On Neptune / The United States of Becky

On Neptune

DISCLAIMER: This story is not unhappy, just so you know.

If you follow my instagram, @unitedstatesofbecky, or the 'gram dedicated to our kitties, @thecastorandpolluxshow, you will know that back in mid-November, Shawn & I rescued a 4 week old kitten that for a few months we thought was a baby girl.

We have doted on Neptune right from the start, and it didn't take very long for his big brothers to embrace him as well, with Pollux taking in roll of nanny.

At Neptune's first vet visit, we learned - Surprise! It's a boy! Just very tiny testicles! - Also we learned that our new baby for some reason had no molars or back teeth of any kind.

The vet was kind of like "I've seen kittens with impacted molars before, but in all the years I've been doing this I've never seen one where there's just...nothing. No back teeth at all."

Regardless of his teeth situation, Neptune ate just like the other boys, and he ran and jumped and played and was full of piss and vinegar.

We did notice there were some things that were unique, however.

Neptune was never a "jumper." I mean, as a baby, he was fearless to the point of being reckless with jumping OFF of things. But when it came to jumping UP, he just didn't. He always preferred to climb using primarily his front paws. We also noticed a bit of palsy in his hind area. His little butt and tail would just have this tremor, almost like someone with Parkinson's. It mostly came out when he was excited about something. We also noticed that once in a while he would try to take a step, but he was shaking, and appeared like he had to really think through the process of taking that step, or whatever movement he was doing. Sometimes it was like he was thinking so hard his head would wobble. We would later learn these are called Intention Tremors.

Here, if you watch closely, you can see a bit of tremors. Mostly it just appears to be normal kitten shakiness.

Over the months, he was also struggling with the occasional bout of diarrhea.

We went BACK to the vet. He had already been cleared of parasites and disease, so with those routes clear, another exam came to the conclusion that he has Cerebellar Hypoplasia.

We also learned his back teeth had grown in. YAY! We had been slowly experimenting with his diet, but it seemed like the diarrhea was getting more frequent, no matter what we did.

We also noticed he had slowed down. He didn't run around and jump and play. In fact, he was doing everything to avoid walking.

Another trip to a different vet, one that specializes in orthopedic services, confirmed the CH. But a more in-depth exam showed he also has Luxating Patellas (in both legs). Further, in his right leg, he also has an "underdeveloped" Achilles Tendon.

Our poor baby!

For the time being, we have elected not to have surgery done for him, because he doesn't appear to be in pain, and considering how stressful just his neuter was for him, we do not want to put him through additional operations if we don't have to. Also, the long & difficult healing process from JUST ONE of the multiple surgeries he would require, is, at this time, not something we are willing to put him through. He never cries unless one of the big brothers plays too hard. He seems more frustrated than anything.

He is also on a prescription diet (both wet & dry) and that has helped his diarrhea immensely! Also, since he has been on this special diet, he seems to be getting stronger, slowly but surely. He still has a lot of work to do, but he plays more, walks stronger (if still wobbly,) and is climbing again. His confidence has been going up as well.