A Little Known Medical Condition in Cats: Cerebellar Hypoplasia

When I opened up my e-mail today, little did I know that I was to treated to a truly heart-warming and perhaps bittersweet treat. I happen to belong to a number of Yahoo cat groups, especially those of the pet rescue type, and I must confess, most times I tend to ignore these e-mails, as some are so sad beyond belief. Everyday, are urgent needs messages for help in rescuing cats and/or to find homes for the overpopulation of felines that exists. This time however, I didn't ignore this one particular e-mail, as it had a link to a YouTube video of Charley, a cat, who turns out is a "special" needs cat. In all honesty, the e-mail should have given a warning to have tissues nearby, for I am an overall animal lover in general, and especially have a great love for cats, as I've been "owned" by cats since I was five and a half years old. In other words, I'm a self-confessed wimp with anything to do with animals.

The star of this video is Charley, who has a condition known as cerebellar hypoplasia, a disability that in all honesty I never even heard of or knew about prior to seeing this video, and I'm just betting many cat lovers are ignorant in knowing about this medical condition as well. Cerebellar hypoplasia is a medical condition that can exist in both humans and animals and affects the cerebellum which is responsible for controlling the ability of motion. There are several known causes of this condition showing up in newly born animals and is a result of an improperly developed cerebellum. The most frequent cause is due to the highly infectious feline disease, such as panleukopenia and of which the newly born kitten will have inherited from its parents. To just briefly add here since it can affect puppies as well, it is the herpes virus infection that they have inherited that will trigger this condition. The other known causes are due to injuries or poisonings a newborn kitten (or puppy) may sustain while very young, or just simply a case of poor development while the infant animal is still in the uterus.

Young kittens (or puppies) who have cerebellar hypoplasia will be seen to have tremors, jerky movements and will fall down quite often whenever they try to move due to their un-coordination skills from their cerebellum. While this condition does not get worse as the animal matures, it does remain with them for the rest of their lives. They are therefore considered a "special needs" pet and will need just a little more attention and caring for than a "normal" pet to prevent the animal from possibly harming itself. It is felt that an animal afflicted with this medical problem does not feel or experience any pain, and that the animal is able to adapt itself quite well despite its disability.

Now the real sad fact, from what I got and sensed from this video that I watched, is that many young kittens (and puppies) are needlessly euthanized due to this condition. Viewed as less than perfect animals with slightly above average needs and just a little more special care and attention that a normal kitten or puppy would need, they are deemed unadoptable and therefore put down. And, all I could ask was, why? We don't euthanize human infants or young children who are born with medical afflictions or disabilities, do we, so why should we do so with animals? These special needs pets are every bit as capable of exhibiting just as much unconditional love that a "normal" pet can demonstrate and give to its owner, and who knows? These wonderful animals may even exhibit more love toward their owner. In watching this video with Charley, this cat, despite his obvious disability and un-coordinated means of moving, looks as though he is perfectly content and just as happy as his feline friend that he cuddles up next to.

So please, I invite you to watch the video also, and a fair warning. Do have some tissues nearby.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=dJQG6V1MOVY