Rudy's breeder, a wonderful woman named Linda, wasn't quite sure what was wrong with him at the time and after talking to her vet, thought maybe Rudy had water on the brain. She feared he may have to be put to sleep or else would suffer from brain damage.

I saw Rudy's photo on Linda's website and fell in love with him. We had recently adopted one of her kittens (Pixie, formerly known as Miss India). I emailed Linda and asked if we could adopt Rudy (formerly known as King) when he was old enough. She was very happy that someone was willing to give this adorable little guy a home.

I did some research online and found some info about kittens born hydrocephalic. I thought maybe this is what Rudy was born with? I did not find a lot of information, and what little I did find, ran the gamut of kittens living only a few months, to living a few years.

I emailed another Persian cat breeder who I had seen had posted on a message board about a hydrocephalic kitten. She told me that she had a few kittens born with this over the years, and they lived. In fact, she had kept one and he was doing great. She told me she gave her kitten tissue salts (homeopathic), which somehow helped with stopping build-up of fluid and redistributing it. She wasn't really sure how it worked and neither was I, but when I mentioned it to Linda, we decided to give these remedies a try. They are called Natrum Phos and Natrum Mur and you can find out where to purchase them from the Health Links section to the left.

As the weeks went on, Rudy did not get any worse and started to grow into an adorable, playful, happy kitten. Linda noticed that his eyes did not look quite right, and pointed downward. We knew there was something wrong with his eyes, but not quite sure exactly what!

Rudy came to live with us on January 5, 2008. I have decided to keep a little online diary for him so that Linda, and her friends, and anyone else with a kitten/cat with a similar birth defect can learn more about it.

Please go on to the 2008 Diaries to read more about Rudy and his diagnosis.

Thank you for visiting! Rudy Kazooty would love it if you left a pawprint in his guestbook!

Purrs