Arthur, my little bear

We got a call a few days after Halloween from the Petco manager. Someone had found a mother cat and her two kittens in a creekbed, could we come and get them? Of course we said yes. Mom was a pretty, young brown tabby who we named Tabitha; her days-old kittens, a grey and a black, both boys, we named Umbriel and Arthur. Umbriel only lived for three weeks, and at that time Tabitha rejected Arthur. We had a heck of a time bottle feeding him, and somehow were able to convince her to take her baby back.

By the time he was weaned, it was becoming obvious that something was not right with Arthur. He was soon diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH), and the vet more or less told us the kind thing to do was to put him to sleep.

We took him home to cry and think. I got online and found a Yahoo! club for people with CH kitties, and the more I learned, the more convinced I was that Arthur could live an almost normal life, given the chance.

He is now 4 months old and took his very first walk this past week, he still mostly flops but is getting stronger and more agile all the time. He is a normal kitten in every sense of the word, except for mobility. He is a very silly and extremely affectionate little guy, and he has thoroughly captured our hearts.

Tabitha has since been adopted out, but Arthur is a keeper!

Here he is at 3 months:

This one was taken two weeks ago, I love the natural sunlight on his fur.

Aww... Sue ... What a pretty little baby Arthur is. I just love his eyes also... How are your other kitlets getting along with him? Nice seeing you posting again btw .

aww so cute

Originally Posted by sandra

Aww... Sue

... What a pretty little baby Arthur is. I just love his

eyes also... How are your other kitlets getting along with him? Nice seeing you posting again btw

.

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He LOVES the other cats, and for the most part, it's mutual. The seniors don't appreciate it though when he bats at their noses and bites their tails!
Fizzgig has adoped him as her baby brother. They all take turns grooming him, and then everyone naps together. He can climb up on the bed (it is a low to the ground futon, so it is easy for him to reach) and will snuggle up next to whoever's there.

Awww, Arthur is a darling!
Sue, could you tell me about CH? Is it a disease or a birth defect? Why would the vet recomment euthanasia (sp?)? Is the cat in pain?

It is a birth defect, caused when the momcat is exposed to distemper while pregnant. It affects the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls balance and coordination. It is sort of like cerebral palsy in humans.

Vets up until very recently almost always recommended euthanasia for CH. Now that more people are choosing to keep the kits, and they see that they not only are normal in every other way, but they learn to compensate a great deal for their "handicap" as they grow.

The shelter manager where we volunteer also thought CH was a death sentence. Since we found Arthur, they got in a CH cat and with our help, were able to get her adopted to a good, loving home with a woman who already has a CH cat! It's become one of my new "causes", educating people about CH. Arthur is going to be a celebrity, he just doesn't know it yet, LOL!

Originally Posted by Mom of 10 Cats

The shelter manager where we volunteer also thought CH was a death sentence.

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Thanks for the info.

But I suppose for ferals or homeless cats, it is a death sentence. Maybe that's why Tabitha rejected him in the beginning.

He's adorable, bless you for taking care of him. I've never heard of CH, thank you for telling us about it.

Arthur is just the sweetest little button!

Author is so beautiful. Your story is so sad, and yet so happy! I'm so glad you decided to give the little guy a chance. He is so happy to have you as his Meowmy, I'm sure.

Wow Arthur is such a little cutie! Bless you Sue!

How are all the other cats doing? and also how are you?

It's really good to see you posting!

We're hanging in there! Sam, I made a web page for our rescue (and our cats of course), it is in my sig.

I am now the Mom of 30 Cats (gulp).

Wow 30 cats! Sue, I'm going to check out your website now-

Arthur is just precious! It's wonderful what you're doing....educating people about CH and giving Arthur a chance at a happy, healthy life. Your story brought tears to my eyes.

I had never heard of CH. Thanks for sharing to info with us. Great website!

Thank you for all that you do for the animals of your world. I read with interest the de-clawing site and cried upon reading the Rainbow Bridge site. The story of Della and her family was so sad. I truly hope little Arthur does well and continues to thrive in your loving care. Thanks again. Laurey

Awww he's an angel Its so great that you gave him a chance at life and that you are educating people about it! I had never heard of it but Im glad I know a bit more about it now!

What an angel you are

Bless his little heart he's so sweet

Awww, Arthur is such a sweetie!
In the 70's we had a cat that had cerebral palsy, ( I know that's probably different than CH) the vet wanted to put him right to sleep because he said the cat wouldn't live a year, my sister just wouldn't allow it. Well, he lived to be 11 years old and had a very happy life.