The cerebellum is the portion of the brain responsible for the control of motion. When a kitten is born with an underdeveloped cerebellum, the condition is known as congenital cerebellar hypoplasia.
There is an infectious cause of this condition in cats, panleukopenia infection prior to birth. Improper development of the cerebellum may occur due to injury, poisoning or just from an accident in development in the uterus. It is generally possible to see signs of this condition almost as soon as the kitten is born.
Affected animals have tremors and unusual jerky movements or may fall down when they try to move. The symptoms do not get worse as they age. As the kitten grows it will learn to compensate for its condition but there are usually lifelong signs of a decreased ability to coordinate movement. Almost all cats with congenital cerebellar hypoplasia can live happily as pets with a little special care to compensate for their disabilities.
Just before Halloween 2004, we took in a year-old stray Brown Tabby nursing mom and her two 5 day old kittens. We named the mom Tabitha and the babies Arthur (black DSH) and Umbriel (grey DSH). Sadly, Umbriel only lived for three weeks.
It soon became evident that something was not "right" with Arthur. The vet confirmed that he has Cerebellar Hypoplasia. At age 6 weeks, his head bobbles and tilts a little to the left. He has trouble sitting up, he can pull himself into a sitting position, but it takes some effort. He can't walk at this time, as it seems each leg wants to go in its own direction. But he does pull himself along sideways, kind of a sprawl-and-crawl.
When I asked around to vets about CH, it was generally (gently) suggested that we should consider putting Arthur to sleep. It was not until I looked around on the 'net and found some great websites that I had any hope for a future for the little guy. He is the sweetest, most personable kitten we've ever met, and he has stolen our hearts.
Arthur crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 4/19/06 after a very brief battle with FIP. He is running, jumping and doing all the things he always dreamed of doing, and one day, we will meet again...
