Adopting a kitten with a history of paralysis & no diagnosis

Tomorrow I will be meeting a 7 month old kitten with a history of paralysis. His foster mom said he was always a "wiggly" and "wobbly" kitten. At one point, he became completely paralyzed(could only move his head/neck). He recovered and was adopted out and then returned when he developed hind leg paralysis. When I first read his adoption ad, he was still paralyzed(hind limbs). This is why I wanted to adopt him(I have a cat with a history of sudden paralysis and he and my one of my others has a neurological condition). However, when I contacted his foster mom she revealed that he had recovered and is now able to walk. It sounds like he might still be a bit "wiggly," though, and he also has a significant kink in his tail.

I asked what the vet had said and she told me the vet first suspected rabies, then believed maybe it was cerebellar hyposplasia. I've had a CH cat and his symptoms were a constant. He's had X-Rays and the ad says he's been tested for FIV/FeLV. She also said he's never had URI symptoms and appear to be healthy and very playful.


It sounds like he's currently doing very well. I'm concerned that his paralysis might be viral in nature, however, and am worried whatever he has could be transmitted to my cats, one of whom is geriatric with health concerns. I know FIP and a number of other conditions could cause paralysis. I would of course isolate him before introducing him to my cats but, having adopted a kitten with FIP in the past and having gone through that painful paranoia, I'm hesitant. At the same time, I love the idea of adopting another disabled cat.

Any thoughts as to what this could be? Any thoughts on the risk to my own very beloved cats? I'll be traveling about 2 hours to meet him tomorrow.

Wow, I'm amazed she mentioned the vet suspected rabies, just like that. Rabies is such a huge threat for people, I can't understand how a vet would just release an animal suspected of rabies back home. 

Anyway, obviously it wasn't rabies, so "Whew!" on that. I think your concerns are justified. I'm not sure I would introduce a kitten with this kind of medical history into a household with other cats, let alone one who is geriatric. Even if your cats are all fully vaccinated, not everything is covered by vaccines, and even if it happens to be a vaccine-preventable disease, the chance that the vaccine didn't "take" is fairly high in older animals.

Of course, the risk exists even with a perfectly healthy-looking kitten. With a kitten that's been ill, there is the additional issue of which pathogen was involved and for how long would a recovered patient keep shedding it. I know that in humans it can be anything from not shedding any pathogen once the symptoms subside to shedding them for months afterwards. I agree that identifying the cause would have been very helpful. 

I think you should discuss this with your veterinarian before making the decision. He or she may be able to help you make an informed decision based on the nature of your older cat's condition too.

I'm sorry I don't have a better answer. I think it's wonderful that you want to help a special-needs kitten but you raised some very good questions about the risks for your other cats.

I agree, the symptoms of CH are consistent. Cats don't get better or worse like how you've described. What worries me is that maybe this kitten has another neurological condition that mimics CH. I4f I remember right there are some that will appear to be CH but are actually brain wasting diseases without a cure. You might even need a referral to a neurology expert for this one.

Other things I'd consider include infections, toxoplasmosis, tumors, blood clots, or physical defects of the spine. Way beyond me though, definitely find a good vet/neurologist.

Thank you both so much for your replies; they helped me make my decision. It just does not seem like a good option for me/my feline family right now. I already bring my oldest to specialists and so much of my focus is on his wellbeing right now. I really liked the idea of adding this guy to my family but I don't know that Id be reassured even after paying hundreds/thousands to specialists, given what I went through with FIP. I'm also not ready to lose another cat I'm sure I'll come to love(I lost my oldest in October). I would guess that he's perfectly fine, given how the Foster described him(extremely playful, happy), but I just can't risk my cats(or invest a huge amount financially, emotionally, time wise right off the bat). Thank you for reassuring me that I'm not just being paranoid.

Edit: Foster mom just told me their vet did not feel it was viral and am X-ray revealed a malformed vertabrae. Now I'm torn, once again.

Good news! The foster mom knows a vet tech who knows a neurologist he said he'll see the kitten. . She reiterated that her vet believed it was not viral and was a "birth injury," which also caused him to have a very crooked tail.

One reason I'm interested in him is that his condition improved dramatically after she took in more foster cats. He loves playing with them and I know my cats would enjoy him.

Ah, poor buddy! If it helps your decision at all, there are people who own very severe CH cats. You know, ones that are so bad they can't walk or use the litterbox by themselves. They keep them in those soft-sided baby pens when not supervised and make little slings to help stabilize them so they can eat. If this little guy were to go south again, it could be dealt with. Just need some creativity.