We're here to share advice, stories and information about living with
these special kitties, and to raise everyone's awareness that there is
no reason for them to be euthanized. They can live long and happy lives.
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Tardy Peebucket  |
President of the CH Kitty Club
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CH KITTY OF THE MONTH
RILEY DEAN
Riley
Dean is a seven-year-old moderately affected CH kitty, and he's perfect
as October's CH Kitty of the Month! Not only does he enjoy the
temperate autumn weather for stroller rides, but he loves Halloween!
Riley's mommy has hand-sewn a new costume for him every year since he
was a kitten. Over the years, he has been Elvis, the Tin Man, a pirate, a
baseball player, and even a piece of sushi! For the last two years, he
has participated in the local Pet Costume Parade (usually the only kitty
amongst a sea of dogs). One year he even won third place! He also loves
to go to the pumpkin patch. All the soft hay on the ground makes it
perfect for him to let loose and run around (under mommy's close
supervision, of course!). With all the fun and attention involved,
October is Riley Dean's favorite time of year!
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 Meet The Parents
Janice and Jewel!
by Kristie
(Riley Dean's Mom)
Just outside of Atlantic City in Somers Point, New Jersey, CH kitty Jewel lives with her
mommy, Janice Branwood. Janice is also mommy to Aubrey, a non-CH polydactyl kitty, two non-CH kitties named Lovebug and Bedbug, and a Blue Tick Coonhound/Lab mix named Jazz.
Janice got Jewel in February of 2009 when she was about ten weeks old. "Jewel was from a shelter that was not going to keep her and our the Humane Society of Ocean City (609 399 2018, info@HSOCNJ.org) took her," Janice tells me as we chat in the CH Kitty Club chat room. "I went online and found the CH group, and got so much info." At first, she says, "I really wondered if I had done the right thing...a few friends thought I was crazy." However, once she agreed to foster Jewel, "I was so taken by her, I would never have given her back!"
Now Jewel is a healthy eighteen month old. As far as the severity of Jewel's CH, Janice notes that she "walks about maybe five steps or so and tumbles...litter box is not too bad (she uses a Lucky Champ box with high sides). Some fall outs, some baths after, but fewer now than in the beginning." When Jewel was a kitten, she basically "rolled everywhere, but she has progressed so well."
When I ask Janice what her most and least favorite things about being a CH kitty parent are, she says, "My most favorite part is to see her determination to do things, whether it's climbing the cat tree, which took a while, walking with her 'stance' to steady herself, and learning to play with the others. My least favorite is the baths, although few, and watching her fall into the wall, cabinets, chairs etc. when she runs around the house (she dislocated her tail at 2 months when she fell somehow when I was not here)." She has since propped pillows in the places where
Jewel usually falls.
Janice's best advice to new CH kitty parents is to "let them try as best you can to do things...Read and listen to all you can...Take others' advice, try things for yourself. They may not work for you, and you may come up with other ideas...That's what being part of this group is all about. I so appreciated the information people gave me when I first got her."
Janice is grateful to Jewel as well: "She has taught me to be patient."
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Fundraiser Calenders
We are now offering beautiful calenders with your special kitty! The calenders are eight and a half by eleven and come in four colors and beautifully laminated. Each calender costs $9.95, and that includes shipping. Please visit the donate/fund-raising page on our website, www.CHKittyClub.com
Erica says "Everyone order your calendars! They are beautiful and support a great cause!"
Joan says "The calender is FABULOUS, very professional looking, and the picture looks terrific!"
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Notes From Tanja
Signing All Your Posts and Choosing the Right Subject leads to the Archive Improvement
Some of you already know me, but I would like to officially introduce myself. I am rather new to the group, my CH kitties are Martha and Becca, and my nickname in the CH Kitty Club is "tan". My name is Tanja, and I am a volunteer in the CH Kitty Club since the new site had been relaunched in June, and I am also a moderator in our Yahoo group. (Moderators take care of new memberships, messages that the group members send and receive and about technical issues in general.) English is noth my first language; I live in Europe, 6 hours ahead of the earliest birdies in the US. That is why fellow Americans who can't sleep in the wee hours, or more importantly, people who need some support, usually find me in our Club Chat Room between 3am and 9am EST.
I strongly believe
that we gain knowledge by sharing, and as I think knowledge about
Cerebellar Hypoplasia (and any other health issue) should be accessible
to everyone, I keep posting links to articles I find while searching for
everything that can enhance the CH Kitty Club Links page.
I am also the one
who is repeatedly asking (pestering) members to please help us by
signing all your posts so we know who we are speaking with. Just makes
it more personal and easier, right? But more important, it helps us make
the CH Kitty Club one of the best resources on the internet when it
comes to Cerebellar Hypoplasia in cats.
Archives need to
be organized so people can easily find what they need. Our Yahoo group
Archives have over 30.000 posts! Our posts ARE our Archives! By
carefully choosing the Subject that you will assign to your post, and by
signing all your posts, you will help all the members, especially new
ones, (to) get the much needed info from our archives in the easiest
way!
Yours sincereCATly,
Tanja & Martha
Finally - I
propose all the members to sign all the posts with their name, and the
name of their CH kitty... Many already do, and hereby I admit that I
usually memorize kitties, not their people :-) |
Kitty Gadgets
Christina Brdey,
CH Kitty Correspondent
Where we celebrate CH parents for putting on their thinking caps to find unconventional tools or conjure up spiffy devices to make our pets that much more happier. This column spotlights our member's creativity and some products that make you say, "Why didn't I think of that?"
When this mom is away, my CH kitty will play...
Wait, you mean we can just spend ALL of our time with our CH babies? Of course not, we got bills to pay and careers to manage. So what do you with your CH kitty when you're away and not there to guide their every move? I found my answer with a pet playpen. If you are in the same boat as me and don't have a CH-friendly, carpeted room to dedicate to your CH cat, then a pet playpen may just ease your worries.
Playpens are typically intended for puppies but it has been a saving grace for my CH kitty, Marla. There are many manufacturers and vendors for pet playpens but I personally love my WARE Deluxe Pop-Up Playpen. It is large enough for Marla to have her bed, wee-wee pad and blankets for a play area in there. It allows for easy storage and is very mobile if you want to take it on the go. The features I love are that you can get multiple sizes, the top cover is removable and it has two access doors and screens surrounding the entire width so they don't feel fully enclosed. These playpens can add up to a pretty penny but with a little searching, you can find a good deal online. Be sure to take advantage of free shipping! I scored my Ware playpen from Petco.com on sale with free shipping for only $75, when they usually run closer to $100. I found it to be worth the money instead of the worry I was causing myself when I wasn't in the house.
If you have an invention or product that you think will help other CH parents, please email Christina at CBrdey@yahoo.com.
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Otter's Corner
by Melissa Green
Hi, my name is Otter and I own Missy and her boys, Jonathan and Jason. I found them this past Spring. My life before finding Missy is my secret, but my previous owner did completely declaw me,which makes Missy really mad. When I first showed up on Missy's carport, it was to eat the food she had out for her cats. While I was there, she came outside. She scared me at first, but then she talked to me really nicely and gave me some canned food, my favorite! I kept coming back and hoping to come inside, but she has two big dogs that scared me.
Then, one day it was raining and I was just chilling in her carport to stay out of the rain. Suddenly, she comes out, puts me in a cage and took me to the vet. They took some blood and gave me some shots. I didn't like that, but when we got home, she made it all worthwhile by bringing me into the house! At first I just lived in the bathroom. She would come visit me and talk to me when she could, but it was really lonely. Then, slowly she started bringing me out into the rest of the house and letting me sit with her on the sofa.
It was during those visits that I realized that the dogs were not only not scary, but they are sweet! Now I have the run of the house and they don't bother me at all. In fact, sometimes I even cuddle up with them. They are like big warm beds. The black one is Tito and the yellow one is Princess. Tito will even clean me sometimes and Princess is my favorite to cuddle with.
When I first moved in, I shared the house with buddy, a grumpy old man who made fun of me! He was always calling me a retard and saying that I walk funny. But I know that is not true because Missy always tells me how beautiful and sweet and smart I am! Finally, I got tired of it and started running at him when he made fun of me. Well, he decided he wanted to be an outdoor cat and he chills outside with the other fat cats!
Now, I share the house with the two kittens, Fiona (or Fifi) and Trouble. They don't make fun of me, but boy are they exhausting! I do enjoy watching them play, though. Fifi seems to be more like me, at least in that she cannot see as well as other cats, but at least she can jump and climb. Trouble, though, is just really sweet and he gives me kisses and grooms me sometimes.
But my favorite, of course, is Missy. She feeds me canned food several times a day and even made me a special litter tray, though I'm not always able to use it. And when I do miss the litter tray or go on the kitchen floor, she does not even get mad at me! And the cuddle times, oh the cuddle times! She holds me close and I am so happy I purr.Sometimes, I even get so happy, I accidentally pee on her, but she just cleans up and tells me that it's ok. Hopefully, I will be sharing more stories from my life here, helping you understand CH from a cat's perspective. |
My sweet Shiloh
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In Memory Of Shiloh
by Lizzie Holochwost
Shiloh was my first CH kitten. He was the sweetest cat one would ever want to meet. He was a pretty mild case of CH, his main symptom was 'circling'. He was always walking in circles, and the more excited he got, the smaller the circles became. When it was dinner time, his circle became so small, he was almost spinning.
Most of us here have gotten our CH kitties as they were about to be
euthanized. We believe that some veterinarians are too quick to euthanize. They may just need some education about Cerebellar
Hypoplasia. These cats need to be given a chance for a full and happy
life. With a little extra love and care these animals can have just
that.
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More food please!  | New Family Member...
Meet Ziggy!
by Lizzie Holochwost
Imagine a CH kitty coming up for adoption in your town? Well, we sure never expected it! Yet, there it was, CH kitty up for adoption in Columbia, SC. We hemmed and hawed for about three seconds...
We went and met Ziggy where he was and decided we loved him, even though I left bleeding in eight places. We just need to learn Ziggy's language. Then the rescue group (Carolina Cats) took over to get him and have him vetted before he comes to live with us. He was neutered on Thursday, and will be coming home on Monday!! We are excited!! We went to visit him today, and he let us know just how much hew loves treats!!
We went shopping and bought Ziggy a play pen, two really heavy dishes for his food and water, a few interactive toys and a LOT of treats!! We are excited!!
Welcome to our family, Ziggy!!
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To Our Readers
Every month we will highlight a kitty from the CH Kitty Club. Please submit a photo and short story to go with it if you would like your kitty to be the "CH Kitty of the Month". You will be emailed when your kitty will be the honored feline.
Lizziebarrett@gmail.com |
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| Upcoming Events |
Don't miss the next Issue of The CH Kitty Club Newsletter coming on November 1, 2010
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| THANK YOU |
Thank you all for being such a big part of the CH Kitty Club. To submit an article or any suggestions, please email me at LizzieBarrett@gmail.com.
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| Contact Information |
CH Kitty Club Founder
Elizabeth Holochwost
803-240-4798
CH Kitty Club Webmaster
Neal Helman
NHelman@5thTradition.com
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Beautiful Ziggy  | Closing Headline | |
Thank your customer, tell them how valuable they are to you, but don't go overboard. Insincerity is easy to spot.
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