Ataxic and Urinary Incontinent kitten

Hello! I am hoping someone can give me some insight as to what is going on with my foster kitten. He was in Los Angeles in a foster home. The foster parent said both he and his brother were healthy but she suspected they had CH. They were flown to the shelter I foster for. Upon arrival one of the kittens was in very bad shape. He was obviously alive but incredibly unresponsive and lethargic. He was also incontinent. They were waiting for clearance to euthanize him but several days went by and he started perking up and now he is in my care along with his brother. Both are ataxic. One has urinary incontinence issues. They have been to a neurologist who could not seem to figure out what is causing their issues. They are not CH kitties. We are currently waiting for blood work to rule out some degenerative conditions but in the mean time I am wondering if anyone has ever experienced anything like this before? Also, one of them (the one that is more ataxic than the other but isn't incontinent) doesn't have much feeling in his tail. He somehow managed to rip the skin off the tip exposing the bone last night and at the neurologist's today he was pretty unresponsive to her using a clamp type thing to try and elicit a response. Any info is appreciated!

I can break it down here..

kitten #1

semi ataxic

urinary incontinent

kitten #2

more ataxic than kitten #1

not a while lot of feeling in tail

Both are eating, drinking, and playing well. Although, until next week when he can have his tail tip amputated they will have to lay low a little. I'm keeping it clean.  

I'm going to have to do some thinking on this one.

What type of testing did the neurologist do? A CT or MRI? EMG? Was this a neurologist at a vet school?

Any blood tests done?

The neuro checked their reflexes, eyes (movements, pupils, etc.) and watched their gait. She also expressed his bladder. It was easily expressed. The appointment was a consult so no CT, MRI, or EMG. She is looking over his (the one with incontinence) x-rays. We are going to have blood work done to rule some things out. His urinalysis came back normal. She was not at a vet school. She's a specialist at an emergency veterinary hospital and her special interested are in neuroanatomy, neurosurgery, and cerebellar disease.

From what she was able to see from today they do not have CH and she ruled out some other things as well. The question now is whether or not it will progress or just stay the way it is for both of them.

I just want to make sure I understand, is the doctor you saw a board certified neurologist or is she a dvm with an interest in neurology?

I am assuming they are using radiographs to rule out orthopedic issues that would cause neurologic symptoms (like a disk or other type of injury to the spinal bones.)

Did the vet put the kittens on any medication? Steroids?

Are the kittens' feet in proper position when they stand up and move around?

I have a 16 mo old (Achilles) with a neurologic condition that affects his rear limbs (neuropathy and myopathy...basically nerve and muscle atrophy of unknown origin.) My questions are coming from my experience with him.

Do you know what diseases/infections they are testing for with the blood work? Toxoplasmosis is usually high on the list.

Will you go back to the vet you saw once labs are back in? Have you discussed what the next step my be in trying to diagnose?

I hope you don't mind all my questions. I'm just very curious about all of this. There is really so little known about neurologic issues in cats, and only a handful of definitive diseases.

I will add...
Achilles never had issues with bladder control; but, he did have problems with bowel control. He did eventually outgrow this issue when he was about 10/11 months old. And, luckily, aside from 2 weeks (he had giardia) his stool was always solid. I just kept him confined to a small area that I could clean easily.

I look forward to an update and hope you are able to get some answers soon!

Nope I don't mind all the questions

She's a board certified neurologist.

She is waiting for the blood work results to come back before making any decisions on medications. Since whatever they have is not causing them to rapidly decline or decline at all at the moment we are waiting on making any decisions on meds or other treatment until the blood work has been thoroughly looked at. These kittens are shelter babies and unfortunately the shelter doesn't have unlimited funds to put into these two. They do their absolute best but money can sometimes be an issue. The neurologist did the consult as a favor because she is friends with our foster coordinator who also came to the appointment. I am not sure if we will be making another appointment with the kittens. I know that the coordinator was dropping off the X-rays last night (she had forgotten to bring them to the appointment yesterday). Despite the fact that the consult was free, the neurologist was very thorough and seemed very interested in their case. She really wanted to get her hands on the X-rays and the blood work results. She will keep the foster coordinator updated with what comes up in the labs. Their office is always incredibly busy and she sees countless patients with neurological problems but this case seems to be one of the unique ones. If she suggests medications (which she had mentioned she might depending on what she finds) the shelter will pay for it. If she suggests an MRI I will find a way to get the money for that.

She had mentioned that muscle atrophy could be a cause but that normally doesn't cause urinary incontinence. It is possible that the urinary incontinence was caused by a tail injury though. What I find strange is that once I express the incontinent kitten's bladder (I can never get all of it out) he will walk into the litter box and finish peeing. He does it while standing up but it's odd that he seems to have some control of it sometimes and others it just dribbles down his legs. She also mentioned that it could be hydrocephalus and that may be why he was so listless after the plane ride.

She said they are running every test they can on the blood. She is very perplexed by their situation.

update: I believe both kittens have tail pull injuries. That would explain why the one kitten has issues with his back legs as well as tail numbness and paralysis and the other is incontinent. I am still waiting to hear back about the blood work and x-Rays. It should only be another day or two. Both babies are still happy little guys.

If anyone is reading this and has heard of a similar situation please let me know!
Kitten #1: back legs are wobbly. Neurologist says it is not CH. He also has a numb and limp tail.

Kitten #2: urinary incontinence and a very very very slight ataxic gait