Various Tips

Clyde is a severe CH case: he can't stand, sit or walk. Rather, he gets around by laying on his side and pushing/pulling himself. Occasionally he forces himself up and takes a few wobbly, staggering steps before falling or crashing into something. Sometimes I wish he would wear a helmet. ;-) Clyde is very intelligent, social, sweet and playful. We have found a few adaptations that have helped him along the way:

• When he was around 6 weeks old, we gave him a small animal water bottle. It was much easier for him to drink from this bottle until he decided he was a big boy and refused to use it anymore. Now we keep his water bowl in a shallow plastic container that is just slightly larger than the bowl; this contains any spillage.
• We place Clyde and his food bowl into a container (we first used a loaf pan, then a small litterbox, now a carrier with the door removed). This prevents him from accidentally pushing the bowl away from himself and contains food scatter, making clean up easier.
• We tried using a mobility cart for Clyde, but after a couple of days he refused to use it. He seemed to miss the ability to crawl into the open space in our coffee table, to go up and down the ONE step into our living room, and to crawl into a bed or carrier to sleep. He is very content with himself, and doesn't want to use a cart.
• It is critical to keep the litterbox clean. We scoop every time it is used. We have moved to a larger, hooded litterbox since Clyde urinates and defecates while lying on his side. Most of the time he gets in and out of the box without making an unusual mess. Occasionally he falls backwards into his mess, and needs to be cleaned up. Clyde seems to try to use the litterbox when we are around so we can help him out and clean the box right away.
• We are very cautious about anything that might frighten Clyde as one aspect of CH is an extreme fear reaction. Before moving anything large or unusual (even bringing out a suitcase or carrying in a box), or engaging in any loud activity (vacuuming, using a hair dryer, etc.), we safely hold Clyde while someone else engages in the activity that might frighten him, or secure Clyde in another area of the house.
Cindy