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There has already been an
article in the Saint about the appearance of trembling kittens. However
this has been some time ago. That's why it seemed to be a good idea from
the editorial staff to bring this to the attention again. Since I recently
had to deal with this, I have been asked to write an article about this.
First let me make some
things clear: I'm not a veterinarian, I'm also not a breeder, but just a
cat freak who wanted to have 1 litter. At the time I had to get the matter
for myself on a row and I listened to experiences of 7 veterinarians and 6
breeders.
These are, together with
the information I found in books and the internet, used in the article
below.
Introduction
On the 4th of February my
lady cat Doesjka gave birth to five kittens. When the kittens came out of
the box at three weeks old and started moving around in the room, two
kittens showed some abnormality. As soon as they came in action, there
rear end begun to shake and their hind legs stayed in the air for a moment
before they came down with a uncontrolled fall. However this was my first
litter and I had no experience with this, I first thought that it was the
process of learning to walk. The three other kittens were walking clumsy
too, but they seemed to have it better under control. After one week these
three walked just fine, while the other 2 kittens obviously had some
trouble with their controlled movements. I remembered a piece about the
appearance of a trembling kitten in an old Saint-magazine and contacted
the editorial staff.
There I heard that the
trembling is a consequence of a shortage if vitamin B and possible also a
shortage of vitamin E.
At least, that is what breeders and only a few
veterinarians seem to think about it. However most veterinarians don't
believe this and stand dismissive against this. Reason: At the mother
breastfeeding kittens have no lack of vitamin B or E. Moreover scientific
proof is missing.
A few veterinarians says
that it's just an increased backlog, that is automatically caught up with
(the trembling would go away spontaneously. However I put some question
marks by it. Further on in this article I will explain why.
Others claim that there's
nothing you can do and the trembling will stay.
There are even
veterinarians whom suggest putting the trembling kittens to sleep. I've
heard this already through the editorial staff, although I couldn't
believe this. In mine search for help I spoke, as said, to different
veterinarians. Three of them suggested termination of live. Fortunately I
didn't do this. I'm glad that I followed my heart, because you should see
these 2 now! They running and flying throughout the house and climb the
highest scratching post, without any invalid coordination. They function
perfectly fine, without shivering (not even in stress situations).
Unfortunately I've
noticed how little is known about this appearance and how difficult it is
to get cooperation from a veterinarian. The one that fortunately grant
his/her cooperation to administer vitamin B, are often (considerably)
skeptic.
For this reason I try to
describe the facts of this phenomenon and the experiences of breeders. I
hope that whoever reads this article, considers objectively the described
facts and experiences. Hopefully this piece can convince you, but mostly
your veterinarian, to administer vitamin B to trembling kittens.
Here is an enumeration of
facts and experiences.
The phenomenon trembling
kitten
The medical name for the
phenomenon trembling kitten is cerebellaire ataxie, also known as
hypoplasie. Only one of the many cat books, which I own, says about this
disorder in only 5 senses the following: ( I quote from the book "Katten"
by Het Spectrum)
It is well that
congenital nerve impairments are rather rare, since their generally not to
be treated and the kitten frequently must be put to sleep. One of the most
important impairments are cerebellaire hypoplasie/ataxia. The small brain
(cerebellum) - the part of the brain which is responsible for coordination
- is indeed very small; kittens at which this small brain has been
damaged, aren't possible to move their head or legs in a coordinated,
checked manner. A much attentive cause is infection with enteritis (or cat
sickness) by birth.
This cause is also
indicated by most of the veterinary surgeons.
About that the book says
at "infectious enteritis":
The virus also gropes the
fast splitting warrants in the cerebellum of the foetus during the last
weeks of the pregnancy or in the first weeks of the kitten's life.
New-born kitten has or gets already shortly a tottering pace.
My mother cat's are
always vaccinated on time and never comes freely outside. Although I know
that this virus also can be transferred by indirect contact (by means of
clothing or shoes for example), I wonder what the chance is that Cat
sickness occurs and also precisely during the pregnancy. In my opinion
that chance is very small.
For this reason I put my
question signs if this, however, the effective cause is.
Search on the internet
Because there's little
written about Ataxie in the books, I went searching on the internet.
Although the found pages are related to humans, doesn't that matter in
regard to the information about this disorder? By means of the Internet I
found out that there are, in human cases, many several forms of ataxia.
One page contained very
interesting information.
(I quote from the page
http://vsn.nl/dia223.htm from the Society muscular disease Netherlands)
Ataxie literally means:
'disordered'. Humans with Ataxie can't coordinate their movements. The
limbs, arms and legs, don't do what they want them to do. For instance
when you walk it looks like your drunk.
The small brains, at the
back of the head, are in a big way responsible for fuscular coordination.
This coordination is necessary for the performing of perfect movements.
A disorder of the small
brain or a disorder of the nerves and back marrow, which provides the
small brain with information, can lead to ataxia. At ataxia of Friedreich
especially the nerves and back marrow have been affected, and to a lesser
degree the small brain.
Some disorders, such as
Ataxia as a result of vitamin E shortage, resemble much to Ataxia of
Friedreich.
For this reason the
vitamin E quality in the blood will be frequently stipulated.
Therefore it's possible
that Ataxia can occur as a result of vitamin E shortage. There's is
nothing mentioned concerning a vitamin B shortage on this page. But that a
form of Ataxia exists, where "the nerves and back marrow especially have
been affected, and to a lesser degree the small brain".
Vitamin B strengthens the
nervous system. This has been well known (therefore also at your
veterinary surgeon). When the kittens have a form of Ataxia, where the
nerves have been especially affected, vitamin B will then therefore have a
positive development.
Probably it is not
particularly for a lack of vitamin B, as breeders claims, but it's this
way that the vitamin B works supportive.
Hereditarily?
Several breeders claim
that Ataxia is hereditary. One breeder told me that he always had one
trembling kitten in the nest from one cat. You can you of course wonder if
it's sensible/wise/judicious to breed with tomcats/cats, of which you
(nearly) certainly know after a course of time that they pass on this
disorder. Aim of breeding nevertheless must be, outside personal
satisfaction, healthy keeping and kindest improving of the race. But this
is a discussion which does not belong in this article.......
I found it in any case
terrible pitiful to see those kittens like this, whereas that mine kittens
not have had it in this terrible way. They gladly wanted to participate
with the others, but they were not or quit not able to do that. Moreover
the trembling must be terribly tiring for those little toddlers.
Results with vitamin B
Such as said I have
spoken several breeders, which have had trembling kittens. These kittens
all have been administered vitamin B by tablet or in the form of an
injection (dependent of the seriousness of the disorder). At all kittens
that has got administered vitamin B, was already after some days an
improvement visible whereupon the illness finally completely disappeared.
Nobody ever still is able to suspect, who these kittens are which have had
this phenomenon! Even the kittens which trembled enormously, so bad that
they couldn't eat and go to the litter box by themselves because they
constantly fell, eventually it has entirely disappeared! At kittens where
the disorder is so terrible, it lasts of course longer before the disorder
is entirely disappeared (approx. 6 weeks). Also it has been decided that
these kittens were administered vitamin B injections to achieve faster
results. At kittens which do not have the disorder in such a terrible
degree, vitamin B tablets are most likely enough.
Does it disappear
automatically?
Possibly that there exist
several forms of ataxia, where the one form disappears automatically and
the other form not. I do not know. I am no doctor. However I have my
question marks and because of the following reasons:
When you would see that
trembling at all kittens becomes less (on an age for example at six weeks)
and subsequently disappears, it seems plausible that the disorder
disappears indeed automatically. However this is not the case. Whereas you
see, that at all kittens, shortly after administration of vitamin B an
improvement appears whereupon the disorder entirely disappears.
Besides a cousin of mine
had the experience that the trembling becomes worse when you do nothing
about it. Years ago he had a litter of two European Shorthair kittens.
Both kittens had the disorder. However he was not informed of the fact
that vitamin B could help and waited if the kittens "possibly" improved
after a course of time. However this was not the case. The trembling
became continuously more terrible, so that he paid a visit with the
kittens to his veterinary surgeon. This veterinary surgeon told him the
kittens were "disturbed" (really: "disturbed" take note of!) and could be
better put to sleep. Because he thought that the veterinarian would know
it the best, he put the kittens to sleep.
This is no fairytale, it has
really happened. It's very sad!!!
Worth trying
Vitamin B is a vitamin
soluble in water. What the body doesn't absorb, it disappears simply by
urinating. In contrast to the vitamins A, D, E and K, which is fat soluble
(this means: that this is stored in the body), is not possible B vitamin
fast becomes overdosed. When one apprehends a normal doses of 1 tablet per
day (of every other day, when the disorder is not serious) there is no
trouble.
When the medicine in
question would have serious side affects or something similar, then you
can wonder if you're doing right. But that is absolutely not under
discussion.
In this case really
applies: if it doesn't work, it doesn't do any damage either. What do you
have to lose?? It can’t get any worse then it already is.
Epilogue
If the trembling the
kittens should disappear automatically (what I doubt seen the described
experiences), then am I there of convinced that vitamin B accelerates the
process in any case.
Unfortunately it cannot
be shown scientifically that the vitamin B makes the disorder effectively
disappear (or in any case contributes that these disappear more rapidly),
as a result which many veterinary surgeons don't accept this. However the
functioning of antibiotics has been proved scientifically. Yet for my part
I say then, which cannot be proved also, that it is antibiotics why flu
disappears (the flu disappears also automatically; it lasts only a little
bit longer).
Why is there always a
scientific proof necessary? For homoeopathic medicines and "grandmothers"
homemade resources is no scientific proof. That does not mean that these
resources do not do their healing work.
Meanwhile the practice
has proved that!
Sylvia Visser
After word
When your veterinary
surgeon doesn't want to describe vitamin B tablets, you can obtain these
also at a general storekeeper or pharmacy (it is ordinary vitamin B, which
is also used for humans). These tablets have not been adapted however to
little throats of your kitten, so you will have to crush them (the
tablets, not the kittens!!). Also vitamin B seems to be available in
droplets. I have tried it myself for a week with Nutrical plus gel
(vitamin gel especially for the cat). Although it slightly improved, this
is not well enough. You really need vitamin B.
Should your kitten in
extreme degree tremble and injections are necessary and your veterinary
surgeon give no collaboration (search then), all is it for this one
specific case, a doctor who is prepared to help you.
!!! Appeal !!!
Gladly I would receive
responses from people who also dealt with trembling kittens. Not only the
experiences of breeders, but also of veterinary surgeons, are certainly
appreciated. I'm very much interested in your opinion. Perhaps there are
new matters that will makes things clear, which are worth bringing up in
our magazine. You can address your responses by e-mail to Cori Verhoef,
info@saintprocat.nl gladly with subject 'Trilkittens'. She will ensure
that Sylvia Visser get them. Your experiences are very important. Do not
keep them for yourself. You can possibly help other people and cats.
Please take the effort to react to this article. Thank you very much in
advance. |
