Although many of our cats may have cerebellar hypoplasia in common, it’s important to remember that they’re all individuals. By that, I don’t only mean they are impacted by CH to different degrees, but also that they each have their own personalities and habits.
Photo courtesy ipasha.
Sometimes it’s easy to see how CH may impact those qualities, but other times it can be more of a gray area. Do CH cats do some things because of their CH, or do they do those things simply because they are who they are?
While I don’t mean this to get too technical or philosophical it did pop into my mind when I came across a question from Sherry on the Facebook CH Cats & Kittens page. She mentioned that her CH cat Wonky has never purred. She wondered if that was normal for CH cats, and the community quickly responded.
Here’s a look at what some of the group’s members said. Please share your own stories in the comments below!
Kathleen: My CH kitty doesn’t purr either.
Stefanie: My guy couldn’t really meow at all for a while. He was a HUGE purrer though. Now he’s quite vocal, though it’s more like a trill or chirp than a meow.
Kim: I actually have a CH kitty who didn’t purr the first few years of his life. I just thought it was because he never learned or felt happy before because he and his sister came from a hoarding situation and took a little time to build confidence and feel safe. BUT it turned out that he actually had an auto-immune disorder called stomatitis and his mouth/throat was inflamed and sore the whole time and I had no idea. Not related to his CH. Purring was not an option for him because it hurt. Although I have met cats with stomatitis at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary who did purr. But with Tony, once we figured it out and treated it, removed some of the problem teeth (it attacks his teeth), he has not stopped purring. And they both do the chirpy/trilly noises too not a true meow.
Photo courtesy Martin Cathrae.
Kim: Max purrs a lot, but his meow sounds more like a tiny kitten mewing.
Megan: My Shakey Boy (God rest him…) never really purred or meowed unless something was very wrong… he did, however, squeak like a rubber balloon being rubbed.
Jaci: Caddy didn’t really purr until recently and she is 5… She meows all the time though!
Rebecca: My Buster (CH) purrs so loud and trills/ chirps. He purrs when you touch him and meows for attention.
Alice: My CH cat Shakes didn’t start purring until he was more than 1-year-old.
Chloe: I have a 2-year-old cat with CH. He is extremely vocal!! He meows very loud but is a very small.
In the end, I think Amber said it best: “I had a CH cat, Elliott (RIP) who was Siamese/tabby. True to his Siamese nature, he was quite the talkative guy. I think it is normal for all cats to be different. Doubt CH is culprit,” she said.
