11 month old cat with hydrocephalus

[Rang]

Hello all, I am new to this board. I'm not sure if this is the right forum but our shelter had an 11 month old cat returned to use about a week ago. It was obvious to us right away that something was off with him. We took him to the vet in the next day or two. The vet diganosed him with hydrocephalus. I searched the web and everything talks about very small kittens. Well this guy is little but we know that he is 11 months old. Our vet said he likely has a decent life span because if it was sever he wouldn't have lived this long. He does have neruological deficits. He walks a little funny and his reaction time is a little slower than it should be.The other important bit of information is that he was accidently stepped on when he was still in his home and had some broken ribs. He was taken to the emergancy vet and treated for those. He was returned to us because he was shy and was not getting along with the other cats in the home. Ideally I would like to take him to a specialist, but money is tight right now. I'm just wondering if anyone here has experience with hydrocephalus and if they know of a cat that has lived into adulthood with this condition? I also want to mention that when I saw him last night I thought maybe his head was smaller than it had been. Any help or comments would be appreciated.

[critters]

It's not very common; one was supposed to come here some years ago, but he didn't make it. When I was researching it, I think I remember seeing something about occasional use of a shunt, which is what they use in humans. I agree that if it were severe he wouldn't have made it this long. I doubt you'll need to do anything special since he's so high functioning.

[Rang]

His name is Cinamon and he is just the sweetest boy. He is a little wobly and has a hard time with his balance at times but who cares as long as he is happy.

[critters]

His name is Cinamon and he is just the sweetest boy. He is a little wobly and has a hard time with his balance at times but who cares as long as he is happy.

Agreed!

[Jean]

I have a 10 year old cat with hydrocephalus. His name is Benny and he is a flame point Siamese with the bluest eyes. I have had him since he was 8 weeks old. He was found by a good Samaritan and left at my Vet. I took him to a neurologist soon after my Vet gave him to me. He put him on prednisone until he reached a year of age. The prednisone was to control any swelling that might occur while his brain was growing and before
the bones in his skull had fused.
Benny does have significant cognitive impairment as well balance problems. He also has incontinent issues and severe nystagmus. But, he is a real sweetheart and loves to cuddle. My Vet marvels that he has lived this long. We are just glad for each day he shares with our family./JeanY

[Pumpkins mom]

Hi, I know this post was made a while ago but I came upon it while researching the life span for hydrocephalus cats and wanted to respond. I have a hydro kitty - he will be 4 in August - has never had the shunt surgery - although it was suggested - I just had a funny feeling about it. Anyway, he is on a cocktail of meds and is doing fabulous! I too was advised to euthanize when he was just 8 months old. That's when the seizures started. He still has occasional seizures but overall is happy and healthy! Please don't hesitate to adopt or rescue a special needs pet - they might just change your life for the better Pumpkin actually inspired me to start a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization for animals and I am loving what I am doing I also talk to children about him and the importance of acceptance of others - my life was forever changed for the better the day we rescued Pumpkin!

[Jean]

Hi,
Thanks for your post about your kitty Pumpkin. It is obvious that he is very special to you. You sound like a great cat mom.
You mentioned that Pumphkin is on a lot of meds. My kitty Benny who has hydrocephalus is on a very high dose of prednisolone. It is very hard on his liver but without it he cannot walk and refuses to eat. What are the meds that your kitty is taking. Thanks for your reply. Jean

[Pumpkins mom]

Hi Jean, Pumpkin takes a full tablet of phenobarbital, 1/2 a tablet of prednilosone, 1/2 a tablet of salix, 1/2 a tablet of Baytril (sounds crazy but it works - my vet even tried a dog with seizures on it and it worked for him too), and 1ml of kepra (that's the generic name for it) every morning and every night - he also gets 1/2 a tablet of phenobarbital and 1ml of kepra in the afternoon. I crush the pills up and mix them in Gerber turkey baby food and the kepra is compounded especially for him at a wellness pharmacy. He has been on this cocktail of meds since April 2010. We check his blood levels every 6 months. So far no liver issues or blindness (a side effect of Baytril). Hope this all helps with Benny. If you have questions you can also email me at thepumpkinfund@gmail.com Happy to help in any way we can That's actually what we founded The Pumpkin Fund to do - we help others with unexpected medical costs - the fund is named in Pumpkin's honor

[Christine]

First, of all, I want to extend a belated Welcome to Pumpkins Mom! You definitely belong here and we are so glad you took the time to post.

To both you and Jean, we just had a new member from France post with questions about this very diagnosis. Perhaps you two could each share some knowlege with her.

Here is the thread: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=17790

Thanks very much!

[abbykat13]

OK, I'm not sure if I'm in the right place or whether I need to post a new question, but I am looking for anybody that has a hydrocephalic cat/kitten that I can talk with. I have to say upfront that I have never posted on anything like this and I'm extremely technology challenged, so I'm a little lost here.

I have two 4 1/2 mth old hydrocephalic kittens and would really love to find out what others have experienced as they have grown, meds they may be on, etc. I saw, I think, that someone was considering shunt surgery and that is also an option for one of mine as well. My 2 little guys are Hero and Ollie, both on Omezaprole to reduce the CFS production. Hero is my more severe kitten with a lot of issues where as Ollie is fairly typical, other than slight tremors and a big head (which he is finally growing into, LOL). I have so many questions about symptoms/behaviors others have seen, esp what I call a crisis time when the pressure in Hero's head must increase and he is limp with no muscle tone, like sort of being paralyzed. He also has incontinence issues during these crises. I have had them to a neurologist and in addition to the hydro Dx, she thinks Hero has mid-brain/brain stem impairment as well; either congenital or CSF pressure related. This is causing issues with the pupil reactivity in his left eye and constant stretching of his legs as well as some other things.

I'd love any help/advice you can provide, I feel like I'm flying blind!!

[critters]

Hydrocephaly doesn't seem to be all that uncommon in cats. None have ever been in my house, although 1 was supposed to have come to us some years ago. However, I currently have 3 with brain damage, from mild to severe.

Even though your boys don't technically have CH (cerebellar hypoplasia) you'll probably find a lot of useful information through the CH kitty club https://www.facebook.com/ch.kittyclub . There is also an email group .

[abbykat13]

Thanks for the info. Actually, this is something that she said "may" also be a Dx for Hero, or other brain Dx's. Of course, by examination, his head is remarkably large with a definite hydro appearance, but Hero's symptoms also overlap CH. The head tremors, significant drunken like gait, episodes of paralytic behavior, sight impairments, etc. We haven't done an MRI because she said we wouldn't treat him any differently at this stage than we already are.

Thanks again!

[critters]

Yes, why do the tests if they won't change anything? Tests sure won't change THEM!! I just deal with them the way they are and handle problems as they come up.