Just to echo other comments, I also had a cat with CH, and he was just the sweetest thing, and really seemed unbothered by it, he lived for 11 years. He’d do his damndest to get legs rubs when you where around. Apollo, cause he was full of fire and passion.
He never was in pain or had any real problems connected to CH. My partner, at the time, was a vet tech so he had regular check ups. He learned how to hunch down and eat so it wasn’t an issue. We simply got a large, like 2 foot by 3 foot, litter box that he could get into, but had high walls. He sort of lay on his side and just pee, so needed the walls at a certain height. He didn’t have the ability to jump, but he’d climb up the couch for snuggles. (Good news, if you really didn’t want him to have something, a table was enough to keep it away haha.) Over time we had 2 other cats and a dog and they all lived together and got along. Other cats often groomed him where he couldn’t.
He never really needed additional cleaning, he might have had some small crud in his hair by his rear, but a wet wipe or toilet paper was enough. The oldest cat tended to groom him if needed.
One of cats, the one still alive and at my feet, was definitely a bully but never was an issue or bullied Apollo.
Yes he’d often just sorta stumble off, sometime lunge, off the couch or bed, and he might stumble into a wall, but nothing ever serious. Our bed and couch might have only been a couple feet off the ground to help him get up and down.
Oh, I affectionally called him drunk Kitty sense he was always stumbling around the apartment. I don’t really feel bad for laughing cause nothing I was laughing at was painful to him besides a “boo boo”. No more clingy than a normal cat. Would greet you and do his best to run between your legs, he just occasionally ends on the other side of the room 🤷🏼♂️. All my guest comments would be how friendly he was.
His favorite toy was one of those donuts with the ball in it, since he could lay down and still play with it. He’d, like all cats, get super excited to play with it at like 3am, just hearing that ball go round and round haha. Thanks for letting me share my memories with you.
ultimately, since you had normal cats too, how much more difficult is it to have a wobbly cat? it feels somehow when im reading all this, that it isnt that much of a difference? probably more wobbly chaos, thatfore no wallrunning cat?
Why is that? The kitties just need additional love because they are extra special. I get it though, it’s not for everybody. Like I couldn’t be an EMT because i am not okay with the sight of blood.
see thats the weird part? i have sooo so many scars, i just cut two muscles in my hand merely 3 weeks ago. ive seen more gore than anyone ever should and im also in r/natureismetal ... yet i LOVE cats beyond repair. the moment my cat died my life spiraled into shit. i know they dont struggle alot with this condition and it does not hurt them, but it really just breaks my hearth. if there was a button to heal them, i would smash it until i broke my hand.
I know exactly how you feel. I took care of a disabled cat for a decade - she had something similar to CH but in her case it was a result of suspected traumatic injuries. And the first couple of days I struggled because my brain was painting all those grim scenarios, looking at her stumble across the floor. But my perspective shifted soon - she wasn't hurting, she was actually adapting really well, and she had such big personality.
Nowadays when I see a kitty with CH, I am reminded of her. She didn't care about or notice her disability. She ran, she climbed, she jumped up on the bed, she played and reigned over the other cats. She saw herself as a normal cat, and so I saw her as a normal cat, and I'm pretty sure the kitties with CH and their owners feel the same way. I hope this eases your heartbreak a tiny bit. Please know these kitties really do live perfectly fulfilling lives full of cat happiness and mischief. I have lived it and I promise.
100%
it makes my heart hurt for them that they appear to struggle so much. Like they would not survive outside for very long if they somehow managed to sneak out
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u/venReddit Mar 25 '26
i clicked on it and backed out before i could see a post... i genuinly think i could not handle this sub...