Kitten with splayed legs

Question
I have a litter of 4 Persian kittens that are 3 weeks old. The others, though clumsy are walking fairly well. One of the kittens lays with it's legs splayed out behind her and is having difficulty walking as they seem to slide out and back when she tries to walk. Should I have her checked by a vet or give her more time as she is so young. I have heard of taping them loosely together but don't know if this is something that I should try or not. She seems healthy otherwise and I see no signs of swelling or anything like that. Please advice. She is a Persian Tortoiseshell. These 2 parents have had a litter in the past and I have never had this problem. Please answer a.s.a.p. in case I need to get her to the vet. Thanks, Linda

Answer
Hi Linda,

I would have a vet look at her. Many times, depending on the type, congenital problems can be worked with at this age using techniques like taping because the bones are still soft and can be encouraged to form in the right direction. Also, certain exercises can be beneficial to help her muscles strengthen and develop properly. In most cases, just encouraging the kitten to walk and giving her a little extra time to catch up with her siblings will do a lot of good, but I certainly think getting the advice of a vet right away is wise. Missing your window of opportunity to address the problem would be a terrible disservice to all involved.

Also, I am assuming mom is all up to date on her distemper vaccine, but if she has fallen behind, there could be a possibility that the kitten has Cerebellar Hypoplasia. She's at the age where this condition begins to surface, and her symptoms (clumsiness and splayed legs) would seem to fit. In case you're unfamiliar with the condition, it's caused when the mother has an active distemper infection during pregnancy. Mothers often show no symptoms, but the embryos suffer. It causes an underdevelopment of the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls motor skills. One or all of the kittens may be affected. The condition neither improves much nor worsens, and those kittens who learn to walk typically have a good quality of life (it's normal for it to take them several weeks longer to learn this skill than other kittens). They are just generally a little clumsy and have poor motor skills. There are many videos on youtube.com of these kitties.

At any rate, I think a vet assessment would be a great idea, and they can help you determine whether you should just give the kitten time and encourage some exercise, or if something more should be done.

Best of luck!

Jessica