Note: What follows is a summary of the cause and symptoms of the condition Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH) which is present in some of our cats. It is by no means a definitive description of the condition, which can vary from cat to cat. If you are considering adopting one of our CH cats please discuss the cat concerned with Sherouk (preferably in a video call) and, for further reassurance, consult your veterinary surgeon who will be dealing with the cat's care.
At Cairo Cat Rescue & Rehoming Champions HQ we have several cats and kittens which have CH. This is a condition which is inherited from their mother when she becomes infected with the panleukopenia virus. Catching panleukopenia can arise from inter-breeding which produces cats with a weakened immune system to what is a particularly infectious disease. Since there is no regulation of breeding in Egypt it's more prevalent there, though it is to be found in all parts of the world. In Egypt many unvaccinated and probably inter-bred cats end up abandoned on the streets due to over-breeding. There is also a theory that under-nourished mothers could cause their kittens to develop the condition so that makes our street cats particularly vulnerable, as is the likelihood of trauma to an unborn kitten. The final factor is of course the lack of vaccination against panleukopenia amongst both breeders and street cats. It is a disease which is easily prevented by a prominent vaccination programme.
The beautiful Sassy, a two-year old Shirazi with mild CH, who is looking for his forever home.
Sassy can play perfectly with other cats.. walks and runs with no difficulties .. also he is using the litter tray perfectly.
A mother with the panleukopenia virus in the later stages of her pregnancy passes it on to some or all of her unborn kittens whose cerebellum in the brain is undergoing development. The virus attacks developing cells and the cerebellum is the area of the brain which governs movement. So it is the cat's movement which is primarily affected and this becomes noticeable when the kitten starts to walk. Kittens from the same family can have different degrees of CH or none at all.
CH affects a cat's balance and co-ordination and its severity depends on the extent of the damage to the cerebellum. Contrary to some original theories severity does not progress throughout the cat's life, though of course, as with all cats, it may be affected by the natural ageing process. These theories in the past led to cats with the condition being euthanised because of anticipated disease progression and poor quality of life.
For simplicity, but not always total accuracy, CH is classified into mild, moderate or severe.
Cats like Sassy above can get around with minor interference and play with other cats. Some may have a funny walk, trip over themselves of have mild head tremors. They might have some difficulty jumping but they can in most respects function like a normal cat, including using the litter tray.
Cats with moderate CH are likely to have a more wobbly walk, have more difficulty maintaining their balance to get around and rarely jump. They can sometimes take longer to eat because of head tremors and may have special requirements for using the litter tray like Grace, one of our moderate CH cats, who requires a meticulously clean litter tray - something which most cat owners should aim at providing anyway.
Lovely Grace our girl with moderate CH who demands a specially clean litter tray. She is very popular in the Rescue but she's looking for her forever home too
Cats with severe CH find mobility much more difficult and require special assistance to move, eat and use the litter tray. They are sometimes incontinent and require a nappy. Taking on a cat with severe CH is no light undertaking.
This is a very simplistic summary for those of you considering the rewarding task of taking on a CH cat. There are many excellent articles on the web advising how you can make their life easier from provision of a larger litter tray (in case they overbalance) to baby gates (to stop them trying to use stairs) to climbing aids by furniture - if they can't jump they can still usually climb and enjoy doing so.
Members who have adopted from our Rescue are effusive about the joy these cats bring.
So when you are looking to adopt, don't neglect our CH cats. No cat should be ignored just because it needs that little bit of extra care.
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