I'm considering adopting 2 kittens with CH. 1 has a more mild-moderate form and can get around pretty well; the other is more severe and right now at 7-8 weeks mostly drags herself with her front legs and isn't able to stand up very well or walk around easily.
I had a cat with CH for 14 years (mild-moderate) so after she passed away I specifically reached out to PAWS asking about kitties with CH I could adopt. I'm not worried about the milder case, but I am more concerned about the severe case and things I can do to help her since this is new to me and I will sometimes not be able to be at home to help her get to food or the litterbox.
I'll be working from home at least until Jan 2021 so the good news is I'll almost always be home to help her out for awhile as she's growing. I also remember my former kitty, Squeaky, did get quite a bit better over her first few months and years as she learned how to accommodate some of her issues, and her head tremor went away almost entirely by the time she was 5 or so. I don't think she was 'cured' by any means, but she learned how to manage around her disability and get around pretty well. She was also an amazing climber.
I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on ways I could work with the more severe kitten that might help her build muscle and possibly learn to get around a little better since the brain can be pretty plastic. I've been looking into things like kitty walkers / wheelchairs to help her get some experience walking, but I'm not sure how well that would work for a growing kitten since size would change so often. I've also read things like putting them almost in a 'sling' on their stomach so they can walk with their paws but only supporting a fraction of the weight can help, as a form of physical therapy.
If anyone has experience with this or resources online, I'd love for ideas on how to help her learn and maybe get a little bit better control especially while she's young. Money is not a huge issue (I'm not made of money but I have a pretty good job and I consider pets as part of the family) so I'm open to ideas that may be a little expensive if they have potential. I'm just not sure what to try.
I'm going to talk to my vet about it too once the adoption is complete in a week or so, but I'm not sure my vet is that familiar with more severe CH. I do have a former vet who I know has 2 CH kitties so I'm going to email him for ideas too.
Anyway I'm open to ideas, please post any resources, links, or just personal experiences you may have had with kitties with more severe CH. I'm not so much worried about my furniture or carpet (that can be replaced) but I also don't want her to be miserable and not able to get to food or litterbox when I do have to go back to work during the day...
I had a cat with CH for 14 years (mild-moderate) so after she passed away I specifically reached out to PAWS asking about kitties with CH I could adopt. I'm not worried about the milder case, but I am more concerned about the severe case and things I can do to help her since this is new to me and I will sometimes not be able to be at home to help her get to food or the litterbox.
I'll be working from home at least until Jan 2021 so the good news is I'll almost always be home to help her out for awhile as she's growing. I also remember my former kitty, Squeaky, did get quite a bit better over her first few months and years as she learned how to accommodate some of her issues, and her head tremor went away almost entirely by the time she was 5 or so. I don't think she was 'cured' by any means, but she learned how to manage around her disability and get around pretty well. She was also an amazing climber.
I'm wondering if anyone has ideas on ways I could work with the more severe kitten that might help her build muscle and possibly learn to get around a little better since the brain can be pretty plastic. I've been looking into things like kitty walkers / wheelchairs to help her get some experience walking, but I'm not sure how well that would work for a growing kitten since size would change so often. I've also read things like putting them almost in a 'sling' on their stomach so they can walk with their paws but only supporting a fraction of the weight can help, as a form of physical therapy.
If anyone has experience with this or resources online, I'd love for ideas on how to help her learn and maybe get a little bit better control especially while she's young. Money is not a huge issue (I'm not made of money but I have a pretty good job and I consider pets as part of the family) so I'm open to ideas that may be a little expensive if they have potential. I'm just not sure what to try.
I'm going to talk to my vet about it too once the adoption is complete in a week or so, but I'm not sure my vet is that familiar with more severe CH. I do have a former vet who I know has 2 CH kitties so I'm going to email him for ideas too.
Anyway I'm open to ideas, please post any resources, links, or just personal experiences you may have had with kitties with more severe CH. I'm not so much worried about my furniture or carpet (that can be replaced) but I also don't want her to be miserable and not able to get to food or litterbox when I do have to go back to work during the day...