About Us
About Me
My husband and me
Hi, I’m Amanda Woodhead (formerly Maurer). I’m the proud mom to CG and Ellie, special needs cats with cerebellar hypoplasia. In 2011, I married the best guy I know – and he totally digs our cats, too.
A few years ago I didn’t know anything about cerebellar hypoplasia. That is, until I was looking to adopt a cat and found a special needs kitten’s profile on Petfinder. He had CH, and I figured if I was going to love any cat, it may as well be one that needed love the most. At that moment I felt we were meant for each other, but I had no idea what I was in for!
I’ve learned so much from adopting CG — about cats, their special needs, love and patience. This experience has had such a profound impact on me, that I wish everyone knew about CH cats. This blog is a step toward spreading awareness about the condition.
When I’m not spending time with my husband, playing with my kitties or off on some adventure, you can find me working as an editor for an Internet marketing company in Chicago.
About CG
CG (3 years)
CG’s the reason why this blog exists. A year or so after I adopted him, it dawned on me that I should have chronicled our adventures and lessons together. This blogging adventure has since transformed into a resource and a tool to spread CH awareness. And it’s all thanks to him.
CG, who is named for the actor Cary Grant, had moderate CH as a kitten, but he has learned to compensate a great deal as adult. As my first cat (as an adult), this guy has a very special place in my heart.
You can learn more about CG here. Friend CG on Catster.
About Ellie
Ellie (3 months)
CG’s adoption was very special for us, and I never could have imaged that we’d have another “meant-to-be” moment with an adoptable kitten. But that’s what happened with Ellie!
My husband and I were considering adopting a companion for CG when we heard about Ellie. Her story is just incredible, as we probably wouldn’t have adopted her if some bizarre events hadn’t happened.
Anyway, she’s our silly little girl. She has moderate CH, but she doesn’t let that stop her! Her hind legs may not know what her front are doing, but she keeps up with all of us — even if that means a few flips, tumbles and bumps!
You can learn more about Ellie here. Friend her on Catster.
Thank you so much for letting us share our story with you. I hope that my experiences and the stories of others will help you better understand this condition, and possibly open your own heart and home to a cat with cerebellar hypoplasia.
Note: This blog is built on my personal thoughts. While I may offer advice, please understand I am not a professional. This blog is also a non-profit project of mine; I don’t endorse or represent any products mentioned.
Hi, Amanda. Thank you for having this site. I too have litterbox problems and am hoping you can send me your experience, or direct me to another source. I have only had my little guy for 3 weeks – he is about 9 weeks old now and has what I would describe as moderate CH, based on what I have seen on the web (the vet said he was “severe” but he can walk with alot of tumbles, similar to how you describe CG). My boy is sweet and very adventurous. Doesn’t seem to know he has a problem! He and I together have learned so much in the last three weeks but we have not hit on the right litter box option yet. I have built three different options, and my husband has just finished building another option – haven’t seen results yet. Have you any advice or places I can look?
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for visiting! I’m sorry to hear about the litter box problems, they can be quite trying! Here are two resources I have: the Litter Box resource page and some other Litter Box tips. I’ll also email you so we can continue this conversation. Good luck!
Amanda
Hi Amanda, I just wanted to share this short video with you about a DOG with a disability and how her parents have trained her to eat. Its sweet. Please open this link: http://www.wimp.com/dogchair/
This is amazing! What incredible pet parents and what an intelligent dog! Thank you so much for sharing this inspiring link
Clever dog! feeding raised works well with megaesophagus cats too [I can't spell the damn word] our vet told us to turn a soup bowl upside-down and put the feeding plate on top of it, worked a treat. Our lovely Sophie, who would have been put down at just 2 for this problem, had five wonderful, happy years until cancer took her.
Hi, Amanda – I am a cat caregiver at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, where we provide forever homes for CH (and many, many other) kitties if their cuteness doesn’t actually get them their FOREVER forever home with wonderful adopters like you and your husband.
Do you think the author might be interested in donating part of her proceeds to Best Friends? I also think she should see if our Welcome Center gift shop would be interested in carrying the book.
What a wonderful, positive message I’m sure this book sends … because we ALL know what valiant troopers our CH kitties are, don’t we??!?-)
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks for everything you and Best Friends do!
I would suggest that you reach out to Ruth to discuss the details of your proposals. You can find her contact information here: http://www.BettyTales.com.
Good luck!
Hunter showed up on my porch mid-June. Adorable, tiny, white fur & the biggest blue eyes. After confirming with my vet he’d be safe around my 3 yr old male cat… he had to stay. After a few days I knew something was different. I described the ‘hopping’ & tripping over himself to my Mom, she found cerebellar hypoplasia. Well, that’s Hunter. He’s a bit clumsy, can’t jump high (i.e. onto a toilet seat yet), & isn’t the most graceful cat. When he jumps off the bed, it’s more of a ‘thud’. He also doesn’t have much of a meow. Unless he really wants my attention. We play hide & seek & when I pop my head up to the bed, his eyes become as large as marbles & he ducks down with the funniest face. He follows me everywhere & when he hears the treats bag, he’s up on the bed so fast… it’s AMAZING! I set up a couple boxes for him to use to climb up. At night he sleeps at the end of the bed but comes up to cuddle at my neck around 6am. Completely litter trained, eats like a champ! & gets along with his ‘big brother’ perfectly.
We think he was dumped because he’s so different.
He’s now about 4 months & I adore him. He was hunting for a home & found me. I am a lucky girl.
I adopted my CH cat a year ago from the shelter I volunteer at. Her mom was malnourished so along with having CH she was born with defective eyes that were removed right after I brought Honey home. It seems like her tremors have gotten worse and since she doesn’t have eyes it was hard for me to measure what was CH and what was blindness until I saw your site today. Honey is having problems getting poop & pee on her from falling in her litter box. I’m wondering if I should change her litter because if she tries to clean herself that clumpable stuff might be bad for her stomach. I have 6 other cats at home – I foster the old and sick from my shelter – so I have a 7 litter boxes in a room on the 3rd floor (Honey can climb steps – so far anyway). Do I need to change the litter into something organic? Has anyone else had a probelm with their CH cat ingesting the clumpable litter when cleaning themselves?
Hi JoJo,
Are you sure Honey has CH? If her tremors are worsening, I’d suggest speaking to your vet.
As for the litter box problems, have those started recently or have they been an on-going problem? Some CH cats will always have that issue as they’re not coordinated enough to be able to eliminate without stepping or falling into it. There are several things you can try.
First, if you’re around when she comes out of the pan messy, I’d recommend either bathing her or wiping her down with a towel to help with the mess. You’re right, you certainly *do not* want her to ingest the clumping litter, that said, I think we all have cats who have swallowed some. If you’re very concerned, speak to your vet about your options.
Another thing you can try is changing the type of litter box she uses. This, of course, depends on her ability. You may want to consider making her a customized litter box (link here: http://bit.ly/QmOWt3) so she has an easier time getting in and out of it. By providing her with a lower entry, it may be easier for her to exit without falling. And of course using a storage container like the link suggests means that the litter box will be larger, which means she’ll have more space to do her business and hopefully not fall into it. You also mention having six other cats and seven litter boxes, so I’d recommend scooping as often as possible for Honey’s sake
Lastly, you can definitely try a different litter, if you’re concerned about her swallowing it. Of course that may just be one of several factors you should take into consideration (again also looking into a bigger and differently designed litter box), so you may want to play around with several options until you find one that works for her.
Also, some people diaper their CH cats, so you may want to look into that, too. (more info: http://bit.ly/S6wI17) Good luck!
Thanks Amanda! I actually have an appt with a neurologist on Monday. This neurologist saw Honey when she was 3 mths old (she just turned 2) but wants to do a re-check because my general vet said she’s never seen symptoms like this before. Honey’s tremors completely stop when she’s concentrating, she’s sent a video to UC Davis (they’re doing a study on CH). I’ll let you know if I find anything interesting. Thank you so much for your wonderful website – the last couple of months I’ve been worried about possibly putting Honey down if she gets worse. It looks as if CH doesn’t get worse, at least from your readers. So if she does indeed only have CH I will lovingly wipe her down everyday (often twice a day) for the next 18 yrs!
We adopted two 9 month old CH kittens last week. I don’t think I knew what we were getting into! They are both very loving. Bonnie is especially sweet and loves visitors and loves to play. Bunny is still very terrified and doesn’t want to come out from under the bed. But if you reach in and pet her, she purrs like crazy. We’re hoping she comes out to play soon. As of now, I’m not sure how bad Bunny’s walking is. Bonnie is able to jump, but we don’t know yet on Bunny.
I’ll be back.
Congrats on your kittens! I’m sure it’ll take Bunny a little while to transition. Please keep us posted on how they do, and please send photos, too! Good luck with them!
Hi
I have a cat with CH. We were told he was a male. He is very small for his age and never exhibited issues with spraying etc. I was afraid to get him neutered because of his condition as I read somewhere that anesthetics could prove dangerous for him. We also adopted another male kitten. Well surprise our little CH cat is not a male but a female and pregnant.
She never went into heat like another female I had, she always seemed the same. Do you know of any CH cats having kittens without any danger to their own health? I am concerned and have not brought her to see the vet yet and I will. Just would appreciate a heads up on information. I did some research and found nothing. I would rather be prepared with a little knowledge and not be shocked when I go there if the news is not good. I just lost another cat to cancer and I am still not over that loss and would not want to lose this one too.
Hi Lynn,
Wow! I bet that was a surprise!
I can appreciate and understand your concerns, fortunately there isn’t anything to worry about.
So long as your cat is healthy, the pregnancy should go as normally as any other pregnancy, if you decide to continue with it. Your cat’s CH will not impact her kittens, as it’s not hereditary. That said, depending on how severe her condition is you may want to pamper her a bit so her daily life is easier.
It is also completely safe for CH cats to be anesthetized. As with any condition, it’s important that your vet and the folks performing the procedure are aware of, and take into account, your cat’s neurological condition. Here are some links that may help with that: http://lifewithchcats.com/tag/anesthesia/
I’d recommend taking her to the vet, as your vet will be the best one to examine her condition. Good luck and please keep us posted!
Hi Amanda
Thank you for your quick response. Our guy/now girl is very healthy and happy. I had no idea about this condition. I noticed he would always walk with his back arched against the wall and noticed he was unstable on his feet. We just lovingly call him wobble butt at times and he is so very happy- sorry, I am not used to calling him a her.My friends told me that if anyone would adopt an animal with this condition it would be me. My cats were all strays other than him and each had a long tale about their history. Severely abused, one had a bullet in his hip and let’s not forget the feral cat who is about 17 years old and I still cannot pick her up. This one fits in just fine. I was very concerned when I was reading some things and began to worry about his/her life carrying the kittens. Thanks so much for the info. I never heard about CH before. Now if you ask me about oral squamous cell carcinoma- I am pretty up to date with new techniques and how to care for them. A new topic to learn about with CH.
Hi Lynn,
Yes, it definitely sounds like she’ll fit right in! Happily, many CH cats live normal lives (they’re just as healthy as normal cats, live normal life spans, etc), they’re just a bit wobbly and may need a few accommodations to make life easier. Hopefully, when you have some free time, you can look around on the blog. Maybe some of the posts and ideas will help!
Best of luck with everything, and if there’s anything I can help you learn more about, just say the word
hi my name is jayne + im searching for what might be wrong with our kitten basil he is 9 weeks old + is adorable up till about 2 weeks ago he was fine then we became aware he was less mobile than two other kittens he staggers when he walks + seems stiff like an old cat he doesnt run or climb but plays alot eats well looks healthy + doesnt appear to be in any pain could this be ch? we love these kittens as we hand raised them when there mum got run over when they were four days old we r keeping basil + stripey they will have a loving home + i appreciate any advice thankyou
Hi Jayne,
I’d suggest that you bring your little Basil to your vet. Take notes about his actions beforehand, so your description will be very detailed. Your vet is the best person to figure out what’s going on. Good luck!
thankyou i will take him to the vet . I just thought his symtoms sounded very similar especially since he hasnt got any worse. I also havnt got much faith in our vet + wanted to research first.
Perhaps you can take him to another to get a second opinion? I know it’s unfortunate that not every vet is familiar with CH
Hi Amanda
Just wanted to let you know that Jaxon who we believed to be a male but is actually a female gave birth Sunday night at 8:00 pm to 1 kitten. The kitten appears to be healthy and nursing fine. I will be calling my vet tomorrow as usually there are more than one kitten in a litter and I want to make sure there are no others inside that did not make it to be on the safe side. Mom and baby are doing just fine and the kitten appears to have a manx tail like his father. Will send pics later on. Thank you for sharing your knowledge as I was very concerned because of the CH and if it could cause problems in the delivery. So far so good and that is what matters. Only time will tell if the kitten has CH and if so – no big deal – we already have one who has managed to do what the other cats can. She even climbs up to the highest bed on the cat tree by climbing up like a squirrel.