Brain-Damaged Cats And A Dog Scared Of Cans [Video]

What was the #1 item of interest in my news feed this morning?  A video that claimed to be of two cats that had been under anesthesia.  The video was cute, cats wobbling across the floor, in search of their food bowls like a couple of drunkards. 

Once I started reading the comments, I realized that the original video had the real story:  these cats suffer from Cerebellar Hypoplasia, a disease that prevents the cerebellum from developing properly.

Of course, with Youtube, one video brings you to 10 more videos.  Here is a video of Gordon, a CH cat, which includes footage as a kitten and then again as a young adult cat.

Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH) is caused in a litter of kittens when the expectant mother experiences trauma or contracts feline distemper.

According to the Life With Cats website,

One of the great things about CH cats is that they don’t seem to know that they’re any different from other cats.

It seems that cats with CH learn to excell in areas where they are stronger, to make up for the lack of ability in other areas.  The example given was this:  if a cat with CH isn't coordinated enough to jump well, it will become a much more excellent climber.

A good thing about CH is that it is non-progressive, so it never gets worse, and unless the cat has other health problems, life expectancy is normal.

And now, for the dog lovers:  this dog doesn't have brain damage, he just respects the can!!

And, finally:  here is a dog that is going through his first day of training with snow boots on.

(Via Youtube and Life With Cats)