This litter, who were born in late May of 2011, have proven something of a medical mystery. MJ and JJ had distemper when they were younger. Feline distemper can be fatal, but the boys recovered from it. If the distemper is caught when the kittens are in the womb, or very young, it can leave them with CH (cerebellar hypoplasia), a neurological condition that causes a wobbly walk. CH can range from mild to severe. It doesn't progress, but it can't be cured. These kittens were too old to have distemper cause CH, yet three of them seem to have mild cases of it, or something nearly identical to it, anyway. This is especially odd, considering that only two manifested symptoms of the disease. LJ does not appear to have CH, but he has caused us concern by occasionally wheezing/panting when he plays (we've checked LJ for several conditions, including an enlarged heart, but all test results have been negative).

This is a happy, playful group, who tend be loving when they're not chasing/stalking/pouncing on one another or a toy; it's not unusual for two or three of them to try to occupy your lap simultaneously. None of them seem to have any trouble galloping about or jumping onto the couch or generally carrying on. Please note that, at this writing, they are NOT available for adoption; we plan to continue observing and, if necessary, testing them, to try to find out what's happening. Because we aren't certain what's going on with them, they have not yet been neutered. We hope that they will be up for adoption in the near future, so please check back here periodically.

The J Crew are a perfect example of what Tabby's Place does. We know most shelters wouldn't be able to keep these sweet boys for any length of time, so we're very pleased that they'll have a home here for as long as they need one. And they are just about the cutest things on four feet. But the puzzles remain.