Little Neuro Kitty

This kitty was found by one of our wonderful technicians about 2 months ago. She was emaciated, covered in mats, and was profoundly ataxic (wobbly walking). She could not stand up, could not make it in to a litter box. But she could EAT and PURR :-) We have limited funds to diagnose stray kitties, so we started her on an antibiotic in case of Toxoplasmosis, but she really had no response. And her signs didn't match a congenital disease called cerebellar hypoplasia.

Then, while grooming her, someone found two Cuterebra larvae (this link is NOT for squeamish people). I have never seen a case of neurologic disease caused by Cuterebra, but I think these might have been the culprits (these evil things can migrate through the CNS tissue). I treated her with Ivermectin to kill of any remaining parasites and the ladies who care for her daily swear that she started doing better after that treatment. Whether it was the drug killing off parasites on an aberrant migration or just a coincidental improvement, we may never know.

But she is improved. She can walk better, she is in beautiful body condition, she uses the litter box. She cannot walk on slippery floors, but she does great on carpet. And she is still so darn sweet. In fact, when I tried to leave her cage this evening, she actually jumped on my chest/shoulder to come with me (an impressive feat for this little neuro girl).

She's free to a good home with carpeting :-) This is her waiting for me to pet her again.