Cerebellar Hypoplasia and Other Animal Disabilities

Did you know that cats can also have ataxia? And that it’s much cuter than when humans have it?

Okay, so it’s not exactly ataxia (clearly, since the disease is called something else). But it is also a neurological disease that affects the cerebellum, though from what I understand, CH affects the fetus so the kitten is born with a shrunken cerebellum, while SCA (spinocerebellar ataxia) is degenerative, meaning the cerebellum shrinks over time.

CH can affect all animals, including humans, so it is absolutely its own disease apart from ataxia. Cats with CH, however, are often known as ataxic cats for the similarity of their symptoms to those humans with SCA. It is also called the “Wobbly Cat Syndrome.” I wish SCA had such a cute nickname, but somehow the “Wobbly Human Syndrome” doesn’t quite paint the same kind of picture…