thank you so much for being *in there* with me in this challenge for us and our Little Ones. 



-------------------------

Here is what you can do about the cat door and your (swelling) human doors.  Address your Hubby by your most intimate “pet name” for him, and in your sweetest, most intriguing and hopeful tone, tell him that you have made some *very special plans* for this weekend.  Then you can assign him the tasks of these home improvement type alterations.  He can somehow seal the cat door shut to prevent its use ( a roll of duct tape might make for an effective temporary or even long-term fix), or he can restore (or patch-up) the structure into which it was installed.  Husbands just love to work with tools and duct tape and such, especially power tools.

Where swollen wooden doors (or door jambs) interfere with door closing, the edges of the affected doors (or jambs) can be shaved/reduced  with a hand plane (wood plane) or a Sawzall type power tool.  Using a Sawzall tool for this task is much quicker and easier than using a plane.  Another fix, but involving a great deal more bother and expense, is replacement of those doors with fiberglass doors. If you opt to shave/reduce any affected door or door jamb edges to make your doors close smoothly, you may have to repeat that chore at some later time when your weather has again been rather damp.

Remind your human family members to make sure the kitties are kept put away behind the door/s of some interior room/s for all the time your Hubby will be at work on the cat door and other doors.
 
Last edited:

mewtantmommy

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Aug 20, 2015
Messages
126
Purraise
10
I know that my sweet Beastie is going to need a lot of love, care, attention, and medical attention. I'm willing to be the best I can be to make his life the best.
 
This states exactly my feelings about my Bunny and my role in his life. 
 
Top