News from CH Kitty Club

CH Kitty Club Newsletter

January 2011 Issue #4

Hello again and Happy New Year!!!
Welcome to the January CH Kitty Club Newsletter!!
We have a new feature this month called 'Birthday Blurbs'!!

Hope you ALL had a wonderful Holiday and got your kitties LOTS of presents!!!

Tardy Peebucket
President of All Little Brothers

CH Kitty of the Month
"KEWPIE"

Article written by: Leslee Womack

Kewpie was born "Bobbles" in December of 2009, to a litter of three. One of his siblings was stillborn and the other "normal". He made his way to Guardian Angles Cat Rescue where I volunteer, at the end of January 2010. The lady that had him said she had taken him to the vet and that he would need extra care because of his condition. She decided that it would be best for him to find a home that could take really good care of him.

One of the volunteers said he cannot keep the name "Bobbles" because it would give him a complex.

So they asked her what he should be called. She said "I don't know, but he's just cute as a doll, let's call him 'Kewpie' as in Kewpie doll!" So the name stuck.

I took the darling home to foster. He was just so sweet and cute that after having him only a week, my husband, Donnie and I decided we could not part with him. (Little did I know that a couple of the ladies at the shelter had already decided the second I had taken him home to foster that he would never be back. I guess they pegged that one.)

Kewpie was very smart from the start. A couple of minutes after I brought him home, he had disappeared. I went through the house calling him, knowing he didn't know his new name. When I got to the bedroom, he came running out from under the bed, said "Meow", did a "U" turn, and went back under! It was the cutest thing ever!

He frightened us a lot when he was little. Even though he has a very mild case of CH and is very steady in his feet, he does have intention tremors. This means that whenever he would concentrate on anything his head would bobble. Since he was a little six week old kitten, he was always concentrating, so he constantly bobbled. From the beggining, he was dead set on doing anything he wanted. He would climb the cat tree and jump to a table. (Heart attack) He would jump a two foot stretch from a chair to the bed. (Heart attack) He caught the end of the bed with his nails, and climbed on up... with a look on his face that seemed to say "I meant to do that".

Kewpie has now decided that he is the big cat in the family. If I bring home a foster, he decides that he is going to let them know who is boss for a few days before he takes them under his paw and shows them the ropes. He loves to lay on the bed next to me every night. If one of the fosters come up on the bed, he lets them know which area is his, and they had better listen if they know what is good for them.

Kewpie is very sweet & loving. We love him so much!!! Our lives would not be the same without him. We are so blessed to have him!!!

Kewpie's family~

Leslee, Donnie (Mom, & Dad), Cinnamon (his doggie sister), Harley, Ganjo, Bandares, Wally, Claire, Theodore, Summer Belle, & his foster brother, Axel.

New Family Member...Nanako

by Elise Murphy (Chicago, IL)

In late-October a tiny, 5-week-old black kitten was brought in to an animal shelter where I volunteer. The lady who dropped her off had found her crying in a dumpster. She didn't find any other cats/kittens in the area, so we are guessing someone threw her away because of her CH. She couldn't have gotten in the dumpster on her own. When we first evaluated her, she couldn't even stand or walk, but she would try if you would hold her up. She also didn't appear to be in any pain...I immediately thought she had CH. I mentioned to the shelter manager to let me know if she did. Thank goodness I did because no one else there had ever even heard of it.

So, after her vet visit, it was confirmed that she had CH...I was asked to foster her...and foster has turned into a furever home =) We've named our new little sweety "Nanako". We are working with her to help her learn how to get around easier and "Nana-proof" the things we can't help. Now at about 3 months, she's doing so well. She's learned to sit and splay her back legs out while she eats. She climbs up the couch/blankets when she wants to sit with us. And she's learned to walk slower and lean against the wall so she doesn't fall down as much (although she still falls down every few steps). None of this makes any difference when she wants to play with our other kitties though. She gets so excited and just tumbles all the way into them. She still freaks them out on occasion, especially our other CH kitty, but they're getting used to her and will try to play with her.

Nanako loves to watch TV and lay on a floor pillow surveying the room. And like all little kittens, she absolutely loves to play, play, play!

I have a couple videos of Nanako up on my blog here!

Adoptable Angels

TIGER

by Debbie Martin

This CH kitten in Georgia is a cut and happy adoptable little guy. I have not seen a CH kitty move this way, but perhaps some of you have.

You can contact us about Tiger via email Jim@IttyBittyKittyCare.com or Sherry@IttyBittyKittyCare.com or Cell phone: 706-994-0242.

We are on the Southside of Atlanta, Georgia.

October 2

These two little guys were dumped with the Love-a-Pet volunteers at their adoption event in Fayetteville this afternoon. We estimate they're two days old at most and male, the black one weighed 4.0 ounces and the tiger-striped one weighed 3.4 ounces. They both still have their cords.

October 6

Tiger is up to 3.6 ounces. Tiger dropped to 3.1 ounces after the first 24 hours, but has come back strong. They are both eating well, and are strong and vocal.

October 19

Tiger is the smaller of the two orphaned furbabies who came to us on October 2. He is extremely uncoordinated; most of his movements are corkscrews, spins, spirals, or a combination of the three. According to his veterinarian, Tiger may have a vestibular condition which prevents him from finding his balance. Aside from that, he seems healthy. He eats well, and his other bodily functions are within normal parameters. We're hoping he'll grow out of his condition. His vet will do additional testing as appropriate.

October 31

Tiger practicing his walking - while this video may seem alarming, Tiger is not injured, or in pain or danger. He has a neurological condition which prevents him from establishing and maintaining his balance. We think it's a condition called "cerebellar hypoplasia" or "CH". There's no treatment or medication for it. With proper care and attention, cats with CH are able to learn to compensate for the effects, and live fairly normal lives.

http://www.facebook.com/v/1705717327828

http://www.facebook.com/v/1705753208725

November 4

Tiger is trying very hard to cope with his condition, and seems to be making progress. Based on other observed indications, he likely has significant hearing loss, and may be completely deaf. Unfortunately we are unable to keep our orphans beyond the time they are weaned.

November 17

Tiger started using the litter box all by himself.

November 19

We have determined that Tiger is most likely completely deaf. We think he may have some vision impairment too, but that may just be the CH. He has not been diagnosed by a vet, but after watching his videos, people who know about CH think that it is the most likely issue.

He uses the litter box without any help, but sometimes he scratches litter out. He has not yet figured out how to eat out of a dish, but we have high hopes that he will figure that out in the next few months. He runs, plays, pounces, climbs and is figuring out how to get most anywhere that he wants to go. This video shows most of his normal behavior and some of his CH: http://www.facebook.com/v/1757341738406

You can find tons of pictures and video with updates on him here:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Itty-Bitty-Kitty-Care/155128817845701

Otter'sCorner

by Melissa B. (Missy) Green

Dear People who talk to Missy,

Who, and I mean who, told Missy about cats wearing diapers?!? She comes home one day a few weeks ago, and is talking about this diaper thing. Then she gets on her magic box (where she somehow talks to you folks) and looks up some moving pictures of some guy changing a baby diaper to fit a cat! THEN she goes out and buys some diapers and actually puts them on me! OK, so maybe it's not so bad because I don't pee all over myself now, but still, I am a CAT! Of course, I also like her cleaning me up with the good smelling clothes afterwards, too. Well, maybe it's not too bad. I just think I look silly in a diaper! Maybe I can convince Missy to send you a picture of me in one. Then you can see how silly I look!

Oh, and let me tell you, ever since it got cold out, the house has gotten crowded at night! Not only is it me, Trouble, and Fifi, but Buddy, Tiger, and Smokey all come in, too. That means that there is up to three or four of us, plus Princess, all on the sofa with Missy! And Smokey can be mean about it! He says that since he found Missy first, he gets to sit the closest to her to be petted the most! Buddy gets pushed out of the way by Smokey, too, so he is nicer to me. Well, that and he has decided that he really dislikes Trouble because she pounces on everyone! I like being up on the sofa, but not when I have to share Missy with the other cats! When is it going to get warm again?

Also, there is something going on called Christmas in the house. The boys seem really excited about it but Missy seems a little stressed about it. She keeps cleaning and moving furniture around! Then she did this really crazy thing. She brought in the tree from outside and then covered it with toys! Fifi thinks this is the best thing in the world! She says it is HER tree, just like the big mouse Missy bought is HER mouse and the small stuffed dog she found in Jason's room is HER doggy! But she will let us sleep under it. She and Trouble like to curl up behind it when they are sleepy. Buddy likes to drink the water. I just like to sit pretty under the tree. Missy likes it when I do that, too. She says I am pretty!

Anyway, I have to go now. It is time for me to go sit below the pretty tree and decorate it even more with my prettiness! And, please, don't give Missy any more ideas for me! I can handle the diapers, I guess, but if she walks in with a pacifier for me, I am outta here!!!!

Thank you,

Otter (the Odder) Green

Kids and Cats

By Shannon Collar

Happy New Year from our family to yours. We hope that this coming year will bring much happiness and good health to all of you, including those purr factories we adore so much.

I don't know about you, but at times I feel like I'm banging my head against the wall, when it comes to potty training our three year old son and our CH boys (we have three CH boys). Our oldest CH'er, Piglet does well with the litter box. Rarely does he miss. Our middle, Flurry, will poop in the box, but peeing, well... he'd rather just go on the box or on the basket that is in the laundry room. I've tried to lay a piddle pad or newspaper where he goes but he will just move it to go. Our youngest Tucker, is finally starting to learn the proper places to go.

Tucker was a rescue, that we were able to adopt out. His family wasn't able to keep him due to health problems and he came back to us. It's one of those cases, where you wish the person would have been 100% honest with you at the beginning, instead of waiting until after the kitty came back to live with you. It's been a long road, and we are finally seeing some results. Tucker has figured out where the litter boxes are, and gets in the room, but isn't used to actually using a box. He'd been trained to use piddle pads or just go on the floor.

We are now seeing consistent results of peeing on the piddle pad and pooping either on the piddle pad or in the laundry room. Tucker has his own area where he stays when we aren't home, are busy, or if we're asleep. It's a toddler fence system, that is set up in our den (it has six sides and gives about a 6 foot play zone in the middle). We even bought inexpensive linoleum to lay down to protect our hard wood floors. When Tucker does have "free range" of the house, we prop the gate up with a Rubbermaid tote (about 6 inches high, that hold his piddle pads and cleaning supplies), so that he can climb in and out and access his potty or food. As I'm writing this edition, Tucker has gone in to use the piddle pad.

Now, if only we could convince our three year old to use the potty with some regularity, we would be ecstatic. Drew looks at us like we are nuts, when we praise Tucker for using the pads properly, and thinks we're just as crazy when we're in the bathroom and clap and cheer when he's gone in the potty.

We have yet to find what works for Drew to keep him motivated to achieve being potty trained. We are currently using a sticker reward system with cars or Toy Story figurines as the reward after meeting his goal.

My husband thinks we should start bringing his potty chair down stairs to help us train Drew. I'm against it, because we have so many pets, and the bathroom is upstairs, not downstairs, but like I tell Brian, sometimes we need to bend to find out what will work for our kitties. Maybe that's what we need to do with Drew.

At the end of the day, though, we just have to be thankful we've made progress even if it is only a small little step in the right direction.

Meet the Parents

Lizzie, Neal and Family!

By Kristie (Riley Dean's Mom)

CH Kitty Club supercouple Lizzie Holochwost and Neal Helman not only co-run the CH Kitty Club website and create the newsletter that you're reading right now, they also share a house in Columbia, South Carolina with their eighteen cats AND co-parent their two CH-ers, Tardy and Ziggy!

Tardy, who has been with Lizzie for thirteen years, is her second CH kitty. Her first was Shiloh, who had a milder case of CH, but passed away at age ten. When Neal met Tardy three years ago, Tardy had just dislocated his hip. They had it fixed, "...But it came out again in a few days...so we let his body create a 'false joint'." Lizzie says (a false joint is comprised of scarred and fibrous tissue, and it forms naturally to allow the kitty to bear weight again). Neal adds that the false joint "is really emblematic to me of just how resilient CH cats seem to be." After that and healthy doses of cosequin (a joint supplements for pets), Tardy is now good as new!

With all of the love they have for Tardy and their other kitties, Lizzie and Neal recently decided to expand their family. In October of 2010 they adopted Ziggy, who Lizzie lovingly refers to as, "The devil in disguise." Ziggy, born on July 4, 2009, is apparently full of the CH kitty temper. As Neal puts it, "Ziggy's a split personality.... "Oh, let me love on you... oh, just put your finger in my mouth, c'mon..."

Zigg'n Wigg'n

"Ziggy is part bird," Lizzie says. "I've seen him fly...he freaks out and a second later he's across the room."

Soon after adopting Ziggy, the whole family moved from a three-story home to a new 4,000 square foot house with no stairs (yay!) so they're free to explore. Tardy and Ziggy even get their own room lined with foam tiles. Neal notes: "Tardy used to let us know how he felt when he'd visit our bedroom at the old house by pooping on my bedside rug... now, he can be at the far end of the house, and if he has to go, he heads on back to his room to go."

Mommy gets some Tardy-Love

I asked them if they have any advice for new CH kitty parents. Neal, who redesigned, developed and maintains the CH Kitty Club website (chkittyclub.com), brings up the value of patience, saying, "I come at it from a different perspective than Lizzie, since I'm a newcomer to CH kitties and a newcomer to more than two cats."

"The last time I only had two cats was over thirty years ago," Lizzie, who does the newsletter and Yahoo group ("and cleans all the litter boxes!"), interjects. She believes in the value of communicating - as well as exchanging stories and suggestions - with other CH kitty parents: "Join the Yahoo group and the website, get the newsletters, and stay in touch with all of us!"

Features of the CH Kitty Club Website

by Erica

Want to learn more about CH kitties? Want to share your stories about you CH kitties?

Well, check out www.chkittyclub.com and register to share your story and write diary entries from your CH kitty's perspective! We all want to hear your CH kitty's story and read in the diary about how your CH kitties manage day to day and about their adventures! Have a question? Log in and get on live chat, and one of our moderators will do their best to answer your questions. We try to schedule live chats on different topics (i.e., setting up your home for you CH kitty, CH temper, litter box issues, etc.). Have an idea for a topic we should discuss in chat? Let us know!

Do you have a question and want information from a forum filled with experienced CH parents? We have all had our challenges, and can share them as well as things that work well with our CH kitties. Check out the forum at our Yahoo group.

Lastly, if you haven't already subscribed to this newsletter, go sign up at www.chkittyclub.com or at the top of this newsletter. For past issues, click here for our archives.

Notes From Tanja

Panleukopenia-Part I

Interview with Crystal Fogg,
byTanja Vranic

1. What is Panleukopenia?

Panleukopenia is a virus which affects the feline population. It was first reported in 1928 by J. Verge and N. Christoforoni. Symptoms of the virus can include but are not limited to:
·
Generalized depression
·
Loss of appetite - assisted feeding or IV drip/ Parenteral feeding maybe required
·
High fever - fever may come and go through out the illness and may fall to lower than normal
levels shortly before death
·
Lethargy
·
Vomiting
·
Severe Diarrhea/Bloody Stools
·
Nasal Discharge
·
Dehydration- sick cats may linger by their water bowls but may not drink
·
Decreased White Blood Cell Count

2. What is Cerebellar Hypoplasia?

Cerebellar hypoplasia is a neurological condition in which the cerebellum is smaller than usual or not completely developed. In many species Cerebellar Hypoplasia can be caused by a number of congenital (present at birth) malformation syndromes. It is however most commonly seen in felines after an in utero infection with the panleukopenia virus. The condition when caused by an in utero infection with the panleukopenia virus is a non-progressive condition and will never get any better or any worse, although some felines may learn to compensate for their condition.

3. What are the signs/symptoms of Cerebellar Hypoplasia?

Depending on the severity of cerebellar malformation seen in a feline with Cerebellar Hypoplasia one or more of the following symptoms may be present (this list is by no means all inclusive):
·
Head bobbing/shaking
·
Head/Limb Tremors
·
Unsteadiness/clumsiness
·
Wide-based stance when walking/standing
·
Falling over

The signs of Cerebellar Hypoplasia are usually present at birth or will appear shortly thereafter. There may be a slow progression of symptoms over the first few weeks to months of life after which point the cerebellum should be fully developed and your kitten should not show any further progression of symptoms. (Whatever signs or symptoms are present up to this point will remain with the feline throughout the course of the feline's life.)

4. Panleukopenia/ Parvo Virus/ Distemper: What's the difference?

As previously stated the Panleukopenia virus (FPL) was first reported in the feline population in 1928.

The canine Parvo virus (CPV) emerged in either Europe or Eurasia sometime during the early to mid 1970's. Since Panleukopenia was reported in the feline population before the canine Parvo virus was discovered, the canine Parvo virus is believed to be a variant of the Panleukopenia virus. (2) Currently it has been shown that there is as little as a 5% isolate difference between the DNA of Panleukopenia and canine Parvo virus. (3)

The original version of the canine parvo virus was referred to as CPV type 2 or CPV-2 in order to distinguish the virus from the canine minute virus. The original strain of the CPV-2 virus mutated in approximately it's ninth year of development thus allowing it to give birth to the CPV-2a strain of the virus. By 1984, another variant of the CPV-2 virus arose, the CPV-2b virus. By 2000, the virus had mutated into its latest form the CPV-2c virus. By 2006 outbreaks of the CPV-2c virus were confirmed in the United States, Italy, Western Europe, Asia and South America."(4) While the original strain of the CPV-2 virus was host specific (i.e., infecting only canines), the later strains gained the ability to cause a host range shift (i.e., gained the ability to infect both canines and felines.)

5. Can my feline catch Panleukopenia from a dog?

No, your feline cannot catch Panleukopenia from a dog. Your feline can however catch a strain of the Parvo virus from a dog, although such cases are extremely rare. The best way to ensure that your feline is protected from both viruses is to have your feline vaccinated with a vaccine that protects against both the feline Panleukopenia virus (FPL) and feline Parvo virus (FPV), such as the PureVax vaccine offered by Merial.

Bibliography:

1. Verge, J. & Christoforoni, N. (1928). La gastroenterite infectieuse des

chats ; est-elle due a'un virus ®ltrable ? Comptes Rendus des SeUances de la

SocieUteU de Biologie et de ses ®liales 99, 312.

2. Oelzer, Karin, Shackelton, Laura A., Holmes, Edward C., Parrish, Colin R.

Within-Host Genetic Diversity of Endemic and Emerging
Parvoviruses of Dogs and Cats J. Virol. 2008 82: 11096-
11105 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/reprint/82/22/11096?

maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=panleukopenia&searchid=1&FIRSTI
NDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

3. Hueffer, Karsten, Parker, John S. L., Weichert, Wendy S., Geisel, Rachel E., Sgro,

Jean-Yves, Parrish, Colin R. The Natural Host Range Shift and Subsequent Evolution of Canine Parvovirus Resulted from Virus-Specific Binding to the Canine Transferrin Receptor J. Virol. 2003 77: 1718-1726 http://jvi.asm.org/cgi/

reprint/77/3/1718

4. Dr. Schultz, Ron. Frequently Asked Questions About Canine Parvo Virus type 2c.

American Veterinary Medical Assoication. Sept. 2008 Web. 28 Oct. 2009 http://
www.avma.org/animal_health/canine_parvovirus_faq.asp

Our Yahoo Discussion Group...Adoptions

by Elizabeth Holochwost

We all love hearing that a CH kitty has found a new home. I especially love hearing that a CH kitty has found a new home through this group!

No matter how hard we try, we sometimes make mistakes. Sadly, this can be a life or death matter for a kitten and much heartache for a human.

The hardest thing for any rescue group or person is making sure the home we are placing a kitten in will be a forever home, loving and supportive. The most important thing I ever do before placing a cat is screening - get those references, and check them ALL. A vet reference is often the most important reference you can get, especially a house call vet.

I can't say enough about home visits; I believe this is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your foster is going to a great home. Adopting out of state? Put an ad in a local newspaper for a 'home checker', try Craig's List, or call a few local vets to see if anyone there is willing to do a home check.

How many pets does the adopter have? Sometimes this is very misleading, especially with all these awful TV programs about hoarders. I have a friend who has 45 cats, her house is immaculate, the cats are amazingly well taken care of, and everyone is happy. On the other side of the coin, I've known MANY people with one pet that shouldn't have been allowed to have it. This is where a home visit can also be helpful.

Sometimes a good home turns bad. Due to circumstances, we sometimes need to give up our babies. Please state in your adoption forms that the kitty needs to be brought back to YOU if this happens! I can't stress this enough! My worst adoption ever was a CH kitten for whom I found a home through this group (four states away, and even arranged travel) that was euthanized as soon as she got to her new home. That was 12 years ago and I have never forgiven myself. So please, take EVERY effort possible to ensure these babies are going to a wonderful home.

P.S. We kicked some adoption butt in December. Yay group.

Happy Endings...Serenity

by Erica

"Serenity" came into my life at an adoption event with the group with whom I volunteer, Angels of Animals, Inc. "Serenity" was originally named "Oops". She was rescued with her mom and siblings in the Jersey City area of New Jersey. The rescuers noticed she was much smaller than her siblings, and she was being trampled by them. She was not able to get to her food and was not thriving. Therefore they placed her in a foster home.

Unfortunately the foster home was inexperienced with CH kitties, and they did not feel capable of caring for her. The foster mom brought her to our adoption event asking for help. The foster mom also reached out to another rescue group at the same event. At the event, the foster mom told us that Serenity was 14 weeks old. At 14 weeks she was barely a 1.5 lbs and looked like she was barely alive, covered in feces. It was truly heartbreaking how she looked. I can cry even thinking about it.

The other group approached by the foster mom, "Here Kitty Kitty", knew our group works well with special need kitties, and sent her our way. After seeing her, we could not turn her away. Our president was away, so I called her and told her the whole story. She stated the group had no room. I readily volunteered to take her in my bathroom. This began Serenity's journey to a spoiled life!

We took her to the vet because she was severely malnourished and emaciated. Her blood levels were off, her sodium levels where high, and her kidneys and liver were affected. We were really concerned and unsure if this little girl was going to make it. However, I gave this little angel the name "Serenity" - she was such a calm girl and had such a positive and strong spirit and will to live.

With lots of TLC, her blood work normalized, and she started to grow and began to thrive. It took about 2 months for her to stabilize. This sweet angel was so thankful to be saved. We developed quite a bond, and I could not give her up. Already having two sets of CH siblings, I decided what is one more!

Now a year and a half later she is still a little petite angel but is full of life, love and quite a lot of spunk! I am proud to say I am mom to 13 beautiful kitties and love them all dearly, but the bond that "Serenity" and I created is different. I feel she sees me as her momma cat and her savior! She is my most severe CH, truly not being able to take more than two steps. Still, she gets around as she is a determined little girl!

She is a little spitfire! When in play mode, she is CRAZY - she has no fear! During feeding time, she will growl if any of the other kitties get too close! If she is in snuggle mode she is the best Snuggle Bug with me and the other kitties! Well, with the other kitties, if she is in the mood. Otherwise she will try to smack them to make them know to stay away! I look at this sweet girl everyday and am so thankful that I had the honor to rescue her and nurse her back to health, and she shows me how grateful she is everyday with her love! I love this little girl to pieces!!