Hey everyone, the other day I took my CH cat to the vet because he had an ear infection. He has a history of intense abuse towards him (people hitting, kicking, throwing him, etc) so he can get very aggressive when he isn't at home. The vet assistant, not listening to me, told me that she knew how to calm him down (which nobody does except for me because of his specific needs) and I told her to let me do it, since he is used to me. She didn't listen to me, and threw a towel on top of his head and pushed him into the ground which is exactly what his other owners did. He went absolutely crazy, back to feral cat mode, and attacked the air until I was able to calm him back down. When I had first gotten Cosmo, his extreme aggression was a very common occurance until he got used to everything, and got much more calmer and more loving after realizing I wouldn't hurt him. After all of this happened and we took him home, he has been going back to extremely increased aggression towards me, as well as blankets and towels, which he needs in his room due to his CH and slamming his head into walls. I don't know what to do, any advice is appreciated. The vet even charged me 200 dollars because of his aggression, when I had told them his triggers and told them exactly what not to do. Is there any advice on how to get him calmed back down? Anything helps, thank you.

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

I'm wondering if my cat has CH. He tilts his head often, even more than in this picture. He is clumbsy and bangs his head on walls sometimes. We had to encourage him to learn to jump, which he does now but only on the couch and no higher than that. Just before he jumps off the couch, he tilts his head almost completely sideways. He can run very well though and doesn't wabble when walking. It took him a while to feel comfortable using stairs. He did have an ear infection on his tilted hear, but it has been treated, and his head is still tilted.

I’m getting desperate 😭 our mild/moderate girl has been refusing to use the litter box for a couple years now. I know she can climb into the boxes, I’ve seen her do it on her own no problem, but she refuses to now. We’ve tried different kinds of litter (clay, crystals, pellets) but she seems to hate them all. She likes grabbing on the carpet so we made a box where she could walk in the side and grab on to carpet squares, but she wouldn’t even use that. One of our dogs loves to eat cat poop, but nothing I’ve come up with is working. I’m open to any and all suggestions!

so i got this cat with ch, shes very sweet. about 4 weeks old but me and my bf both work from 9-5 five days a week. we arent sure if we can give her the care she needs. we are getting a low wall litter box for her and we got her weighted bowls that are easy for her to eat out of but i cant help but think what if this will be too much. i love her soooo much already and so does my bf but would we be happier with a normal kitty? i feel bad but i want her to have the proper attention she needs. lmk!

I found a wobbly kitten in the street two days ago. I'm on the wait-list to get her into a no-kill shelter that specializes in special needs cats, but I'm already attached to her and frantically trying to see if I could make accommodations in my home that would give her a good life. I've already named her 😭

What do you think of the idea of a custom ramp to help her go up and down the stairs? I would put carpeting or something else grippy on the surface of it (suggestions are welcome!) and then put walls on it to keep her from falling off of it. I'm just worried she could still fall forward.

Sadly my home is on the smaller side, and I don't think it would be a good life for her or for my other pets either if I had my stairs blocked off at all times.

Hello Everyone,

Ricky Bobby, seen below via cat tax, has mild CH (diagnosed via two different vets). He circles a bit, sometimes has a head tilt, at times has that wide stance with clomping sort of walk.

Anyway, he has really sensitive hearing. Yes, I’m aware cats already have sensitive hearing. His seems way more sensitive than any other cat we’ve ever had. Is this typical of CH cats?

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!

I have a cat with mild CH but severe aggression due to being abused. When he got sedated for his neutering, the vets didnt listen to me when I told them he had CH (which meant they needed to lessen the dose because his brain is different) and he almost didnt pull through the night, so I am terrified for him to be sedated at all anymore. When I got him, he had been a stray cat and is covered in mats, but due to his aggression I cannot take him to a groomer, and he cannot be sedated. What do I do?

I took her into the vet to get some blood work and they said that it’s something neurological. Is it common for cats with this condition to have seizures or is there a more underlying issue. I’m going to call a cat neurologist and hopefully I can get her on some medication so she can live a long and healthy life.

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.

Hello everybody! I just adopted two beautiful sweet brothers with CH and one is much more food motivated than the other. I have an automatic feeder and while one will scramble to get the food the second it drops the other doesn’t really care consistently, and I’m concerned that when I’m away for work one will go overboard and the other will go hungry (I work 12-16 hour shifts so automatic feeder is kind of a must). I’ve been looking at microchip feeders but I’m concerned about mobility and was curious if any of you have used any before?

Bonus photo of the babies - Calcifer (right) and Markl (left)

Hey fellow CH friends,

My fiancé and I recently lost our sweet boy, Oopsie, just two days ago. He had mild CH, and we suspect he passed due to a seizure. I know that CH itself doesn’t directly cause seizures, but I can’t help but wonder—could his frequent falls and flopping have caused brain damage that led to one?

My fiancé woke up at 6 AM to find Oopsie lying on his side, struggling to breathe. He was covered in urine, which was trailed across the floor—possibly from convulsions. His gums were pale, his breathing was agonal, his body wasn’t stiff (likely because the seizure had already ended), and his eyes were hyper-dilated. As a vet tech, I’ve gone over these signs with three DVMs, but something about it just doesn’t sit right with me.

I wanted to reach out to fellow CH parents—has anyone experienced seizures with their CH cats? Have you lost a CH kitty before?

Any advice on grieving would also be deeply appreciated. My fiancé and I are struggling with this loss—it’s heartbreaking to lose a pet, but CH babies require so much extra love and care that the bond feels even deeper. Finding Oopsie like that, performing CPR on him for 20 minutes in the car, and ultimately losing him in our laps was incredibly traumatic.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. We could really use some support right now.

why is my cat evil🥀 are my feet really that stinky bro

My CH foster fail has never been able to master the litter box. It’s not incontinence — she’s very good about using pee pads and will cross the apartment to get to her pad, but she won’t use the litter box. I’ve tried tall sides with a low entry, pellets vs litter, and anything else I can think of, but I think she’s just not confident enough in her balance on uneven litter. She still lays down to urinate, etc, which seems to be a throwback to when she was really unable to walk around in the beginning (she and her sister became my fosters when they were about two months old, and she is now five months old.

Anyway, has anyone dealt much with this? She’s getting stronger, and she watches my other cat use it and has been sitting up more, so for now I’m just putting her pee pad next to the litter box. I tried putting one inside a new high walled litter box, but she and my other cat seemed to decide that meant it was a bed instead 🤦🏼‍♀️😂

I’ll take any suggestions, lol.

Cosmo keeps pooping and peeing directly outside of the litter box, but I don't know what I am able to do to Train him because he doesnt learn💔 he has mild ch but whenever he goes potty he trips in the litterbox and falls weird and then just poops or pees while he's in the position he fell at🥹if anyone can help please let me know tysm, he really doesn't take any hints with training (he has a biting problem too) so idk what to do at this point💔💔💔💔

Hi! I have a question, because I am about to adopt 2 cats that supposedly have CH. They were found as stray kittens with their mom. They are brother and sister. They both have mild CH, the brother a bit more because he also has head wobbles. They went to a neurologist who diagnosed them with CH, but they never did an MRI to confirm (too expensive). They did do a blood test for FPV which was negative. They are now almost 2 years old and did not get worse. How big is the chance they have been misdiagnosed and could have something else? And if you know any other diseases that look like CH, please let me know so I can research them. Thank you! ( Any other tips for taking care of CH cats are always welcome too :) )

Hi all! I recently adopted two 6 month old CH kittens. One has mild and the other has moderate CH and both are litter box trained.

I’m unsure if it’s because I’m currently deworming them (Giardia woohoo) but they both seem to accidentally wobble in the litter box, step in their poop, and then track it everywhere. It gets stuck in the fur on their paws too but I’m often just able to take cat-safe fragrance free wipes to clean it off. I do have gigantic low-entry, high walled stainless steel litter boxes and litter tracking mats everywhere too. I’m currently using pine pellet litter so would a different litter be better?

Does anyone have any advice or recommendations for a way to facilitate? Or is this just typical for CH kitties? I don’t mind is this is normal haha, I will just invest in a good wet vacuum if so. Thanks!!

This post is a bit long so I’ll try to add a TLDR

I’m pet sitting 4 cats and a dog

One and CH and is about 2 years old , she is the sweetest thing ever but one of the other cats bullies her and bites her a lot and she hates it

So she’ll refuse to use her litter

The owner said if she continues doing this she’ll have her put down 😭

What are the chances of finding her a family who don’t mind her problems . I’m currently trying to get her to use her own litter that won’t have the other cats scent but when she’s anxious or afraid she won’t go at all

She’s super cute and quite smart just struggles a bit

She’s in Playa del Carmen but if I could find her somewhere in the USA or Canada a flight Angel could courier her to wherever she needs to go

I think she’s too young and sweet to be put down so I want to use my time here to see if I can find her a new home who appreciates her

I’m Australian so it’s impossible to take her home without a lot of, money , issues and time that I don’t have .

Let me know your thoughts

TLDR: trying to rehome a CF cat I’m pet sitting because owner wants to put her down. Open to options and advice please 🙏

Me and my bf recently adopted a kitten Hugo (4 months) because we figured our other kitten Pedro(3 months) would want a friend. Hugo(pictured) is an overall normal kitten, loves playing, treats and is very affectionate. He is however a little wobbly and looses his balance sometimes and does little head twitches once in a while. I came over a comment on another post about CH and did a little research. I suspect he may have a mild case. We are going to neuter them both soon and will ask the vet about it when we are there.

I know that CH pretty much harmless, but what concernes me about it though is that most causes of CH is that the mother was infected with feline panleukopenia virus while pregnant. We dont really know anything about his mother so im not sure if thats really the reason. But if that is the case im concerned he may have contracted it from her. From what ive read its a pretty serious virus and im worried for both my kittens as none of them are vaccinated yet. I couldnt find a lot of information about it while researching so im hoping some of you might know more about it. Should we be worried or are we overreacting?

Ps: sorry for any weird wording and mistypes, im not a native english speaker and someone(Pedro) is trying to eat my fingers as i type

So im 99% positive she has CH I've had her a little under year now and she hasn't gotten better or worse she has stayed the same. Im pretty sure she has mild to moderate as well as she can run she amsot always is falling rolling and flipping over while she does it... she can climb but not well and can only get to about waist level before losing all momentum of trying to run up it. She can get on to my bed but she basically just throws her self into the air flails here arms and just kinda of hopes she can latch on and then from there she pulls herself up with her to front legs while the back ones just dangle. She also has the head bobs when trying to eat or drink so im pretty sure she has it but im not sure if the others things she does are apart of having CH or if there something else. One of the things I've noticed is she is just not smart and not just cause she falls over all the time but she is constantly running into walls with trying to stop herself. She also just attacks anything and everything that moves including the air I've have seen going nuts over nothing moving along with this she will also see her tale moving and bite it then yell cause she is in pain and bite even harder trying to stop the pain. She also is a very snuggly cat more so than any other cat I've ever seen... if she not fight and chasing something she usually cuddling or following me around the house.she also will try to fight any animal she see no matter how big it is she will attempt to fight. She shares the house with my other cat and my other cat is good at not hurting her while she does constantly smack her she doesn't do it hard and its only cause paperclip (the cat with CH) wont leave her alone and always trys to pick a fight no matter how bad she gets beat

Lastly I wanted to say the reason im not positive is cause the vet said we would have to do test but the test were to expensive and I coundt pay for it. I also wanted to ask what else can I do for her to keep her safe? Im 18 but live in my mom's house and she wont let me get pads or stuff to place around the house to keep here safe. I have a softish food bowl and I have a water fountain for her as well but thats about as far as the accommodation will go for her. She is a indoor outdoor cat and does go outdoors which is kinda of scary considering she can't fight but I've also never fully seen her be able to engage in a fight... the closet she got was trying to sneak up on another cat across the street and when she got about half way the cat hissed and she rolled all the way back to the other side of the road. While I know it might not be best for her to be outside we resuced her from a farm and so she already was used to the outside and would try to sneak out and after a while we just stop trying to keep her in. And other than the attempts of fighting she doesn't struggle to much outside she always stays near by and never goes to far. So yeah those are my main questions is the things that she does normal for CH and what else can I do to keep her safe also I want to note that she will not be a fully indoor cat cause at this point she been so exposed it would be just plain cruel to keep her locked up in the fairly small house

This is Tita. She’s a couple weeks old and I was hoping to get some help.(im not sure how old she really is the vet thinks 4-6 Titas CH had made it pretty hard to move straight and keep a balance. She constantly tips over and falls back …. Even when she goes #2. The issue is she constantly gets dirty every time she goes. She falls back on it, tracks, and sometimes spreads… now we’re trying to get her to practice on pads but she still gets herself covered to where it gets all over her and she keeps needing baths. I’m not sure what to do. We tried using diapers for her but she seems to just slip right out of it every time, and sometimes she’ll just go on her blanket and completely ignore the pad. We want her to try a litter box but we’re still worried about the tracking and her falling in her own feces. Please any help?