Week one of being CH kitty parents! What a week! A little more work than life 2 weeks ago, but SO MUCH MORE REWARDING. What a blessing our little CH kitties have become.
Enya and Thomas had their first vet appointment Friday night. They are beautiful healthy babies. Enya has severe CH, and Thomas so mild it's almost non-existent. The vet was SO excited to see them, because he wanted to show the whole office staff what a CH kitty is / does. He said back in his clinic days, there was a little drunken sailor who they all loved named Bumper. He was the first person I called when I learned the kitten I was getting had siblings who were "wobbly with CH" and he said - "if you can, adopt the CH ones! They make great pets." I was shocked, but now I understand. I wish there were more vets like him. So many are quick to put these beautiful babies to sleep. Anyways, the vet appt was perfect. Shots, checkups, etc. We got a nice big free bucket of kitten food AND free doses of kitten Frontline. Yay!
Enya and Thomas had their first vet appointment Friday night. They are beautiful healthy babies. Enya has severe CH, and Thomas so mild it's almost non-existent. The vet was SO excited to see them, because he wanted to show the whole office staff what a CH kitty is / does. He said back in his clinic days, there was a little drunken sailor who they all loved named Bumper. He was the first person I called when I learned the kitten I was getting had siblings who were "wobbly with CH" and he said - "if you can, adopt the CH ones! They make great pets." I was shocked, but now I understand. I wish there were more vets like him. So many are quick to put these beautiful babies to sleep. Anyways, the vet appt was perfect. Shots, checkups, etc. We got a nice big free bucket of kitten food AND free doses of kitten Frontline. Yay!
So what have we learned so far?
POTTY TRAINING A CH KITTY
#1 - showing them the cat box with cat poo in it as soon as they came into our house was KEY to successful potty training. No accidents yet (knock on wood)! Enya still needs to be put in the box, held while pooing and then taken out, but she improves every day and the rounded sides of the new cat box help her balance a lot! We also used a paint roller tray liner as a night time cat box next to her bed so she can have quick access to it. The low entrance of a paint roller pan makes it easy for them to scootch their way up and in, and out. Putting her in the cat box 15 minutes or so after she eats breakfast and dinner is critical. We also put her in at other times just in case. If she doesn't have to go, she lets us know by trying to get out. It's become very routine. She knows she will go every morning and after every meal, so it's worked out well.
#2 FOOD AND WATER
Enya eats ferociously and aggressively and sloppy! At first we used a rubber spatula so she wouldn't hurt her teeth, and we held her. Then I worked into holding her in front of the bowl to balance her. Now, I can prop her up with a towel on each side and she eats fine on her own. Wet food, because she does NOT like to drink water. We tried a rabbit bottle too, and no luck. I would use a dropper and force her water, but the vet said the wet food has enough water for her to live fine. I do soak some dry food in water or kitten milk mix sometimes too. She needs to be cleaned up after eating, OR if you are lucky like me your adult cat will come along and clean her for free! Sprinter is 1 1/2 year old male who adores the kittens and cleans them all the time - he's like my little babysitter, it's great!
#3 PLAY TIME
We make time to play with Enya more than Thomas, because Thomas runs around like a maniac on his own. Enya is limited to her immediate area, so we bring toys to her - but not all the time, because we want her to learn how to get around her own way and build muscle. But we noticed if we didn't get her to play, she would lay in her bed. BORING! We bought different toys and hold her too, allowing her to swat at feathered thingies and fun jingly bell toys. We try to keep her as active as possible when we are home.
Overall, it's only been a week and we can already see major improvements in Enya. She is learning how to lean up against things to sit herself up. She is able to get herself up and take 3-4 steps now before falling. She doesn't bang her head forward into the floor as much now either because she is learning to spread her back legs a little before she tries to move forward.
She purrs, she plays, she eats and sleeps with her brother Thomas and our other kitty Sprinter, and she is just a JOY to have!
We are so glad we weren't afraid of her handicap and chose to bring her home with us. I can not wait to watch her grow and progress and inspire other CH kitty parents to have hope and keep these babies from being put to sleep.
Most importantly - let's all spread the word about VACCINATING cats and kittens to prevent this from happening.
In this video, you can see how Thomas has mild CH and can run around like a maniac, while Enya has trouble balancing and falls over. She LOVES to play though and is learning to adjust to her handicap.
In this video, you can see how Thomas has mild CH and can run around like a maniac, while Enya has trouble balancing and falls over. She LOVES to play though and is learning to adjust to her handicap.
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