Cats with Cerebellar Hypoplasia

Flickr: kiyoshi.be

These stories really pull my heartstrings. Charley, Smokey, Dizzy and Roxy are amazing cats with cerebellar hypoplasia, which means their motor skills are not as great as other cats.

Cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) is a medical condition where part of the brain that controls a cat’s coordination is underdeveloped during kitten-hood.  Most CH cases are known to be congenital where kittens are born with it. Though this condition is not treatable, it does not prevent a kitten from living a fairly normal life.

Cats with cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) appear to stagger and have uncoordinated motion and slight tremors. Unfortunately many cats with cerebellar hypoplasia are put down because many people do not believe that they are adoptable pets. Quite the contrary, a cat with cerebellar hypoplasia do not require special care, nor are they in pain. These kitties can live as long as any other cats and might just be one of the most precious kitties you have ever had.

(Watch the videos below to meet several very special kitties with CH)

Dizzy with cerebellar hypoplasia

“Dizzy is a fun little kitten who has a serious balance problem.

Specifically, she has cerebellar hypoplasia, which screws with her balance.

That doesn’t stop her from chasing the cat dancer or wrestling with other cats.

She does move pretty slowly and has been known to fall down a lot.

Perhaps that’s why she likes lying there and being petted so much?

She was adopted from the BARC shelter in September 2007.”

- flickr: Marcus in NY

First video: meet Charley

Second video: “Smokey was a 21-year-old cat with half his whiskers missing whowobbled when he walked. This condition was due to cerebral damage. In spite of his difficult mobility, Smokey was one of the happiest cats alive. Smokey passed away in 2007 during his retirement in Maine. He is greatly missed.”

Third video: “This is my baby girl Roxy, my pride and joy, whom I adopted from BARC shelter when she was a very tiny 4 months old baby known as ‘Jello’. She’s now 1 year old and has gotten quite good at dealing with the condition she was born with, Cerebellar Hypoplasia. She doesn’t let it stop her at all though and just keeps on trying until she gets it done in her own way. At the end of this video she does a somersault which she does whenever she gets too excited.”