Update on Bebe, special needs kitten with Manx Syndrome

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By Karen Harrison Binette

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Bebe is an adorable and wonderful kitten who is special needs. His caregivers saved his life and are helping him to find his forever home.

Here is an update on Bebe, the kitten from our post of April 17, Bebe; Kitten born with Manx syndrome.

Bebe is a beautiful tailless rescue kitten born with Manx Syndrome, a condition marked by a spinal defect that can also cause problems with the bowels.

Cats at the Studios of Culver City, California rescued Bebe from the Downey shelter, where he would likely have been put down, and the group is giving him the chance to lead a good life.

Bebe’s rescuers at first thought he might have lost his tail in an incident while he was living on the streets, but a trip to the vet determined that he had been born that way and had Manx syndrome. Bebe has since seen a neurologist.

He is a happy and special cat but he has to wear diapers. He had some diapers custom made for him, but his foster mom has found that preemie diapers also fit.

Assuming the adoption goes through, Bebe seems to have found the perfect homewith a woman who has experience with a Manx syndrome kitty.

A Cats at the Studio volunteer and foster caregiver writes:

“Bebe came from the Downy shelter. When he was delivered we were shocked to see he had no tail and his tush area was so swollen. We have taken him to 3 vets and a neurologist. Bebe is a Manx with manx syndrome. Most kittens like this are put to sleep. I am sure a breeder dumped him so he didn’t have to pay the cost to euthanize .Thrown away like trash.

“I must say Bebe is pretty special .The Manx breed is like a rag doll. He purrs and talks and eats and plays all the time. The biggest issue with Manx with this syndrome is they have no control of their poop or urine. They are missing the nerve endings to feel when they have to go to the bathroom. My special friend Maureen made Bebe diapers and it has helped tons.

“I don’t want to make light of the situation as he is so much work.

“A lady in Arizona wants to adopt him. I need to find a way to get them there.

“She has already had a Manx with this condition and knows how to care for him. She volunteers at the shelter. She is my angel. Now I will work on getting him there.”

Watch the followup video on Bebe from the Pet Collective:

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Just wanted to share Bebes story. Bebe came from the Downy shelter. When he was delivered we were shocked to see he had... Posted by Cheri Appel Friedman on Thursday, April 30, 2015

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10 thoughts on “Update on Bebe, special needs kitten with Manx Syndrome”

  1. I know this is a old post, but I hope Bebe is doing well. I have a 4 month old kitten who has been diagnosed with Manx Syndrome as well. We are committed to keeping her healthy and happy, as long as she has a good quality of life, etc. Anyone have any practical advice or resources to share with us? She has had a full workup at our local vet school – her last vertebra is malformed, which is causing bowel and bladder incontinence, and she is prone to constipation (she does not have megacolon, however). She currently is on a Miralax regimen, which is keeping stools soft. At this point, her mobility is unaffected, but of course, she’s still growing, so that could be an issue later. Would really appreciate any advice anyone may have — there’s not a great deal out there to guide us. Thanks very much! Julie )and Miss Georgia)

  2. We just adopted a Manx kitten. He will be 3 months old on November 25th. He also has Manx Syndrome. If the lady in Arizona has any information on caring for our special needs baby, it would be welcome. We have decided to keep him and give him a good life as long as we can. He runs, jumps, and climbs the cat trees with minimal problems. His right hind leg does give him some mobility issues. I would be really interested in how they made the diapers to fit him! Thank you so much! Deb and Mickey Mouse

  3. Our Mia was diagnosed with spinal deformation, but her condition is almost exactly the same as Manx syndrome. Regularly expressing her bladder (every 6 hours or so) will empty her bladder and will eliminate 95% of bladder incontinence. You will be able to feel if her lower intestine is full when expressing her bladder. If it seems she needs to poop, gently rubbing her belly should get her to start twitching her legs and make her poop. We do this with Mia and Dasha (who was paralized in an accident) 4 times each day over a puppy training pad. As far as constipation goes, avoid dry food and stick with canned (wet) food. Mia does best on Nutrish (rachel ray’s brand). One trick our vet taught us was to give her warm milk if she is constipated. Like people, cats become lactose intolerant as they age unless they drink milk regularly. This should help loosten her stool.

  4. No, not all Manx cats have thave syndrome. I have a amand and she is very healthy. She’s only 6 months old but I THINK if she had Manx Syndrome then it would shown one of the symptoms by now..? I had never even heard of the Manx breed until we rescued her after being thrown out of a car window going 45 mph. She had a broken leg and several contusions. She was only a few weeks old when this happened and I took her immediately to the vet. I live in a state where cats / kittens are treated terribly. I called the police and reported the tag/ vehicle information of the person who did this to Pippy Pawstocking (lol) and they literally told me it was my word against the other persons and I just needed to deal with it. I thought it was illegal in every state to be cruel to animals. Guess I was wrong. Anyways, my vet told me about Manx Syndrome and said that it was prominent with my kitten due to her not having even a stub for a tail but she checked out clear. She’s a happy and healthy kitty!

  5. No ….not all Manx cats have this problem….in fact our “Abbey-tail” is now 9 years old..and have never had a problem. I had never even heard of Manx syndrome…she is a very smart but high-strung cat. She does have the peculiar straight of sort of running/hopping like a bunny with her back legs…which adds to her unusual appearance…but she is a very loyal cat. She has been a joy..just thought I would let you know our experience!

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