Born 14 October 2013 and entered foster care on October 17.

Weights in ounces and pounds

B = bowel moement
! = diarrhea
!ate "#$!%&%'
white with gre(
patches) male
bright calico)
female
white with
orange mas* and
spots) male
Oct 22 4.+ B e(es open +.1 B e(es open 4., B e(es open
Oct 23 4.4 BB +., BB 4., BB
Oct 24 4., ! ,.0 B 4.- B
Oct 27 4.- +.4 ! 4.3 !
Oct 2- 4.- 4.. ! 4.2 !
/o + 7.4 +.1 died died Oct 31
/o , 7.+
/o . 7.+
/o 11 7.4
/o 13 7..
/o 23 ..,
/o 2+ 10.+
/o 30 13.2
!ec - 1 lb 0.3
!ec 14 1 lb 0.2
!ec 1- 1 lb 1.0
!ec 24 1 lb 2.,0 +30 g
"#$!%&%'

Vladimir at 6 weeks Vladimir at 6.5 months (1 May 2014)
1 wee* old 1 diarrhea for two wee*s. "ladimir is from a litter that is
struggling. % discoer that the formula %2m bottle feeding the *ittens has
gone off when the dog refuses the leftoers3 but this reali4ation isn2t in
time to sae "ladimir2s two siblings3 who hae been haing diarrhea.
With fresh formula3 "lad2s diarrhea stops and he is health( briefl(.
4 wee*s old 5 nasal congestion3 rasp( breathing3 crust( e(es3 lethargic. 6e
seems to hae a bad cold.
+.+ wee*s old 1 his cold is not subsiding so he is gien a shot of
7onenia at the et2s in !uncan. %t wor*s and he recoers. 6e2s also de5
wormed at the et on account of his pot bell( and spindl( legs3 but % don2t
see him eer pass an( worm.
7 wee*s old 1 catches another cold. % tried a4ithrom(cin on him3 1.3 cc
once a da(3 for the past ma(be + da(s. % don2t *now if it2s improed his
cold at all.
- wee*s old 1 mouth ulcers discoered3 and his breathing and nasal
discharge are worsening. 6e2s seen at 7obble 6ill et on !ec 14
th
and
gien a shot of 7onenia 8% insisted3 *nowing that it might not help but
wouldn2t hurt9.
% begin force5bottle feeding him and giing him two subcues per da( of
20 ccs each3 as per the et2s instructions. 6e deelops a ma:or ulcer that
ta*es up more than half the roof of his mouth and bleeds profusel(. ;er(
time he wa*es up from a nap3 his mouth3 chest3 and paws are coered in
blood that has seeped out of his mouth. %nitiall( he loses weight and
becomes terribl( thin3 but with intensie bottle feeding this stabili4es3 and
he then starts to gain weight again. <he cold0 flu s(mptoms eentuall(
reduce and blood loss becomes the biggest problem.
10 wee*s old 1 mouth ulcers are nearl( gone and "ladimir starts eating
dr( food and drin*ing water on his own again 8!ec 219. % stop giing him
twice dail( subcues3 unless for some reason % thin* he needs one. But
oer +57 da(s3 his balance becomes noticeabl( worse. 7oordination is
impaired3 growing worse eer( da( as the rest of his health problems
resole. 6is lac* of control oer his hips is the most obious impairment.
6e goes to !uncan $nimal 6ospital again on !ec 24
th
. We discuss the
possibilit( that he has =eline %nfectious >eritonitis 8=%>93 which is a t(pe
of corona irus. <here is no simple diagnostic test that can distinguish
between antibodies against other t(pes of coronairus and the coronairus
that causes =%>. <he irus is progressie and prett( much fatal3 but life
can be prolonged perhaps with anti5inflamatories3 from what %
understand. "ladimir is started on >rednisone3 an anti5inflammator(3 and
gien a shot of 7onenia as a precaution in case the >rednisone wea*ens
his immune s(stem.
3 months old 5 "ladimir tests negatie for to?oplasma. $lthough he has a
massie bell( and spindl( legs3 the et does not find that he has fluid in
his bell() it2s :ust his shape. 6is balance continues to worsen3 and his
head wobbles more too. On the face of it3 he loo*s as though he has
cerebellar h(poplasia3 but this can2t be because he was born with normal
coordination. 8>lus3 his mother most certainl( didn@t get distemper while
she was pregnant with him and then die afterwards) we *now e?actl( who
his mother is and % was able to trap her in &arch 2014 at the barn she
lies in and get her spa(ed 8and none of the other 7 barn cats there hae
gotten sic* and died since "lad@s birth in October9. "lad2s mother is
health(.9
4 months old 5 "ladimir is e?periencing constant nasal discharge3 which
has blood mi?ed into it. 6e doesn2t seem otherwise congested. Oddl(3 it
seems to be that in the eenings it is purel( fresh blood coming out of his
nose 5 not so much that it is dripping out3 but eer( time % wipe it awa(3
it comes bac* again. $4ithrom(cin stops this problem er( Auic*l(3
within a few da(s3 and % *eep him on it for wee*s.
,.+ months old 8&a( 20149 1 "ladimir2s seems to be permanentl(
disabled3 but his coordination problems hae plateaued. 6e hasn2t
worsened in months. 6is head sha*es wheneer he concentrates on
something that suddenl( catches his attention. 6e constantl( falls down
when his hind legs swing too much to either the right or left. What he
does to moe across a floor is a combination of wal*ing andB
swimming. 6e has recentl( lost his bab( fangs and grown adult ones.
"lad has adapted to his condition and learned to run b( *eeping his hind
legs together and using them li*e a pogo stic* to propel himself forward
while his front legs tr( to guide his direction and *eep him upright. 6e
bites a lot3 but mischieousl( rather than with a harmful intent3 and he
doesn2t seem to be mentall( disabled. 6e can form plans and e?ecute
them3 li*e bolting for the open front door and diing into the grass3 or
chasing the dog or other cats. 6e can be er( loing and purrs when he2s
cuddled. 6e uses his litterbo? eer( single time3 but sometimes falls
down in it3 so he needs a bath once a wee*3 which is about the onl( time
he meows.
555555
<%C;'#%#D
Tigerlily (left), Vladimir (right)
$nother *itten of mine3 <igerlil(3 who is not related to "ladimir3 saw the
et in !uncan on !ec +
th
and died !ec 7th. Ehe had mouth ulcers3
wouldn2t eat unless % made her3 was omiting3 and lethargic. Ehe didn2t
hae the s(mptoms of a cold. $ mini5autops( reealed that her heart was
ma:orl( defectie on the inside 8including a er( small lumen9. %t was not
clear how the mouth ulcers were connected to her underl(ing health
problems3 if at all. % had tried 7hlorpalm on <igerlil( starting on !ec 2
nd
3
but it didn2t ma*e an( difference in her anore?ia. <igerlil( was neer on
a4ithrom(cin3 as "ladimir had been briefl(3 so % couldn2t imagine the
mouth ulcers that the( both had as possibl( a drug allerg(.
When <igerlil( had still been alie3 when she had seemed a little droop(
but % hadn2t (et reali4ed she wasn2t eating3 "ladimir 8who was 7 wee*s
old9 had tried to pla( with her Auite a bit.
$fter <igerlil( died3 "ladimir deeloped mouth ulcers li*e she had. But
whereas "ladimir suried his mouth ulcers and then immediatel( started
to hae problems balancing3 <igerlil( neer wobbled3 and then she died.
55555555
=OFD
o!y (left), Vladimir (right)
Of the late5born *ittens from 2013 that were ta*en into the home as
fosters3 "ladimir was the (oungest. <here were other foster *ittens who
were slightl( older than him here at the same time. One of them3 named
=o?(3 deeloped a bleeding nose at about the same time as "ladimir did
8"lad was 4 months old9. =o?( tested negatie for 7r(ptococcus 8$nd
soon after3 "ladimir went onto a4(throm(cin3 which fi?ed that problem3
so we neer bothered with testing him for 7r(ptococcus.9 =o?( neer
deeloped the wobbling problem. 6e and "lad onl( had bleeding noses
in common.
555555
#%<<#; <GF
$nother *itten from 2013 who was in the foster home at the same time as
"ladimir and =o?( was named #ittle <u? 8born appro?imatel( $ugust
20139. #ittle <u? arried in this foster home at about 3 months old3 tame
and health(3 but needing to leae the pet store on account of deeloping
ringworm. 6e had alread( been neutered and accinated 8against
caliciirus among other things9 when he arried3 and was *ept apart from
the other *ittens in a large wire pen. 6e was released into the house
following a month of terbinafine pills to *ill the ringworm. $t about the
same time3 <igerlil( was in crisis with her mouth ulcers3 and then after
she died "ladimir was in crisis with mouth ulcers too.
=ollowing #ittle <u?2s release into the house post5ringworm3 he was in
contact with "ladimir3 who had alread( started wobbling. #ittle <u?
deeloped a mild case of the sniffles 8that2s it 1 no ma:or cold and no
mouth ulcers9 for perhaps 253 da(s. 6is brief and mild sniffles
disappearedB and immediatel( his hind legs started to wobble. #ittle
<u?2s hind legs plateaued at a mild leel of impairment3 while "ladimir2s
legs continued to decline. $t the time #ittle <u? went up for adoption in
&arch 20143 he didn2t seem to be in pain from his condition3 he :ust
loo*ed a little rubber( in his moements and couldn2t :ump well.
555555555
BOBB%2E H%<<;/E

"o##i and her 6 kittens, Mar$h 1%
th
. Vladimir and some of "o##i&s kittens
<he first foster of 2014 ta*en into "ladimir2s home was a pregnant blac*
man? cat named Bobbi. Ehe was a pic*( eater when she arried3 but was
otherwise normal and seemed er( health(. Ehe was e?tremel(
affectionate and purred constantl(. Bobbi had a room to herself which
had been thoroughl( cleaned with bleach( water3 with all furniture haing
been wiped down and the cat scratch soa*ed with bleach in the bathtub
and dried b( the fire months earlier.
Bobbi arried in foster care on &arch 10
th
and had si? health( *ittens on
&arch 13
th
I four tortiseshell girls3 one blac* man? bo(3 and one gre( bo(.
Bobbi onl( left the room a couple times briefl( while % had the door open
to clean the room. Bobbi continued to be a pic*( eater3 preferring canned
food to dr(3 but that gae her diarrhea3 so % eentuall( offered her onl(
dr( food. Ehe did not seem to be eating er( much dr( food at all3 and %
proided her with bowls of seeral different brands. Bobbi was getting
thinner Auic*l(3 and also seemed withdrawn and unhapp(3 neer purring
an(more3 and een the offer of canned food couldn2t stimulate her
appetite again. $t the same time3 one of her *ittens3 a blac* man? bo(3
started omiting. <here were indications that Bobbi omited ma(be
twice3 although not eating was her main problem. <he man? *itten would
omit if he ate food or dran* from his mother or dran* water3 and after
two da(s3 % too* the *itten into the et3 along with his depressed mother3
and his sister who had started omiting the da( before. % also brought
along one of Bobbi2s health( *ittens as a comparison.
<he et deemed Bobbi to be in decent shape3 and we decided that we
would tr( claamo? on the two omiting *ittens 8although we didn2t hae
much hope of saing the blac* man? bo(9. <he blac* male *itten did
indeed die that night3 $pril 17
th
. &ore of a shoc* was that Bobbi died 4
da(s later. <he sic* torti girl recoered. <hen two preiousl( health( torti
girls became ill3 omiting a lot and dropping weight. % was sure the( were
going to die3 but % put them onto claamo? and the( recoered. <he onl(
*itten who didn2t seem to do an( omiting at an( point was the gre(
male3 but perhaps he did when % wasn2t present.
7laamo? seemed to get the *ittens to recoer and eentuall( the( were
let out of the *itten room and into the rest of the house on about $pril 2,
th
8not onl( did the( want out of the room3 but % needed to house a newl(5
rescued mother cat and her newborn *ittens in there9. <he *ittens2 usual
area to be is around the fireplace in the centre of the house3 and "ladimir
is *een to be with them all the time3 washing them often and pla(ing with
them. Eometimes he *noc*s them oer when he falls down.
On $pril 2.
th
one of the torti girls3 7oco3 omited a couple times during
the course of a da(. Ehe was still on claamo?. Ehe still had a round bell(
and ate later that da( and *ept the food down.
On $pril 30
th
3 % noticed 7oco limping3 with one of her front legs seeming
to bother her. % thought ma(be she had been *noc*ed down b( "ladimir
or hurt her leg some other wa(. <he ne?t da(3 her front leg seemed not to
be bothering her an(more3 but % thought % noticed her hips swa(ing a little
too much when she wal*ed3 although % couldn2t be sure % wasn2t being
paranoid.
B( the night of &a( 1
st
3 % was sure 7oco2s hind legs were starting to
wobble. % spent &a( 2
nd
tr(ing to ta*e footage of 7oco wal*ing in
preparation to ta*e her to the et3 and3 to m( horror3 oer the course of the
da(3 all four torti *ittens started wobbling3 to the point where the( would
fall down. What is happening to them following their recoer( from the
omiting illness loo*s e?actl( li*e what happened to "ladimir following
his recoer( from mouth ulcers. <heir hips swa( too much when the(
wal* and then the( fall down intermittentl(. <he four wobbling *ittens
hae full bellies3 are eating well3 are not currentl( omiting3 and are
pla(ful and purr. <he( hae been more lethargic than normal ma(be in
the first hour or so that the( begin wobbling. <hree *ittens in the house
hae not (et started wobblingI Bobbi2s gre( bo(3 plus two unrelated
*ittens that entered the foster home on &a( 1
st
.
5555555555
=%/$# >O%/<E
"ladimir has been adopted into his foster home3 and shares it with +
health( adult cats3 plus 3 adult foster cats. /one of those cats hae eer
started to wobble3 or the other foster *ittens in the house in late 20133
apart from #ittle <u?3 and some of those were or are in er( close contact
with "lad. <herefore3 it seems to me that while the wobbling disease is
contagious3 it2s not highl( contagious. %t seems to need a *itten to be
wea*ened b( some other ailment 8"lad was recoering from mouth
ulcers) #ittle <u? was recoering from sniffles and ringworm) Bobbi2s
*ittens were recoering from something that caused them to omit and
also *illed their mother93 and then it shoehorns itself in. <hen the *itten
recoers from the initial illness and immediatel( the wobbling starts.
$nother component to this health m(ster( is that another foster home3
with *ittens unrelated to <igerlil(3 #ittle <u?3 or "ladimir 1 and neer
e?posed to them either 5 e?perienced this wobbl( leg problem. <hat home
had a batch of *ittens in summer 2013 that became wobbl( and then
recoered3 and then that foster home had two *ittens in the winter that
became wobbl( and did not improe3 one of them at a mild leel of
impairment3 and one much worse 8although not nearl( as bad as
"ladimir9.
Cien that Bobbi2s *ittens were born here in the foster home and are now
wobbling3 the source of this wobbling disease either has to be "ladimir or
something in the home3 although % hae cleaned e?tensiel( with bleach
seeral times since "ladimir became sic*. <he onl( place in the house
that % can thin* of as potentiall( ha4ardous is a spot of rotten wood in the
bathroom where the wall meets the floor 8bathroom renoations are
pending but haen2t happened (et9. % will collect a sample from the rotten
crac* to get it tested.