May 17, 2022
Leann says: This darling little white kitten would have had absolutely NO FUTURE ahead of her if she had been born at some shelters. She seemed to be suffering from what is known as cerebral hypoplasia, which usually means automatic euthanasia. But I’d like you to meet Weebles, one very exceptional exception!

Weebles and her siblings were just a few days old when they developed severe infections. Weebles mom, Snowy could no longer effectively nurse or care for them, so I took over that role, feeding them formula with an eyedropper. But since formula lacks all the nutrients and goodies that mommy's milk has (colostrums), all of Weebles's siblings died within a few weeks. As it turns out, that may not have been the only reason the other kittens didn't make it. Mommy was likely exposed to the distemper virus, which has an effect on the developing brains of the babies. Weebles had a very severe case of cerebral hypoplasia which caused her to have a great deal of trouble walking in that she would take two steps then fall over. Her back legs seemed to be taking orders from a different cat! She also had "intention tremor," like a person with Parkinson's disease. When she really tried to accomplish something specific, she would shake violently. In order to eat, she had to have her back end steadied -- usually with a little napkin holder -- so it didn't try to take off while she was trying to eat. She was (and still is) the princess of our household!

Weebles eventually convinced one of our snooty adult cats, Hazel, that she was her kitten. Hazel was a rescue herself, so we expect she related to Wee. Hazel cleaned her like a dutiful mother and played with her when Weebles was looking for some romping. And then Weebles did a bit of mothering in turn. A while ago, when we had a male kitten in the house who had just been neutered, and Weebles took pity upon him. She went all the way downstairs to the “kitty dining room," grabbed a large chunk of canned food, and carried it all the way back upstairs in her mouth! Try to picture this: a wobbly cat who struggles to climb stairs, carrying a mouthful of moist food, and NOT SWALLOWING it herself! She then plopped it on the floor in front of the little guy, and laid down beside him until he had eaten every bit of it. She then dozed off, since her work was done! We have NO idea what made her want to take care of this particular little stray. It gave us a whole new perspective on “brain damage.”

Now, at four years old, Weebles no longer requires help when eating, but does occasionally topple onto the cat beside her. When relaxing around the house, she can most often be seen doing the "tripod" sit, where she sits on her hind end and spreads her front paws far apart. This helps her retain balance while sitting still. She still has the intention tremor, which shows up when she is 'intent' on doing something specific, like bending over to have a drink. She has definitely NOT outgrown her palsy problems, but merely takes them for granted. It hasn't stopped her from scaling the six-foot-tall cat trees in our main room, mostly because that is the best vantage point to view the birds!

I hope you've enjoyed meeting Weebles. She always enjoys talking about herself, so welcomes any comments or questions you may have. By the way, Weebles's mom Snowy was adopted by a loving family.

All Photos Courtesy of and ©: Leann H.

Weebles [6]  kitten
Comments and LOLs:
KC -
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KC
gold kitten points
760 points
Such a heartwarming story in spite of the sad beginnings. Weeble is beautiful!!
txmomlovell -
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txmomlovell
black kitten pointsblack kitten points
330 points
beautiful!
judymack812 -
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judymack812
gold kitten pointsgold kitten pointsgold kitten pointsgold kitten points
∞ points
sickink Weebles is lovely! I am confused about the colostrum. I thought if they got their first feedings from mom they would be fine and you said they got.sick after a few days so they should have had enough colostrum by then.
KatVonV -
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KatVonV
black kitten points
209 points
Weebles is beautiful and such a loving kitty to take food to another rescue. What a joy she must be to you.
Dora's Mom -
I have 2 cats with cerebellar hypoplasia...CH for short. One is moderate and the other is mild.

This disorder is caused by the mom cat having a virus that affects the development of the cerebellum which causes the motor skill issues. These sweet kitties have no clue they are different from other kitties.

They are a delight to have!! I am blessed with a veterinarian who had some CH kitties of her own so I knew immediately that I had some "failed fosters" on my hands. I just couldn't resist Dora and Precious.

They get along fine with my 3 other cats.
KatVonV -
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KatVonV
black kitten points
209 points
Weebles is the perfect name!
Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.
Stonewall -
Stonewall
black kitten pointsblack kitten pointsblack kitten points
482 points
When you get past all the heartbreak and doom and gloom, the strongest thing standing is always the kitten itself.
That's right,they do not know they are any different than any other kitty. They will try doing anything and everything they see other kittens doing. Or dogs for that matter.
BagcionderLAB -
Nedir? Buna "mağara adamı" diyeti dendiğini de duyabilirsiniz. Bu planı uyguladığınızda, insanların yaklaşık 2,6 milyon yıl önce başlayan Paleolitik dönemde yediklerini taklit etmeye çalışırsınız. Atalarımızın avlamış, balık tutmuş ve toplamış olabileceği türden yiyecekler yiyeceksiniz ve tarım başlayana kadar yaygın olmayan yiyeceklerden kaçınacaksınız. Ayrıca bol su içecek ve her gün aktif olmaya çalışacaksınız. <a href=https://bagcionderlab.com/>http… Doktorunuzla konuşmak için bir başka neden: 80-20 diyeti herkes için doğru değildir. Arada bir bile olsa çok fazla tuz, yağ veya şeker yerseniz bazı hastalıklar daha da kötüleşebilir, bu nedenle savurgan yemekler bazı insanlar için kötü bir fikir olabilir. Örneğin, diyabetiniz varsa, şeker yükselmeleri gözlerinize, böbreklerinize, sinirlerinize veya kalbinize zarar verebilir.



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