FUR Sanctuary Manager reveals the truth about cerebellar hypoplasia in cats in this informative interview.
Ashley: Hi! I’m here with Emily, Sanctuary Manager for FUR Feline Urgent Rescue of WNC, and we are going to learn a bit about cerebellar hypoplasia, or “CH,” and how it affects cats. Emily is here with her foster kitten, Boots, who is living with CH. Why don’t you start with telling us about what you do in your role as Sanctuary manager at FUR?
Emily: Sure. I do a little bit of everything — I create and oversee all of our protocols for running the Sanctuary an caring for the cats. On the five days a week that I work, I also help clean and cover for when we don’t have volunteers, handle adoption appointments and intakes, administer medicines and make vet appointments. Basically, I do whatever needs to be done.
Ashley: I’m sure all of the volunteers are thrilled to have you at FUR running the show! How did you come to animal advocacy work?
Emily: I started at Sarge’s Animal Rescue as a kennel staff person about 7 years ago, and I worked there for 6 years before I saw the job opening at FUR. And then I applied for that!
Cerebellar Hypoplasia Prevention
Ashley: I bet FUR is very happy to have you and your experience. Tonight, you and I are talking about cerebellar hypoplasia. I believe it’s also called “wobbly cat” disorder?
Emily: Yes. It’s a neurological condition that is actually fairly common in cats. The mild cases often go undiagnosed. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes the cerebellum to be a little bit smaller. It’s something that happens before the cat is born. It’s typically caused when the mom is infected by feline parvovirus, also known as panleukopenia. Panleukopenia is an illness that is prevented by the FVRCP vaccine, which is something that is typically given to cats as a yearly vaccine. So, it’s a very preventable disease. You just have to keep up to date on vaccines.
Ashley: And feline parvovirus is extremely contagious from what I understand.
Emily: Yes, it is.
Cerebellar Hypoplasia Symptoms
Ashley: And while the symptoms are quite a quick onset, Panleukopenia does not cross species, correct?
Emily: That is right. Though parvovirus is very dangerous to both cats and dogs, it has different symptoms and affects each species differently.
Ashley: So, when panleukopenia turns into CH, it’s the cat’s cerebellum that’s affected?
Emily: Yes, that’s correct. It makes the cerebellum, which is the part of the brain that controls movement and balance, smaller than normal. Cerebellar hypoplasia halts the cat’s development in the womb. And CH can often affect more than one cat in the litter. But, in Boots’ case, they do believe that she was the only kitten that was affected.
Ashley: Movement and balance are exceptionally important to a species that is known for its balancing acts!
Emily: Very important!
Ashley: How can we spot when a kitten has this disorder?
Emily: It is something that’s usually noticed when they are starting to walk. Usually, at about 3-4 weeks. In Boots’ case they noticed it when she was about 4 weeks. It’s really hard to tell at first whether it’s just the normal kitten unbalance or if it’s cerebellar hypoplasia. With CH, you typically notice that one or more of the kittens in the litter just isn’t moving as expected. CH kittens can also be smaller than their litter mates. But as the CH kittens continue to develop, they usually get a little bit steadier. It often just takes them a little bit longer to reach milestones that the other kittens in the litter.
Cerebellar Hypoplasia Prognosis
Ashley: And with CH is there a cure or a treatment protocol?
Emily: There is no cure or treatment. CH ranges from mild to severe symptoms. Boots’ case is moderate to severe. Usually, it’s a spectrum. Some cats will be better on some aspects and worse on others. They will typically get steadier throughout their lives, as they learn to get a little bit stronger.
Ashley: Are cats with CH in any pain?
Emily: No. It’s completely painless. In fact, the cats don’t know there’s anything wrong with them.
Ashley: If the cats don’t know there’s anything wrong with them, what should we know about cats who are living with this disorder?
Emily: You should know that CH is not contagious, and that cats with CH live normal lifespans. You just have to treat them like any other cats. They enjoy playing, food and cuddles. Most of the mild cases of CH really don’t require a whole lot of modification to your lifestyle to allow them to live in your home. But when you reach the more severe levels of CH, you do sometimes need to give the cats extra care. With very severe cases, the cats may need some help with bowel movements, feeding, drinking, and things like that.
Ashley: It seems that cats who have CH can live perfectly comfortable lives and be really great pets!
Emily: Exactly! It’s a very misunderstood disorder. A lot of vets in this area still don’t totally understand it. In Boots’ case, the initial veterinary recommendations were for euthanasia. But it wasn’t necessary. CH cats can have perfectly happy lives. You just have to find the right home for them.
Meet Boots, a FUR Kitten with Cerebellar Hypoplasia
Ashley: Tell us a little bit more about Boots.
Emily: FUR got Boots when she was 6-weeks old. Her original owner got a stray cat which turned out to be pregnant. The stray had a litter of kittens, and the original owner felt like she could find homes for all of them except for Boots. She took Boots to the vet, who recommended euthanasia, because he also did not feel like Boots would be a good candidate for rehoming.
Ashley: And Boots is about 4-months old? She looks like a long-haired tortie.
Emily: Yes.
Ashley: For those who can’t see her in action right now, she is laying a in a cat bassinet in which she is exceedingly comfortable. And she is absolutely adorable.
Emily: Isn’t she?! So, the original owner reached out to us when Boots was about 4-weeks old. Boots had a lot of potty accidents and didn’t have much control over her movements. It just wasn’t going well. She was a bit overwhelmed, and she didn’t feel like she was going to be able to rehome or continue to care for this kitten. She reached out to us for help.
Ashley: And you ended up fostering Boots?
Emily: Well, I have always really liked special needs cats. That’s especially true for CH kitties. They’re just very rewarding to work with. So, I kind of jumped in there to foster Boots myself. At that point she at 6-weeks old. She was not able to walk on her own, stand up, eat or drink on her own or she use the litter box at all. She definitely needed some qualified assistance to get off the starting block.
We syringe fed her until she was probably about two-months old. Boots just hit a lot of milestones later than other kittens. We started her out on milk replacer because she really wasn’t ready to wean and we kept her on that, and then we started her on a mix of milk replacer and pureed kitten food, and eventually she started figuring out bowls and once bowls were figured out…
Ashley: I’m sure she took off from there!
Emily: Yes! She got strong enough that we were able to get her to drink on her own. We started out supporting her and now, at 4-months old, she is able to stand on her own, to eat and drink, and she is able to eat dry food now. She is also able to use the litter box. She doesn’t always make it, but she definitely tries.
Ashley: Well, it sounds like she has – if not caught up on all those milestones – made some very, very, good progress.
Emily: Yes, absolutely. She is an excellent candidate for adoption. She’s been spayed and ready to find her forever home.
Ashley: Excellent. For anyone who might be interested in adopting Boots, where should they go to find out more information?
Emily: Anyone potentially interested in adopting Boots can make an appointment to meet her. And all of our adoptable cats are listed on our website. Boots is currently our main special needs cat, but FUR actually had four CH kittens come through this year. Boots is the only moderate/severe one. The other three only had mild CH and have already been adopted.
Ashley: That shows us there are good adopters out there who are ready to help and love CH kitties.
Emily: Absolutely. People are more than willing to educate themselves on this disorder, to learn how to care for CH cats, and to make the necessary adjustments to their homes and lives to ensure that the kitties are safe.
Ashley: That’s great to hear. Any closing remarks while we have you here?
Emily: It’s been absolutely amazing to see the growth in our volunteers at FUR. When I first brought Boots in, everybody was afraid to interact with her or touch her because of how jerky her movements were, how she walked around, and how she moved. And now, she’s the first cat that most of them want to play with when they come in to volunteer.
How to Help
Ashley: Does FUR need more volunteers?
Emily: Yes, to help with everything! We always need more volunteers. We have many roles available. From socializing the incoming cats and playing with them to working with our shy cats to help them gain trust of humans. We also have opportunities available in our kitchen. That’s a great place for people who aren’t able to bend down and get down on the floor with the cats. And we always have cleaning to do! Our volunteers do little bit everything when they come in.
Ashley: How can people contact FUR if they are interested in volunteering?
Emily: We actually have a volunteer application on our website. They can just fill it out and we will get in touch with them quickly.
Ashley: What about people willing to foster? You mentioned that you were fostering Boots. How important are foster parents?
Emily: They are critical! At the Sanctuary, we typically have more than 80 cats to care for, and there’s typically about 5 -7 of us there each day to take care of all of the chores and the cats needs. For special needs cats or cats that need extra socializing, a foster family is really the only option for them to thrive.
They just need more focused attention throughout the day and night. There’s a saying among those of us who work in animal rescue: Fostering saves lives. And that is absolutely the truth! People can find information about fostering, including a foster application, on FUR’s website as well.
Closing Thoughts
Ashley: Emily, thank you so much for telling us more about cerebellar hypoplasia. Special needs cats are as deserving of a happy home as any other cat. And it’s amazing the way you and FUR saved little Boots’ life. It just goes to show that with some education and patience, special needs cats can have long, fulfilling lives!
Emily: They certainly can! Euthanasia should always be an absolute last resort.
Ashley: Agreed! I hope Boots finds a forever home soon and that we get some more volunteers and foster parents headed your way.
Emily: That would be wonderful. Thank you very much!
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