.:: Charley, an amazing cat with cerebellar hypoplasia.. ::.

[BabyZee]

Cited from Wikipedia : Cerebellar hypoplasia (non-human) :

Cerebellar hypoplasia is a disorder found in cats and dogs in which the cerebellum is not completely mature at birth.

Usually symptoms of cerebellar hypoplasia can be seen immediately at birth in cats, but sometimes can take two months or so to become apparent in dogs. Cerebellar hypoplasia causes jerky movements, tremors and generally uncoordinated motion. The animal often falls down and has trouble walking. Tremors increase when the animal is excited and subside when at ease.

There are several bacterial infections and viral infections such as feline panleukopenia,[1] that can result in the disorder in both cats and dogs. However, the disease can also be caused by malnutrition, poisoning, injury or general accidents during development in the fetus.

The disease does not get better or worse with age, but the cat or dog can usually learn to somewhat compensate for it and should have a normal lifespan. Most afflicted animals can lead a fairly normal life if special considerations for the animal's disability are taken by the pet's owner.

A related condition seen in cats, dogs, horses, cattle, sheep and other animals is cerebellar abiotrophy. The symptoms are similar, and the two conditions are sometimes confused with each other, but cerebellar abiotrophy occurs due to loss of purkinje cells in the cerebellum that occurs after the animal is born. Cerebellar abiotrophy is usually a genetic condition.

[BabyZee]

Here is "Gordon" as a kitten and later as an adult (today) at the end of the video (15 months old). He was birthed by his mother in the rafters of a barn, and fell down from the nest, then he was taken in by us. Although his condition may be due to the fall, it has the symptoms of Feline Cerebellar Hypoplasia. It's almost like his hind motor skills are separate from his front. As a kitten he would frequently flip over forward (seen once in the video).

We now nickname him "Dink" because on hard floors his deliberate footsteps are "dink, dink..." As an adult he is able to function fine, not all cats with this condition are so lucky. The only thing special about his care is blocking him from stairs to another level of the house with a baby gate. The more he is able to concentrate on his standing/walking/running, the better he is able to do. When his attention is diverted, that's when he tends to fall over.

This cat is very people friendly brings us a lot of love. The black cat in the video is blind, and it's the same story with him. Please give imperfect animals a chance!

[blackie007]

The videos of Charley and Gordon are so touching....
Charley is so loving....
while Gordon was so heart-breakingly cute as he struggled with his lack of hind legs motor skills....
May Charley and Gordon live a long and happy life...

[sillylupie]

Thanks Zee for sharing!!
Very touching to know that there are kind souls out there who accepted Charley and Gordon for being special and not just writing them off!
Hooray for Charley, Gordon and their caretakers!!

[BabyZee]

Originally Posted by blackie007

The videos of Charley and Gordon are so touching....
Charley is so loving....
while Gordon was so heart-breakingly cute as he struggled with his lack of hind legs motor skills....
May Charley and Gordon live a long and happy life...

Originally Posted by sillylupie

Thanks Zee for sharing!!
Very touching to know that there are kind souls out there who accepted Charley and Gordon for being special and not just writing them off!
Hooray for Charley, Gordon and their caretakers!!

you're welcome sis bina..
Neway everyday i'm learning something new, i know about this disease but i didn't know the name and how it happen so thank God i came through this youtube video..
so i'm happy to share with eveyone here so atleast we'll understand more about this disease and it's not the end of the world if any animals are diagnose with this disease..
there's alight if we try our best..

[lynielime]

wonderful kitties! i was really touched watching both clips. i never knew such a condition existed.. although once i saw a cat in spca that was blind and walking around in circles.. she didn't tremble or shake but she sort of swung side to side a little.. was tempted to adopt her, but was told that my other cats would probably bully her.. that's true actually coz they bully each other already, wouldn't want a disabled cat to get the whacking that my cats give each other from time to time...

thanks for sharing the clips! learn something new everyday!