Oh, HAI!

Today's post comes courtesy of my good friend Maddy who enjoys taking photos of my wobbly kittens when she is over.

 Please click on the link below and enjoy :)
(I would have embedded the photo in the page, but i couldn't dowload it to this computer.  Boo).

http://mithedthiel.tumblr.com/post/32460669273/oh-hai-i-just-met-you-and-this-is-crazy-but

Ronan was sick :(

Several weeks ago, Ronan starting `spotting` in the washroom (ie. leaving small drops of urine) which is usually a sign of urinary tract issues.  I was worried We had him checked out a few days before I had to leave town again (visiting family over Thanksgiving) and Dr. Kent took a urine sample just to be sure.  When we got home Ronan peed bloody urine all over the bathroom floor.  Awww... I felt so badly for him.

Results came in two days later (just in time, too, because I was about to leave town for the weekend). As suspected, there was definitely something amiss, but it wasn`t what I had suspected... Ronan had urine crystals!  :(  Poor little guy.  This was really surprising for me to discover, because he`s still so young and I`m very careful about what I feed the kittens.  They are on a Hill`s Science Diet recommended by the Vet, and the might get one small treat every other week.  What could he possibly have reacted to?

Unfortunately, i don't have a clear answer on that.  All we could do was switch his food to something designed to help eliminate and prevent crystals, and be vigilant towards it occuring in the future.  Ronan was not pleased.  He likes his T/D food because the kibble is large and fun to play with.  Plus, I started giving him some cranberry juice as a supplement to help flush out any crystals that are left.  He's not stoked on the cranberry - it's way too sour for him -but he doesn't mind it when i mix it in with his new wet food (which, of course, he loves).

Here is a video from the Vet Clinic...
** WARNING:  IF YOU ARE SQUEAMISH ABOUT MEDICAL PROCEDURES, DO NOT WATCH**

Happy 1st Birthday, Kittens!!!

Yes, it's true.  My tipsy twosome are now one full year old as of Sept. 4th :)

Here is a special birthday video I took of them on their special day.
Happy Birthday, Ronan.  Happy Birthday, Pandora.

And then I fell down some stairs...

... This was on Thursday (Sept. 6th).  I've been limping since then.

It has been chaos in the apartment with three individuals shuffling about and moving as if we all had inner-ear infections.

Normally, the kittens wobble about at their normal pace and I walk with a slightly wider gait to accomodate any sudden movements on their part.  But with my right foot swollen like a purple balloon there was little else to do but hippity-hop across the floor on my left foot.  Pair this with two unpredictable kittens and you have a recipe for disaster.  It's a wonder I didn't squish any of them over the weekend.

It was like playing football with two furry players who have never read the rulebook, forgot all their safety equipment, but have more enthusiasm going for them than Magneto at a paperclip convention.  More often than not, I was the one careening into the walls and collapsing against the countertop as the kittens skidded by oblivious to the near-carnage they had narrowly avoided.

I would like it noted, however, that both showed extremely poor judgement by playing swat with each other on either side of my injured right foot.  OWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!
BAAAAAAAAAAAADDD Kittens.

Ronan the Film Critic

Last night I was watching the experimental French documentary Koyaanisqatsi and noticed Ronan was very intrigued by the sights and sounds coming from the T.V.  He spent a good 20 minutes just gazing at the screen, twitching his ears at every crescendo in the soundtrack, leaning forward during the multiple explosions sequences.

Pandora seemed less impressed by Godfrey Reggio's 1982 masterpiece than she was with Ronan's reactions to it.

Enjoy.

A Visit w/ the Fosterparents!

Sorry updates have not been as regular.  No internet at home right now, but i'll try to be more proactive about finding update spots.

*****

The kittens and I had a visit with Joanie and Roy this weekend!  If you don't recall, Joanie and Roy are the wonderful couple who opened their home and their hearts to dozens of cats over the last six years or so, including my Ronan and Pandora.  Currently, they have two adult cats of their own - Patty Riley, Peaches and Bubbles - and two foster kittens, Timmy and Taz.

Embarassingly, the kittens were not on their best behaviour.  Ronan was positively terrified of Timmy (who is so small he just fits on my right hand), hissing and growling his way through the afternoon, while Pandora spent most of her time curled up inside a kitty condo in the corner.  Needless to say, I was embarrassed by my kittens' lack of maturity.

Ronan made his way from bedroom to kitchen and back to the sitting room.  At one point, he explored the bathroom and Timmy, fascinated by this larger orange beast, followed him inside, essentially cornering him.  As poor Timmy sat bewildered Ronan stalked about the white tiles, hissing and hacking his displeasure and fear.  What a big baby.  

Pandora moved from the kitty condo to behind the armchair and back again several times.  That was the extent of her exploration.

After several hours, Ronan allowed himself to receive belly rubs.  He also followed Roy to the kitchen a few times and entertained himself with some of the jingly toys beside the fireplace.  Pandora warmed up finally and licked Joanie's hands a few times.  They were both quite emotionally exhausted by home-time.  Always the positive ones in any situation, Joanie and Roy expressed understanding that the kittens were probably very overwhelmed by all the new stimuli (although they did seem to remember by the time we left that they had, in fact, been in the home before) and were sure they would be better behaved next time.

Yes.  We have been invited back.
I hope the kittens are a little less dramatic next time.

Also, Pandora is a weirdo.

Today, I caught Pandora chewing on my toothbrush.  THE TOOTHBRUSH I USE AND PUT IN MY MOUTH!!!

I was not pleased.

I set my face wash, toothbrush in jar, and lotion on the floor while I wiped the bathroom countertop.  Within seconds I heard a tinkling sound, looked down and saw Pandora licking and nibbling something with great enthusiasm.  It only took a moment to work out that it was MY TOOTHBRUSH.

I do not have an extra toothbrush to use tonight.... :S

Ronan is a weirdo.

This is why there is kibble all over my apartment.

This is how Ronan eats.  You can't make this stuff up.  Pandora chases kibble, too, but Ronan's method has two exceptions to hers:

1) He lays on his side, scoots the kibble piece under his jaw and quickly licks it up.  Because of his cerebellar hypoplasia, his head has a consistent wobble and he gets "intention tremors" where his body jerks or shakes in anticipation of trying to execute a movement.

This is his way of steadying his head while eating.  I have tried to explain to him that it is not wise to eat lying down, but i don't think he's listening.

2) Ronan does not like to chew.  This is why he still has minor gingivitis while Pandora's is all but cleared up.  The kittens were put on Hill's Science Diet t/d Dental Care a few months back to help clean and condition their teeth and gums.  Dr. J is completely shocked that Ronan can get that whole kibble piece down in one gulp.  He has suggested we think about mixing this kibble with some canine t/d Diet as it is even larger.  I am worried it might not make one iota of difference to Ronan.

Meanwhile, I have to put an antiseptic oral gel on the kittens gums, and brush their teeth as regularly as they will allow.

And yes, he really does do this every day.

Occupational Therapy

"A profession concerned with promoting health and well being through engagement in occupation" -- World Federation of Occupational Therapy

Essentially, Occupational Therapy (OT) is a holistic approach to healthy living that takes mental, emotional and physical well-being into consideration when making recommendations and finding long-term solutions for out-patients' living situations.

This is the career path chosen by my younger sister Jane.  She spends her days meeting with patients, finding out how they are doing overall -- mentally, physically, and emotionally -- and determining how best they can return to living "normal" lives.  Often she meets people who have had accidents, illnesses, mental breakdowns, broken bones, and other afflictions that have landed them under the care of health professionals.  Every case is a person and she sees them as such.  She learns who they are, what they need, and works to figure out what way she can help them receive long- or short-term care to live happily and healthily.

I am truly proud of Jane.  She works really hard to help relative strangers, and she approaches each of them as individuals, not just patients.  I was both surprised and pleased when she met Ronan and Pandora last week and heard her take on their condition.

"They just don't know when to quit, do they?"

Nope.  They will keep trying to do whatever it is they want or need to do.  I showed her a few things in my apartment that I had added as aids for the kittens to go about their normal business, including the water fountain.  I explained my reasons for purchasing it, and how it has not only reduced spills and puddles, but also eliminated their getting splashed up the nose.

"You're an occupational therapist," she told me.  "And you didn't even know it.  You found a solution that fits what they need for their disability."

BONUS:
 One of Ronan's quirks: Forgetting to put his tongue back inside his mouth, especially when he is excited!

Fountain!

I may have found a solution to the Messy Kitten Problem.  The kittens have problems eating and drinking without making messes.  Just feeding them often results in:

- Chasing of food kibble
- Playing in puddles
- Crumbs found under carpets, in corners, and under furniture
- Sticky wet food tracked across the floor
- Food in the water dish and vice versa
- Moldy kibble found under carpets, in corners, and under furniture

The above is a direct result of several kitten habits including, but not limited to:

- Falling in water dish
- Aiming at water/food dish and missing
- Pouncing on food dish
- Fighting for first access to wet food dish
- Chasing kibble inside water dish
- Chasing of food kibble across floor and crashing into water dish


Long before I even adopted Ronan and Pandora, I was busy mentally compiling ideas for how to care for two kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia.  It occurred to me while at a pet store one day that a water fountain might be just the solution to help them with their drinking problem (haha).

When I first met Ronan, I noticed he "pecked" at his food and water dishes because he lacked the control to simply lower his head to the bowl and hold it there until he was finished eating or drinking.  More often than not he wound up getting water up his nose.  Using a water fountain seemed a natural solution as it provided a gentle slope of running water that was much shallower than the dish itself and was therefore less likely to submerge his nostrils.

Unfortunately, a good quality, stainless-steel fountain is pricey (I don't believe in using plastic if it can be avoided), so I had to wait a few months until finances were sorted.  After finding a pile of moldy crumbs and kibble stretching more than a foot under a cupboard, however, I decided this would be the Week of the Fountain.

Behold!  Fresh running water for my favourite feline friends.  It didn't take long to fully set up (though it would have taken even less time had I not had two very curious and over-eager helpers at my side trying to tackle every bag or bubble wrap pouch), and only a couple minutes to get the water pumping.  The kittens heard the motor start up, wobbled over and explored the new toy. 

And verdict is.....

Uhmmm.... maybe the jury is still out on this one.

This is by far my favourite video of the kittens.  It was shot the first night they came home with me -- January, 21st, 2012.

Ronan and Pandora always try everything with their full hearts.  They have no reason to believe they shouldn't.  They have the most ridiculous, hilarious time trying to chase the ball (and the slippery tile floors are not helping matters), but they are obviously having a blast together.

Did I mention it was hilarious?

The Oatmeal Incident.

People ask me if Cerebellar Hypoplasia means that the kittens are less mentally competent than other cats their age.  The answer is no.  No, no, and oh NOOOOO, bad kittens, Don't touch that ---!!!

Even with their reduced motor control the kittens have still managed to get into just as much trouble as any other 8 month old feline.  They can open zippers.  They have retrieved long-lost shards of glass from behind bookcases, and they have managed to extract a bag on oatmeal -- not once, but twice! -- from a second shelf behind several heavy jars without moving anything else.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I give you Exhibit A:

The oatmeal evidence is clearly strewn across a favourite floor mat with incriminating squeaky balls left nearby.  Despite being evolutionary carnivores, the kittens crave carbohydrates for reasons I cannot start to fathom.  As mentioned, this is the second oatmeal incident which occurred after I thought said-oatmeal was stored well-beyond prying kitten paws.  I was wrong.

Happy National Differently-abled Pets Day!

Happy National Differently-abled Pets Day!
Yes, this is real. 

My kittens are clearly in this category, what with being adorably wobbly and all.  So, today I thought i'd give some greater detail about what makes my feline friends so unusual and yet awesome.

Feline Parvovirus -- This is what most commonly causes Cerebellar Hypoplasia in cats.  It is the term most often used to refer to all viruses in the Parvoviridae taxonomic family, but it is also the taxonomic name of the Parvovirus genus within the Parvoviridae family itself.

Interestingly, these viruses have developed to be specific to the species it will infect.  For example, canine parvovirus will only in rare cases infect a cat, but will readily infect coyotes, wolves, and domestic dogs.

If a pregnant female contracts the virus then the cerebellum of the kittens in utero can under-develop (no word yet on what happens if a pregnant male contracts the virus).  The cerebellum, of course, is known as the "motor control centre" of the brain, and thus the kittens are born with issues in the area of coordination.  i.e. They are wobbly.

Other symptoms in the condition can include spastic jerking, intention tremors (the muscles vibrate in anticipation as the animal prepares, for example, to leap), wide splayed legs both in movement and at rest (for balance), and a general lack of motor control or coordination.  They may lose their balance unexpectedly, walk into walls, bump their heads, etc.

Ronan has a more extreme version of cerebellar hypoplasia than Pandora.  He tends to walk sideways into objects and has been known to fall spectacularly to one side when he is trying to leap on something in front of him.  He also has a very noticeable head wobble (yes, exactly like a kitten bobblehead) that increases in activity when he is nervous or excited, and almost disappears when he is calm.

Pandora is smaller and less ballsier than Ronan, so it seems only fair that her condition is less pronounced.  She walks with a swagger, kicking her hindlegs out to the side as she goes, and frequently will tip over backwards when enjoying a head scratch or chest rub.  Ronan is more excitable and is usually the dominant cat during wrestle-time, so the playing field is leveled a bit with Pandora being more agile.  She has developed a wicked judo flip she uses time and again on her brother.

They can leap up onto higher surfaces - like the bed or couch - without much struggle.  Sometimes the claws come out so they can wrangle themselves up without tipping over backwards and having to start all over again.  My bedsheets will never be the same, but then again neither will my life.  As for getting back down to the floor, they have figured out that the easiest way to do so is to bellyslide.  Front paws extend over the edge along with their front legs, then they noodle their way down to the floor.

Both have adapted well to their personal limitations, and I have been told they will continue to improve in both balance and coordination as they grow older, although the condition will be with them for the rest of their lives.  I am always amazed at how quick they are to pick themselves up, dust themselves off and dive headlong back in the fray of life.

PS: April 28th was World Veterinary Day!  I hope you all took time to hug your Vet.  I know I did :)

The Naming of Felines

You ought to read Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats by T. S. Elliot if you have not yet already.  The inspiration and lyrics behind Tony award-winning musical Cats, this book of poems is a veritable Who's-Who of funny cat behaviour.

There is poem called "The Naming of Cats" which addresses the idea of these furry friends having three names: their Family names ("Peter, Augustus, Alozo or James"), their Peculiar Names ("Names that never belong to more than one cat...") and their True Names which are secret.  I will (obviously) never know what Ronan and Pandora's True Names are but I refuse to give them silly and undignified Family names.  And as for Peculiar Names, well, that's between the three of us.

Ronan Jamieson Fenriz

Ronan is a traditional name associated with both Nordic and Celtic roots, although my Israeli friend Shiri informs me it is also name found in the Hebrew language.  
In the Nordic language, however, it means "Little Seal" which is extremely appropriate if you've ever seen Ronan try to run on a slippery tile floor.

Jamieson was the original name his Fostermom Joannie and Fosterdad Roy called him.  Lovely Irish lady Joannie is married to Newfoundland-born gentleman Roy and the tradition of excellent whiskey is alive in both Ireland and the Canadian east coast.  He has also been called "Jimmy" for short by them at various points in his foster-stay in their home.  I felt it was appropriate to honour these wonderful people by keeping this name as part of Ronan's full title.

Fenriz.  Here's where my music geek comes out in full force.  Any self-respecting metalhead will know immediately that Fenriz is the drummer/lyricist of Norwegian Black Metal band Dark Throne.  Avid musicologist and unwitting humourist, Gylve Nagell aka. Fenriz is a hardcore softie through and through.  He is simultaneously bad-ass and adorable.

***

Pandora Rune

Pandora was the name given to her originally by Fosterdad Roy who took one look at her and said, "That's Pandora".  And thus she was.  She uncompromisingly refused to answer to any other name since that day and seemed secretly pleased when Joannie or Roy would commend her with "Oh, Pandora, you're so dark and mysterious!"  Traditionally, it is a Greek name meaning "Gift to all".

Rune is what I had chosen as her name when i discovered I was applying to adopt two kittens and not just one (story to follow in a future post), but she just wasn't down with it.  She would steadfastly ignore me if I tried any name on her but "Pandora".  For that she would turn her keen eyes towards me as if saying, 'Yes, THAT is my name.  Not this "Rune" person you keep calling'.  But "Rune" is so lovely, Scandinavian (Nordic and Celtic) in origin (Joannie was again pleased), and means "secret lore" (thereby appropriately paired with a "dark and mysterious" kitty).  I also like to think of Rune as being associated with the idea of Truth because of its use in ancient and modern divination practices to determine clarification of situations past, present or future.

These are my Wobbly Kittens

Cerebellar Hypoplasia ('CH'):
A disorder found in cats and dogs in which the cerebellum is not fully developed at birth.  Usually the result of a parvovirus infection in the pregnant mother.  Results in motor control issues in the young that vary from the complete inability to maneuver oneself (most of which are euthanized immediately) to ease of movement but with a noticeable gait, ie. "wobbly".

CH does not inherently affect the long-term health of the animal, but care must be taken by the human companion to ensure the environment is catered to its needs.

These are MY wobbly kittens, Ronan Jamieson Fenriz (male, orange tabby) and Pandora Rune (female, tortoiseshell), brother and sister born Sept. 4/2011 and adopted Jan. 21st/2012 from the Toronto Humane Society. 

 
Do not let their docile appearance fool you! 

As their wonderful Fostermom Joannie famously told me, "They don't know they are any different from other kittens".  In other words, they are hellraisers in adorable, furry packages.  In the coming posts you will witness the destruction my apartment has felt at the paws of these miniature Maelstroms. 

You have been warned...