What is Feline Cerebellar Hypoplasia?
Feline cerebellar hypoplasia is a non-progressive, non-contagious neurological condition that results in walking and balance problems.
A kitten is born with “CH” when her cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills and coordination, is underdeveloped at birth.
An cerebellum’s growth can be stunted by a number of factors, most commonly if the mother contracted the feline distemper virus while pregnant or if there was some sort of trauma to the kittens while they were in the womb.
Consequently, an underdeveloped cerebellum can result in underdeveloped or complicated mobility. CH cats are known for their “drunken sailor” walk, which is why they’re known endearingly as “wobbly cats.”
The severity of a kitten’s CH can vary greatly — even among litter mates. While some cats may only have a slightly impacted gait, others may have significant trouble getting around, if they’re able to walk at all. It’s important to remember that the cat isn’t sick, weak or hurt; she’s simply uncoordinated.
CH cats may also experience head tremors, the uncontrollable shaking of the cat’s head when she’s trying to focus. Again, some cats may experience mild cases, others may be more severe. (Consequently, some think CH cats may have vision issues. If you think this is an issue with your cat, speak to your vet.)
Unless a CH cat has other health issues, her life expectancy is the same as a cat’s without CH. Since the condition is non-progressive, it will never get worse — and in some cases, owners say that their cat became more capable over time.
A CT scan or MRI is the only way to officially diagnose cerebellar hypoplasia; however, many vets are familiar with the symptom’s characteristics so those tests are often not necessary. Yet it is important to understand there are some diseases and conditions that may mimic CH.
One of the great things about CH cats is that they don’t seem to know that they’re any different from other cats. Even though they may think they’re normal, depending on the severity of their CH, they may be somewhat limited in ability and learn how to do things differently. For example, some CH cats don’t have the coordination to jump – so instead they become great climbers. Consequently, CH cat owners may find ways to help their cat become more capable. You can find more topic-specific help here.
Click this video to watch a fantastic video about a CH cat named Charley.
There isn’t a treatment for this condition; however, many owners will tell you that there doesn’t need to be one. They’ll say their CH kitties are some of the sweetest cats you’ll ever meet, and what they lack in coordination they make up in personality. You can read their stories here. And if you’re not convinced, here are 10 reasons why you should adopt a CH cat.
Since many people are still learning about this condition — and because some shelters don’t adopt out special needs animals, many kitties with CH are needlessly euthanized every year. While it’s not an extraordinarily common condition, cats with this condition do require a special owner who’s devoted to providing the best care possible for the cat.
If you’d like to adopt a CH cat in your area, please check out this list of adoptable cats with cerebellar hypoplasia.
I have a CH Cat named Bella I found her 9 years ago and I am blessed that she in my live I love her so much please adopt a CH Cat they will put joy in your life
Two and a half years ago, we went on vacation and came across a pet shelter outside a pet store that had several pets for adoption. We saw a little kitten shaking in one of the cages. I was immediately drawn to her and her beautiful gold eyes. She was so sweet and looked so scared. Everytime a car drove by she would shake and jump, which I commented that she must be scared. That was when the workers said that the kitten had CH. We didn’t know anything about CH, but as we walked into the nearby store, I couldn’t stop looking at this sweet little kitten, and the kitten couldn’t stop watching us. It was then I started crying, my poor husband thought I lost it! I told him, I felt that no one woud adopt her because she wasn’t perfect. My heart broke for her. We were on vacation, certainly not a good time to adopt an animal, so my husband dismissed the idea for the day. However, I couldn’t stop thinking about that kitten. After several days, and more discussion, my husband agreed we should adopt her. The only problem was we didn’t know what agency it was. I called the store, who gave me the number to the agency, which gave me the number to the owner’s home (who took all special needs animals home to care for them). We made arrangments that very next weekend, and went out to pick her up. We had no clue how much CH affected her, but were willing to accept her and take care of her the way she needed. It’s been 2.5 years, and we have loved every moment of caring for this sweet cat. She was adopted as Missy, but wouldn’t answer to that name, only Kitty, which shortened to Kiki. She is a playful, sweet, attentive cat. She does very well day-to-day, but has her moments every now and again. She is certainly perfect in my eyes.
Renee,
What a heartwarming story! I’m so glad Kiki touched your heart and you were able to give her a wonderful, loving home! How does she do with her CH now? Would love to hear more about her
Question, i just adopted a kitty who’s almost 3. Thrice my kitty, seems to walk fine, only with a lean at times almost like walking diagonal and on top of that leans into walls lots and instead of sitting alot of times he’ll just flop over, just drop on his side. Do you think he might have mild ch?
Hi Meghan,
Thanks for checking out my blog! Of course I have no way of really knowing if Thrice has CH, but it sounds like something is going on. If anything, it may be another kind of ataxia (you can read more about it here, I’m also posting another piece on different types of ataxia on the 29th.)
Have you discussed his behaviors with your vet? What does he think?
Hope you and Thrice are doing well!
we live in the UK and have a cat who may have this .. we got her and her sister from a rescue when they were about 6 weeks old .. they came from someone who bred the mother cat every time and let the kittens just go to anyone that wouls hand over the cash .. someone rescued the whole litter at 4 weeks old .. they wouldnt let them have the mother cat .. and handed them into the rescue .. as Smarty grew it became apparent that she wasnt moving about like her sister was so we took her to our vet and they suspected she had a slipping knee cap and when she was old enough pinned it in place .. it soon became apparent tho that it hadnt cured the problem and we went back to the vets who said they thought she had brain damage from the mother cat being over bred …… they said they could refer her or scans etc to one of the vetinary universities but they thought all that would do is find out what the damage was to her brain and doubted that anythoing could be done about it .. so we decided that it wasnt worth the hassel and expense just to be told its this bit thats affected .. so cant be exactly sure this is her problem .. but shes definately very similar .. cant run or jump or climb .. but is quite happy to potter about in the garden which is well fenced ..she often kind of collapses for a few seconds and cant get to her feet straight away but then gets up and walks off like noithings happened .. we made her a little stair case that she can use if she needs to for getting onto the work top where shes fed.. more often tho she sits and shouts at ypou to lift her on lol .. shes now about 10 years old and one of the sweetest most laid back cats weve evewr had .. and is like a cuddly sleepy doormouse a lot of the time … sadly her sister got hit by a car outside where we live when she was about 9 months old .. since then ive always thought smartys condition is a blessing because it means we can keep her in and safe and would be wary of having another cat maybe unless it was another with similart problems to smarty who we could keep safe ….. smarty has her own facebook page too … https://www.facebook.com/pages/smarty-a-very-special-little-cat/130052137034746?ref=ts shes a very special happy littl;e cat indeed
Hi Jill, Thanks for commenting! I’m so happy to hear that Smarty, no matter what condition she has, is doing so well! Give her a hug for us!
Hi Amand, I have 4 cats out of a 7 kitten litter 2 years + old now with CH one is more in need of my help the other guys are just wobbly .Still in all i have 6 cats rescued a kitten tied up in placstic bags he turned out fine.However 6 cats and one broke dude over 3 years and never enough time to play with them all.I need forever homes for the special ones , I made i promise to them all not to abadone them . Any resources or direction would be helpful
Greg Dolphin
Hi Greg, Thanks for reaching out! I’ll email you soon and put you in touch with our CH cat adoption specialist. I’m sure she’ll be able to help!
I recently looked into adopting a kitten from a local shelter with CH. I’m actually excited because I was born with cerebral palsy and feel that I would understand if anyone the struggles and things this kitten would go through. It’s no surprise kittens improve with age just as children do with therapy. I only wish people were more accepting of these special animals and people alike.
Hi Tiffany! I completely agree with you, and I’m so glad you’re interested in adopting a CH cat! I hope it works out, but if not, there are many other CH kitties up for adoption too: http://lifewithchcats.com/adoptable-ch-cats/
I will keep everyone updated as I get closer to adoption, just need my landlord to sign a paper saying I can have a cat and the shelter said I can take her home. Im having him sign it Friday, so excited. Im hoping I will have a new addition to my house by next week. My service dog will be sad she has to share me.
My kitty Naia has always walked funny. we took her to a vet to check out what was wrong with her. they said they didn’t know. After seeing the Charley video, I knew my kitty had CH. She may not be very sweet, but she is a beautiful cat. Thank you for allowing me easy access to this information and letting me put and worries of her condition to rest.. thanks to you, I did what my cats vet could not. I dream of becoming a veterinarian when I grow up, and thanks to this, I have a step up to my own vet.
I’m so happy I could help! And I’m glad to hear you want to become a veterinarian. That’s a wonderful profession! Perhaps you can share what you find on CH with your veterinarian; in my experience few ever see a CH cat, if they even know what it is. A great resource you can give to them are these handouts: http://bit.ly/LyBO1K Hope they’re helpful and thanks for reading!
Hello all,
So, we have three adult kitties and I wanted a new one and went to a vet where they had a litter. They originally had 9 kittens 4 were left, and 2 had the CH. Even though I was scared that he might have more severe health issues down the road (as I’d never heard of CH and even though the tech was saying no no, everything is fine it just affects the balance) I still felt sorry for the little guy and it broke my heart to know that he’d been passed up 7 times due to being wobbly.
We have him sequestered in the guest bathroom so all can adjust without direct contact. So my question is, when we get ready for all cats to meet, are there any special actions we should take to do so? The adult male is already hissing at the two adult females, but this is not new for him. The others are also declawed.
Another question I have is, b/c he does slight balance issues, would declawing be an issue? I’m being careful to let him do everything and not help him up. If he wants on the toilet, he’s making several tries up the carrier, then over to the toilet seat. I do worry slightly when he falls or hits is head pretty good on the wall if he could cause other brain damage, but I’m not rushing to him, I just watch to see how he is.
BTW – I chose to take him b/c of his “defect”…if felt everyone has something wrong with them and so why not? I can hear him playing up in the bathroom right now batting his ball around and it makes me smile. I am worried about how the other cats will react (a) b/c of teh CH and (b) b/c of the claws. Are these un-nessesary worries?
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for opening your heart to a wobbler!
I totally understand your concerns, and I’m glad you’re looking into them! At the end of the day, of course it’s totally up to you to make a decision, but I hope everything below will be some food for thought.
I think you can likely introduce Charlie to the other cats the same way you introduced all of your other cats to one another — slowly and patiently
One thing to keep in mind that I learned when my two CHers met each other is that the other cats will likely not understand why your little one falls down. As mine did, they may interpret that as an “attack,” which was actually pretty adorable. However, you’d want to make sure that this doesn’t start Charlie’s relationship with everyone on the wrong foot. I’d say (obviously) supervise their first encounters to see what your older cats think of him. Some folks believe that their older cats take the younger wobblier ones under their wings, so to speak, because the older cats recognize that there’s something different with them.
As for declawing, I can understand why you would want to remove Charlie’s nails since your others are declawed; however, there’s a lot to consider on this issue. Many see that their CH cats use their claws on a daily basis not only for balance, but also to get around. For example, mine cannot jump, so instead they climb onto the couch, bed, etc. To declaw them would be to limit their worlds significantly.
Yet, some CHers do approve with age (they become more competent as they get exercise and build muscle mass/memory), so not all need their claws as much as others. Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball to reveal how much and if your CHer will improve.
So I’d say give it a couple more days. Keep these things in the back of your head as you watch Charlie do his thing. I’m sure you’ll come to the right decision for him in time.
Good luck and I’d love it if you’d keep me posted! New CHers are always a blast!
On a side note***** Ironically my husband liked the name Charlie before I found this website so it’s neat to see that cat in the video is also named Charley.
AH, yes, I could see where a declaw would be limiting. One of the 2 adult female cats we got from a couple who declawed all four paws b/c they had a baby. Of course, when the terrible two’s hit, they put the Bermese on crasiglist as the child was chasing her all the time and spent most of her days under a bed…sorry I digress. My point is, with her I’ve seen her miss when climbing or jumping from place to place over a greater distance b/c she doesn’t even have the back claws to help her.
Ironically, I’m allergic to cats and was told by my allergist to keep all cats off the bed (they never slept with us but we’d allow them on the bed at any other times), keep them out of the bedroom….PERIOD. So, I’d prefer him not climb with claws where he is allowed and am thinking about steps to place at the end of our couch.
In watching Charlie, I believe his CH is more on the milder side, and he’s already getting better at climbing the carrier to get to the toiler to get to me better when I stop in for a visit. That being said, I read about CH cats using steps to get to a couch and am thinking that those would be a good alternative for him to get to us rather than clawing/climbing. If we were to keep the back claws (I’d never personally declaw all four, just adopted one that it was already done to) would this be a good alternative? I know that subject is a touchy one even with normal cats, but for 12 yrs that’s what I’ve adopted and what I know….the “formal livingroom” furniture as well as my skin is grateful.
Thanks for the insight, this is a WHOLE NEW WORLD to me as a cat lover and I want to make his life as fun/safe as possible.
)
Declawing is amputation and extremelt painful. Scratching posts and redirection a better choice for any cat CH or not.
I sure wish I had a way to demonstrate how I worked with a type of “physical therapy” with my CH kitten. My having had bodywork training and experience surely helped me understand her limitations, palpate her hypertoned musculature, and explore her range of motion, so that in doing the gentle exercises to strengthen her neurological system, I did not hurt her , nor overextend her. One of the first things I did is work with gentle paw reflexology and gentle , brief hip area massage , which reduced her spasticity, thus giving her more control over her movements. Her head bobble soon disappeared and never returned. The second step was strengthening her back legs by helping strengthen the “signals” back there going to her brain. I would put her on my chest, both of us lying down, and gently work with range of motion alternating with massage. When she got a little stronger, I would work with 3 or 4 little “assisted squats”. I believe a sensitive and trained massage therapist with some animal training could help others with this, but I also think merely reading about it and trying to do it may lead to complications. Just knowing it is possible to intervene and help the neuromuscular system change is a helpful concept.
Hi Marina. I am a nurse and just adopted a Maine Coon mix who I believe has CH- all of the symptoms match and he has no signs of contagious illness. I was wondering if you would consider sharing the therapy you used with me in more detail or if you can refer me to a site that has more info. Thanks!
I have 2 CH kitties that look just like Charley. I am a foster mom for a TNR group. However, I seem to end up with the ones that aren’t adoptable. “Betty & Bernie Bobblehead” came to me because their eyes were so infected. Then we realized they had a problem walking. They were diagnosed with CH. I thought they would have to be “put” down but our vet said no and was only concerned with their eyes. They are doing great now!!!!! They fit in with all the other “unadoptables”, the lame, the blind and even the ones with bad attitudes. All of my kitties love them! I am blessed to have these precious souls.
Agador Spartacus is our 5 month old CHitten and recently we’ve been having an issue with him pooping and peeing everywhere but the litter box. We try placing him in the box but he freaks out when we do. This is a new thing for him. We love.him so much but we are going crazy trying to figure out why! His usual spots are under the couch or dining room table. We changed the type of litter and he still isn’t okay with it. My father hasn’t caught onto this yet but once he does, we may have to get rid of him would break our hearts. Is this a CHitten thing or a kitten thing? Any thoughts, suggestions or comments are more than welcome
Hi Samantha!
I’m sorry to hear about your troubles! That can be rough. You said he just started going outside of the pan? Can you attribute any change to this change in behavior? Perhaps you changed the location of the pan? Perhaps it’s not as clean as he’d like? Perhaps the pan is too high for him, and it’s difficult for him to get into it?
It sounds like he associates his current pan with something unpleasant. Maybe something happened to him while he was in it at one point (maybe he heard a scary noise, was interrupted by a person/other pet, etc), which could make sense as to why he no longer wants to use it. Have you tried purchasing another type of pan for him to use? This may help reset his behavior, because odds are he’s not happy about going to the bathroom around the house. Cats are extremely clean animals and he’ll want to use the pan, instead of going all over your (and his!) home.
I’d also recommend speaking to your vet to make sure that there isn’t a medical condition involved. This can also likely be the case.
Good luck! Keep me posted,
Amanda
I have the most amazing cat ever and she has Cerebellar Hypoplasia. I was getting cat food for my cat at a pet store who were having a cat adoption day. all the cats were in crates expect for this one. She was just laying in the middle of the store looking around. I was automaticlly curious. I went up to the adoption rep and asked about the cat. She giggled at me and told me to go pet the cat. as soon as i was done petting her she started “walking” after me. She was flopping and falling all over. The people around started at this poor cat. I could hear the cruel things they were all saying about this sweet and beautiful black cat. I went up to the agency rep and asked her what the odds were of this cat being adopted. The rep explained to me that this 8 month old cat was born in the agency and no one has even taken a second look at her until me. At that moment i knew i had to take this special cat home. My amazing cat is named Von, and we have been together for over a year with my other cat Jade. At times i don’t know whos happier von is with us. Definitly a toss up between me, Jade, and Von
What a great story, Kelly! I’d love it if you’d tell us some more and send us a few photos so we could put up a post about Von
Here’s more info: http://lifewithchcats.com/tell-us-about-your-ch-cat/
Hi Amanda. I just adopted a shelter kitten we estimated to be 10-12 weeks old. He is a Maine Coon mix and as I only saw him lying down in his cage He seemed fine. He had no signs of contagious illness. When he got home I immediately noticed how uncoordinated he was. My first thought was that he was much younger than we had guessed. The more I observed him the more I noticed symptoms fitting your description of mild CH- staggering walk, head tremors when concentrating, etc. Sometimes he seems to be trying to compensate by “marching” determinedly like a little soldier-totally adorable. That said, I called a friend who has been doing rescue for years and she told me she has only seen kittens with neuro symptoms die rapidly. Imagine my relief when I found your site! I will of course be taking him to the vet this week, but I just don’t see anything wrong with him that appears like any of the contagious diseases I have observed. He is one happy little guy- always purring madly and trying to follow us. He has us wrapped around his fuzzy paws. He even manages to get in and out of our tall litterboxes, although he falls out more often than not. I can’t get shallow boxes, as most of my other cats are enthusiastic litter flingers, so I hope putting something soft for him to land on in front will be ok. Bless you for having this blog, I was devastated at the thought of losing him. I read every bit of it and was relieved to find that he didn’t have symptoms of any of the other diseases that cause head tremors and staggering (your links). My husband now wants to name him Weebles
I’ll keep you posted after we visit the vet!
We caught 2 of a litter of 5 wild kittens born 9/12–one of them has CH. She is our baby out of our 7 house cats. In addition to CH, she grows very slowly–is half the size of our little boy kitten. We love her very much and is indeed specail in our eyes. Her brother loves her and plays with her. She found a forever home with us!
How wonderful! I’m so glad she captured your heart and found a forever home with you. Please keep us posted on how she’s doing!
Have only put a name to my cats condition today after visiting a new vet for his annual health check and boosters. No one had ever mentioned it before. We took alfie on 4 years ago when my brother had to move abroad. No one ever mentioned the condition. He was presumed normal but a little odd. We thought he was very odd. Loving and cuddly yet wobbly with an almost constant tremor. He shakes when he eats, falls over on his side a lot and can’t land if dropped 2 feet onto the floor. It goes without saying that he cannot really jump. He has got a little worse recently. He is 10 now and cannot cope in a standard cat chalet at the kennels. He has to have a specially adapted pen with stairs to get up to his sleep7ng quarters. I transferred to a new practise after the sad death of our previous vet and the new guy put his finger on it straight away. Nice to know we werent imagining it. Not that it is a problem or affects quality of life. Vet told me to try and give him extra vit b. We now have 2 disabled cats as we already have a little boy who was blinded in a serious road accident. Funny old life.
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for sharing! I hope Alfie is doing well. It sounds like you’ve found ways to help him – if you have any advice, please feel free to share
So a little update on my CH cat named Von. My vet and decided to try something a little different to help Von move a little better. I’m putting a heating pad on vons back legs and hips two or three times a week for about 10 minutes at a time. Of course your can’t just leave the pad on there 10 minutes straight but taking a few breaks during the time period. Von loves it! she’s starting to stretch her legs and helping her put her legs back into a “normal” position. Has anyone heard of doing this before?
My Spike is 13 yrs old and has broken both fangs on one side from doing what I call Bambi on ice when he shakes his head. He has run into walls but pick himself up and goes about his way. The vet doesn’t think he can see very well but I beg to differ he sees very well and has learned how to play it up for mommy and daddy to help him.LOL. He does have what seems like a seizure once in a while if he greats very excited but I just talk to him in a soothing voice and it only last a couple of seconds. I figure he has maybe hit his head one to many times. I have found that a laser light has helped with his coordination.I would get another CH kitty again in a heartbeat.I look forward to the rests of Spikes life and enjoyment with him. He is a little momma’s boy and I love him dearly. I would say he is mild to moderate with his CH and I knew he had it when I got him. Lots of pee rags for when he won’t use the litterbox. He can be very stubborn at times as well but is very cuddly
I live in Tangier, Morocco……Recently someone left a box of kittens outside our building.
Children playing in the street would pick up the kittens and play with them. The roads are dangerous as cars drive fast. So I took the kittens to the Protection for Animals, (SPANA) they will find families to adopt the kittens.
While waiting for the vet I saw the helper open a cage and take out a Simease cat and put it down………..It was wobbling & couldn’t walk straight!
I asked what was wrong with it and was told it has brain damage. Never seen this before and knowing that it wouldn’t get adopted I asked the vet if I could adopt him.
I filled in the paper work and brought Lucky home
I have Two other cats I took from the streets and a gentle dog…….
Lucky is 3 months old and spent most of that life in a cage! I’ve had lucky only Three days and I love him with all my heart………..He’s special
I hoping with all the love from my family & me, also my other pets, Lucky will learn how to walk, play without falling so much!
A cat from the local shelter with CH has stolen my heart. Thank you for sharing your information as it make the decision to adopt easy. I think Tiggy and I will make great pals because I don’t have such great balance either (I have Chiari Malformation, a disorder of my human cerebellum). We will be able to lean on each for support!
How sweet! Good luck with the adoption. I can’t wait to hear more about Tiggy!
I have a sweet boy that goes byWobbles, Wobert, or Wobby. At first he seemed fine, but within a couple of months after he was born I noticed his back legs splaying out. At first I thought it was just him learning to walk on the tile floors. Then he was having trouble eating and drinking. I would hold him in my lap to eat, but I was afraid he may drown fallng into the water dish. He has a couple of broken teeth from hitting the tile floor. At first I was afraid to take him to the vet b/c I was sure they would tell me to put him down. I did eventually take him and was told it was probably an inner ear problem. They never mentioned this condition. Well anyway, he is now about 7 years old. He has no problem pushing my other cats out of the way to get to the food dish now. I love my Wobby very much!
Thanks for commenting, Cindy! Wobbly sounds like a great cat
if you’d like him to be featured on the blog, hover over the “Readers” link above for more info. Hope to hear from you soon!