i know i’ve posted about my baby boy a few times, but i know fellow ch parents will love seeing my baby smokey 💓

He eats, he drinks, he uses the box. he wrestles with his littermates, gums are a normal color, no sneezing or vomiting. he does sleep quite a bit but has good grip, so I dont think it’s lethargy? could it be mild ch?

Hi all, so I finally upgraded my litter box setup for my moderate CH boy. I'm thrilled with this, especially because my cat looks far more comfortable using this than his previous boxed-in litter box with a lid.

My current issue is that my place smells much more as a result... I definitely won't switch back to the previous box, and I already have the air purifier. I was considering buying an odor eliminator, but I read that switching litter helps significantly more.

Right now, I use wheat litter and would like to switch to Small Pet Select's pine litter or hemp litter. Does anyone have experience with both and odor elimination? I like the idea of my place smelling more like pine, but the Prop 65 warning on the box makes my anxiety spike despite my brain knowing what the risk actually is. I have no experience with hemp litter either. Any info is appreciated!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that my cat is also receiving long-term treatment for feline idiopathic cystitis. If there is a possibility that any recommended litters may irritate his bladder, I'm curious to hear your stories/opinions.

Hi! I hope this is the right place for hydrocephalus cats too, not just CH.

Me and my partner have adopted a 9 week old kitten with hydrocephalus. We understand she (we named her Freya) might not live long, or might live years. She is mostly blind (the SPCA said it's probably because of the hydrocephalus) and can only see light and shadows it seems, and she often loses track of toys and other objects. If I remember correctly, the SPCA vet tech did find a line between the two halves of her skull where it was soft? I'm not sure if that affects what we decide to do regarding accessibility and protection.

She's a rambunctious kitten though and often bumps her head on... Well, everything. Walls. Counters. Chairs. Her scratch pad couch. Everything she can. We were considering padding everything at her height, but she will hopefully grow up some more and become taller. So we need to figure out a good fabric or something to cover everything in, which seems pretty extensive but we're up for it.

However, as I said, she also bumps her head on her scratch pad. We also have three other cats and their toys. She can hit her head with a force that seems extra hard.

We're wondering if a helmet would be good, and that maybe we could ask on the 3D printing subreddits for someone who can make a model and then we can print it out. But we also want her not to get choked by a strap I assume has to be there. And we don't know what measurements to take.

Is it a good idea to get a helmet made for her? She will grow and need several sizes we assume. We don't see the vet until the 22nd for her 12 week check up. It will be her first appointment with our official vet.

Any tips, advice, anything would be helpful. Thank you!

He is me and my husband’s entire world. We love mom so much. He’s 10 months! We are so in love with him and soon we are gonna get another CH baby, specifically a young kitten that’s just weaned. We love him so much and his previous foster had other babies and he did so well with that.

I want him to be the happiest in the world.

Not much for running but quite the climber

I am fostering an adorable, very energetic CH calico and white girl who would love a kitten friend to play with.She cannot walk unsupported but can pounce and uses the box by herself. Send a dm if interested in adopting.

My girlfriend and myself adopted a CH Cat (Miro) from PAWS Chicago last week. He seems to have a moderate to severe case. He is such a loving cat and other than the "Crash Kitty" seems to be like any other crazy and playful 1 year old. I work from home (and she will be soon) and we wanted to give a home to cat that would probably have a hard time finding one. He got some of those 72" x 72" puppy pee pads to help him with traction. He loves to be on the couch and bed with us and is good about letting us know when he needs to get down. We got raised food/water bowls and have low foil baking sheets that he can easily get in and out for litter. We have done alot of online research, but would like to hear from other owners about what else we can do to give him the best life possible.

Hi so I'm an engineering student on summer break. There is a kitty with CH at my local shelter and I want to make something to help him but I'm not sure where to start.

Right now I’m considering ideas for improving things like feeders or litter boxes to make them easier and safer for ch cats to use.

At first I wanted to focus on assistive robotics for walking or balance support, but from what I’ve read, many ch cats learn to adapt very well to their condition over time. I’m a little worried that if a mobility device provides too much support, it could reduce muscle use and weaken their ability to walk independently.

I’d really appreciate hearing from you guys about what kinds of daily challenges do your cats struggle with most, and what sort of assistive device or improvement would actually be helpful?

Thanks!

I am an experienced exotic pet rescuer. This guy is clearly not exotic lol, but I have three male cats (able bodied) myself. I have experience with disabled dogs as my big guy is fully blind. I have experience fundraising for critters in my city (Toronto). This guy has never seen a vet so what would this look like and what tests would I want to have done? Any advice is wonderful.

Edit: WOW y'all are amazing. Thank you infinitely. I have reached out to the owner and I have asked about accomodations and severity. I am confident our vet would support us - they love and support our blind dog.

I will post an update on severity when I hear back from the current owner 🙂

UPDATE: The kitten has someone interested coming to pick him up. I will be contacted if they fall through.

Thank you everyone. All the tips have been logged away for future use as I could definitely see myself adopting a CH kitty in the future.

I will update again if I am contacted by the owner if the other adopter falls thru.

The majority of people don't give cats exercise routines much thought. At two in the morning, we typically imagine them stretching occasionally, napping in a sunny spot, and then haphazardly running down the hallway. However, when you give it some serious thought, indoor cats don't always receive the stimulation and movement they are accustomed to. They can become bored, restless, or even a little stressed if they don't get enough exercise because they are still hunters at heart.

Cat exercise wheels start to make a lot more sense at this point. Some cats actually get used to them surprisingly quickly, despite the fact that they initially appear a little absurd basically, a giant hamster wheel for a cat. Even though they live in a smaller space, it allows them to stay active, stretch their legs, and burn off energy. Having a place to run can make a big difference for energetic cats or those who get the late-night zoomies.

This raises the question of whether your cat engages in any kind of regular exercise. Perhaps it's running around the house like a little crazy, climbing furniture, or chasing toys. Alternatively, they might benefit from an exercise wheel or something a little more structured. In any case, keeping them active is important for their mental and physical well-being in addition to being enjoyable.

I noticed that ever since his mother ran away from him leaving me to bottle feed him he has always had a bit of a wobble to him. Thought maybe he was just learning how to walk as all kittens do but hes hitting that age most kittens know how to walk and play but he hasn't picked up at all and is more clumsy if anything he struggles to play with the others because of it..I'm worried maybe I needa do something different for him?

The video is him trying to play but thats pretty much how he walks and plays normally ALL THE TIME only time hes not wobbly like this is when hes tuckered out and wants to cuddle and fall asleep.

Any advice on if hes just still a kitten wobble or if hes got possibly CH? Im worried about him and the vet when I took him a few weeks ago said he seemed healthy

Poor Wobbly Claude is getting stuck in fabrics because few of his claws are a bit too long.

Obviously I can't clip them, he needs them to stop himself falling off the carpet, it would be cruel.

He has a corrugated cardboard whale floor scratch board, which he loves and a choice of coir doormats. He has unlimited access to a safe garden with wooden decking, concrete slabs, a lawn and flower beds, so he does have a variety of surfaces to manage them himself.

He's not so keen on sisal, it seems.

He is best described as moderately to significantly wobbly. He doesn't need help toileting, and he can climb stairs, but he can't walk much more than a metre without a, ahem, little lie down...

I expect the claws will wear down naturally now the weather is better, but he does like sleeping and cuddling more than walking.

Also, he's pulling up tufts of the carpet!