"We Have a Cat Called Tumbles"
By - Connie, Tumbles Mom
05291952@ameritech.net

We have a CH kitty (a kitty with cerebellar hypoplasia) named Tumbles. I have had cats all my life (and rescued many, too) but this has been my first experience with CH. I have since found many other people who have these unusual and determined cats - thanks to the Internet.

His story begins with his mother, who we call Tazzy. Tazzy is short for Tasmanian Devil because we were afraid of her when she came to us. Someone my husband worked for called and asked if we could take in a cat they had caught with a live trap, (we rescue cats). We agreed and went and got her. She was approximately two years old and had never been close to a human - very obviously feral. She had injured her face trying to escape from the trap. We let her out of it in a small 8' by 8' walk-in closet as it is easier to tame cats in a small room. We quickly figured out that Tazzy could not be tamed. She spent all her time on top of the bar we hung the clothes on. When we entered the closet, she would lay her ears back and snarl. She is mostly Siamese and her eyes looked red in the light. We were afraid to get clothes off the rack.

We noticed as the days went by that she was gaining weight very rapidly - and all in the middle! I fixed up a box for her to have the babies and we waited for the big day. As it turned out, we were out of town when she had the babies and when my daughter went in to feed her and scoop the box, Tazzy came at her. Taz hit the door as my daughter closed it. My Mom had to feed Taz until we got back. I visited Tazzy every day and talked to her. I began putting just my fingers on the edge of the box and eventually she let me touch the babies! One day she grabbed my hand in her mouth but I spoke sternly to her and she released me without breaking the skin. She had four kittens - two tigers and two Siamese. At about three weeks old, one of the tigers suddenly died. I noticed the two Siamese were a bit clumsier than the tiger but all kittens are clumsy, right? At four weeks, it was very obvious that one of the Siamese had a serious problem with walking and balance. I took him to my vet and that was when I first heard about Cerebellar Hypoplasia. The other Siamese had a very mild case and this one had a very pronounced case.

We named our boy Tumbles which describes how he gets around. He looks like a very drunken sailor when he goes from place to place. He also refuses to use a litter box but he quite often lays down to go "potty" and who wants to lie in gravel? If he didn't lie down, he would fall down. I think he could have been trained if I had time to work with him because he is an extremely intelligent cat and has found ways to compensate for his disability. If there's somewhere that Tumbles wants to go, he'll get there! In the last house we lived in, he liked to go down to the basement - that's where my husband and I slept. He could go up and down those stairs, although to look at his mobility, you would wonder how he did it. In fact, when I got him neutered, one testicle did not descend so it was quite an invasive surgery and he had to have staples. My vet thought it would be good for him to avoid falling so I put a child gate in front of the doorway to the basement. It didn't even slow him down!

Occasionally, he decides to run from one end of the house to the other. He travels about six inches off the ground and top speed. The landings aren't very graceful but he seems immune to the constant falling. He is also very affectionate and will reach out to touch your face once he has climbed up on your lap. He has no control over the swinging when he grabs and often gashes us in the process. We can't cut his nails because he needs them for balance and traction. He also likes to rub noses. That's no easy trick with intention tremors.

I've had several people ask me why I didn't get him euthanized. He is not in pain and he doesn't have a terminal illness. He is severely physically handicapped. On the other hand, he doesn't seem to see himself as different from any other cat in the house (except maybe better, as Siamese do); he's happy, affectionate and very healthy. I would love to place him with someone who could give him the time and attention he deserves but not many people have the patience to deal with a handicapped pet. Euthanizing him is out of the question. Every time I see him fly across the room, I know that he puts 150 per cent into everything he does and doesn't complain. He is a joy and a constant reminder that life isn't perfect but it can still be good if you have the right attitude!

-- I've said it before and I'll say it again "Sometimes it's the special needs animals that bring the most joy to our lives!" --