new to group - introduction and litterbox question

[kabardyn]

Hi all...I'm so excited to have found this group! It's amazing to me to see a community like this one. My 'support group' currently consists of myself and my co-worker, who is mom to a tripod cat, a tripod dog, a one-eyed cat, and another mobility-challenged cat.

To start, a little (or a lot) about us..
I am a caretaker of a disabled kitten/cat named Xavier. I work at the Rhode Island SPCA, and Xavier came in with his 6 siblings and mom when he was less than 1 week old (at the height of kitten season). At around 1.5 mo we noticed that his movement was limited to crawling, and he had no musculature in his hind end. At the same time three of his siblings died suddenly, and we almost lost another. He was sent to a vet who volunteers for us, but all they did was bloodwork (normal). After a couple weeks of being given the run around by a vet tech there who thought she wanted to adopt him but kept no-showing, I got fed up and took him home (her diagnosis....he was blind. Which he most definitely is NOT...and last I checked, blindness did not cause atrophy in limbs....but anyway.)
We do not currently (and may never) have a definitive diagnosis - most of the vets who have seen him think he has severe CH, but our new vet now thinks that it may be the result of trauma. (he does not look exactly like CH cats I have seen in videos, although there are some similarities. He is generally less moble but more stable) In any event, he has poor motor control and is unable to walk. He is NOT paralized - he has feeling but lacks control. Things are worse in his hind end, as the muscles in his hind legs atrophied early on. He is not able to walk at all, but can occasionally get into an upright position (usually when he eats), and will prop himself up on things. He also scoots with speed, and crawls/rolls around. He can get anywhere on a flat plane, and can climb over things up to 6" high, so long as they are textued.
His current treatment consists of a holistic diet, daily PT and massage, environment management, and accupuncture. I hope to eventyally aquire a quad cart. He will also be getting films done next week, so we can further explore the trauma angle. We have noticed some improvements lately, mostly in his stability - and I think he's the only critter around who responds to accupuncture with increased energy! He is now almost 8 mo old and has built an amazing amount of strength in his hind legs, although it is still rather uneven. I'm not sure I believe that he will ever walk unaided, but that is what we are shooting for. He certainly doesn't lack for will. We are hoping once he is older to have him Delta-certified, as he has such an amazing, upbeat, rock-steady personality. He has fit himself into our lives so well that even this early on, I can't imagine life without him.

Anyway, our current problem is his litterbox. We have an awesome low-entry, high-sided corner box, but now that he is nearly full grown, he catches his knees with increasing frequency and cannot get his butt in in time...leading to a mess on him and the floor. I don't mind the mess at all, as that is easily cleaned, but I am worried about his comfort. I am going to modify the box in the next day or two, but was wondering if anyone has found a box that could work for him without modification? We tried out the booda-dome, but it was not a good fit.

Anyway, that's my book (sorry so long!!!) Again, I am very happy to have found you, and look forward to any information you may have. Also, if anyone has any ideas about Xavier's condition that I should explore with my vet, I would love to hear about it!

~Laurelin and Xav

[critters]

HI!! You and your coworker should both come by and stick around! As for the litterbox, see the litterbox link here; you might also want to see the expressing and poop links in case you find that useful. http://handicappedpets.com/help/viewtopic.php?t=4

[kabardyn]

Thanks! That litterbox looks great - I never thought to check for dog litter boxes. My only worry would be the sidesbeing shorter than I would like, but I don't think that would be a problem. I'm still going to give it a shot!

As for the expressing, I don't think that is something he needs right now. He has full control, the only time the issue seems to come up is on the occasions I'm sleeping or away and he gets his knees stuck halfway into the box. This has only started now that he is just about full grown, and I believe is because the cut out on his current box is just too small at the bottom. Hopefully a new/ modified box will help that.

Thanks again! I look forward to hanging around!

[Barbara Boehmer]

I have a 21-year-old cat who has problems with her hind legs, amongst other things, such as hyperthyroidism, kidney failure, anemia, gastro-intestinal problems, incontinence, and alternating constipation and diarrhea. She has just recently begun having problems getting in and out of the litter boxes. I purchased both a miniature dog size box and a toy dog size box, which is smaller than the miniature and she is using both. The sides on both are slightly higher than a shallow cat litter box, but the openings are slightly lower, with the opening on the toy size being lower than the opening on the miniature size. The opening on the miniature size is on the long side and wider. The opening on the toy size is on the short side and narrower. The toy size fits nicely between my toilet and bathroom cabinet, but the miniature size would not fit there and is in the kitchen. I am beginning to establish a habit of taking her with me whenever I go to the bathroom and setting her in the litterbox next to me, facing out, so that she can exit easily when she is done. That way I ensure she gets there frequently, gets to the box before it is too late, and I can monitor what she is doing, without adding any additional time to my daily routine.