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Learn about cerebellar hypoplasia and how I first experienced felines with this condition through two amazing foster kittens, Atwood and Brontë.

Disclaimer: Any information included in this post is only based on published research articles and hands-on experience. If your cat is experiencing poor balance and coordination, please take them to a veterinarian you trust.

What is Cerebellar Hypoplasia?

Cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) is a developmental condition where the cerebellum, the area of the brain that is responsible for coordinating movement and balance, is underdeveloped (VCA Animal Hospitals).

Symptoms of CH can include head tremors, intention tremors, balance issues, swaying from side to side, hypermetria (sometimes also called goose-stepping), and a wobbly gait (VCA Animal Hospitals). However, not all cats experience every single symptom, and not all cats will present the same severity of symptoms. To explain this in more detail, levels of CH severity can be broken down into three categories: Mild, moderate, and severe. The different severity levels reflect how underdeveloped the cerebellum is.

Mild Cerebellar Hypoplasia

The mild form of CH can include head tremors that are not overly noticeable and only occur in specific circumstances. These kitties will sometimes lose their balance and they might have a gait that is shaped like a tent or the letter A. However, cats and kittens at this level can eventually perform some large motor movements of a typical cat, like running and climbing (Barnhurst, 2021).

This level of CH makes me think of Atwood. She is able to navigate her environment with relative ease and is even starting to learn how to jump. The most noticeable signs I see of mild CH is a subtle head tremor and a little bit of wobbliness that causes her back legs to swing to one side, sometimes making her fall on her side or her back. Aside from that, she runs everywhere she can (even on slippery surfaces like hardwood floors), climbs up the side of the playpen in escape attempts, and speedily attacks toys.

Moderate Cerebellar Hypoplasia

The moderate form of CH presents with more apparent, fear-based head tremors. These kitties lose balance more often, even when simply standing or walking. Like those with the mild form, the tent or A shaped gait is present. Because the cerebellar damage is a bit more extensive in these cases, cats and kittens with moderate CH are likely not able to jump. Instead, they may use their claws to climb to get to where they want to go (Barnhurst, 2021).

These symptoms make me think of Brontë. She will fall to her side every few steps or when she tries to change direction, but this is not always the case. I think she’s still learning how fast she can go when she’s walking on different surfaces. She also has a head tremor that goes either side to side or up and down, especially when she’s fixated on something exciting. Her back legs are very stiff, and she often seems unsure of her wobbly footing. I see her move more confidently when she can play on horizontal scratchers or in the cat tunnel. I’ve also noticed that her tail is pretty much always very stiff and shaky, which is what I’ve seen my resident cats do at times when they’re trying really hard to balance on something extremely narrow.

Severe Cerebellar Hypoplasia

In the severe form of CH, kitties experience head tremors that are constantly happening. The underdevelopment of the cerebellum is much more extensive, and this makes it so that these cats and kittens might only make it a little ways before losing balance and falling. They also might not be able to use a litter box independently due to the extremely poor balance and coordination (Barnhurst, 2021). Brontë sometimes has trouble making it all the way inside the shallow litter box, but she’s able to get in and out of the box independently, which is why she might be somewhere between moderate and severe CH.

Check out the video near the end of this post from Keuka College to see an example of a cat who has a more severe form of CH.

How do Cats and Kittens Get Cerebellar Hypoplasia?

From what I’ve researched, the most common cause of CH is when a kitten is infected with feline panleukopenia. This is especially common when infection occurs before or shortly after a kitten is born (Stuetzer & Hartmann, 2014). Both of these time periods are critical periods for brain development, so kittens in these stages of life are more likely to develop CH as a result of a panleukopenia infection (VCA Animal Hospitals). When a kitten contracts feline panleukopenia, the virus attacks the cerebral neurons, therefore keeping the cerebellum from fully developing (Garigliany et al., 2016). Less common causes of CH are (1) if a kitten experiences head trauma during one of the critical stages of brain development and (2) if the kitten’s mother wasn’t getting enough food and water before they were born (VCA Animal Hospitals).

In Atwood and Brontë’s case, they had feline panleukopenia at a very young age. This happened before they were in foster care, and it’s likely that they contracted the virus from their mom.

Female cats can pass panleukopenia to their kittens before the kittens are born (VCA Animal Hospitals). However, litters of kittens with the resulting CH can present CH symptoms in a variety of levels (Penderis, 2017). This means that even if kittens are from the same litter, as in Atwood and Brontë’s case, they will not necessarily have the same severity level of CH as one another.

Ultimately, please know that cats cannot transmit CH itself to other cats. It’s simply a developmental condition that’s part of the aftermath of a highly contagious virus. So, cats with CH can happily live in homes with cats who are typically developing without the risk of the other cat developing the same condition.

What is the Outcome for Cats and Kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia?

Every resource I’ve read strongly indicates that cats and kittens can live full lives with a diagnosis of CH. In general, it may be helpful to know that CH does not cause pain, and cats with CH have a normal life expectancy as long as they are kept indoors (VCA Animal Hospitals). They can also be neutered or spayed just like a cat who is typically developing (Barnhurst, 2021).

CH is not a condition that gets worse over time (Penderis, 2017). This means that when you first meet a cat or kitten with this condition, their abilities as they present in that moment will look very much the same throughout their life. More good news is that some cats are able to adapt to their level of CH severity (VCA Animal Hospitals). A kitten can eventually develop stronger vision and body awareness as their body grows and begins to compensate for their underdeveloped cerebellum (Penderis, 2017).

With some environmental modifications, these special kitties can thrive.

What You Can do to Help Cats Adjust to Cerebellar Hypoplasia

Sadly, there is no clinical treatment or cure for CH (Barnhurst, 2021). However, since this developmental condition is non-progressive, meaning it won’t get worse as your cat gets older, there are a number of simple things you can do to create a safe and accommodating home for cats with CH. Anything you do will depend on the needs of each individual kitty.

Home modifications, such as food dishes above floor-level (VCA Animal Hospitals) and plenty of rugs and carpet are a good place to start. Raised food dishes can help with kitties who have intention tremors or constant head tremors when trying to eat. Rugs and carpet can help with traction and are gentler on kitties who lose balance and fall often. You’ll also need to consider whether your cat will be able to climb up and down cat trees, furniture, and stairs safely on their own. Be prepared to block access to specific furniture and perhaps only giving the kitty access to one floor in your home to avoid stair climbing accidents. Other daily considerations include litter box size and location, if they will be able to eat on their own, if you’ll need to assist them with any grooming, and what types of scratchers they can use confidently. Check out The Ultimate Guide to Setting Up Your Kitten Room to start gathering the basics that you may or may not need to modify!

Going the extra mile

Occupational therapy students at Keuka College in 2016 worked with a 6-month-old kitten with CH by giving him safe places to play that also helped him build strength. If you’ve ever observed or taken a gymnastics class as a child, the space they created might remind you of a foam pit!

I’ve noticed that Brontë is especially good at using her front paws and those tiny talons to pull herself up on scratching posts or the side of the playpen. I created a jungle gym box that was inspired by the video above to help her climb on textured surfaces and build muscle strength and proprioception (proprioception is one’s awareness of their body in the physical space around them). Sometimes she think’s it’s just a wonderful place to relax, but it’s fun to try either way. 🙂

I used a large cardboard box and rolled-up towels to add height. Then I threw in different textured, angled objects like plasticware and scratching options so she could grip on to something. Finally, I taped some toys around the edge of the box so she could work on reaching and hunting for things in her own way.

How to Prevent Cerebellar Hypoplasia

The most important thing you can do to prevent CH in cats is to vaccinate against feline panleukopenia! An FVRCP (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, Calicivirus, and Panleukopenia) vaccine series will protect cats against three viral diseases, one of which being the feline parvovirus that cases panleukopenia. You should keep kittens on a strict vaccine schedule, and keep up with their booster schedule that your veterinarian recommends. The FVRCP vaccine is usually given to kittens in a series of at least three doses.

Of course, this is easier said than done for community cats and cats who live in feral colonies. In these cases, another way to prevent CH is to spay female cats and support community Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) programs to prevent future unplanned litters who would otherwise be conceived and/or born at risk of developing the cerebral-damaging panleukopenia.

While it would be amazing to prevent CH in the future, any efforts made should not take away from the beauty and uniqueness that kittens like Atwood and Brontë bring to the world. Each cat with CH deserves a joyful life full of all the kisses and snuggles they could imagine. 🙂

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Resources can be found linked within this post where cited.

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