An Interview With a Cat With Special Features - Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week

Hello everyone! This is Lexy checking in with the second part of our series on "Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week." As promised, I have a spectacular interview a "special needs" cat. I'm happy to introduce Sophie, of Kitty Cat Chronicles! 

Sophie

Lexy: Hi Sophie! Thanks so much for letting me interview you for “Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet” week.  First, I’d like to say you’re looking very beautiful today.  And second, I purrsonally don’t like the term “less adoptable pet”, but we’ll work with it.  So, you are a cat with a disability.  Could you tell our readers a little bit about it? 

Sophie: Of course! Thanks for having me here today, Lexy. I always love to have the opportunity to help raise awareness for “less adoptable pets.” Like you though, I don’t like that term. My mom and I call us “pets with special features” instead! So let me tell you about MY special feature! 

I have what is known as cerebellar hypoplasia, or CH. CH is a neurological disorder in which the cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls coordination and motor skills, doesn’t develop completely before birth. This means that I am wobbly and uncoordinated, I can’t walk a straight line, and I fall over sometimes. The good news is that CH doesn’t get worse over time, and it doesn’t affect my lifespan. It won’t get better either, but we CH kitties find ways to compensate for our condition. What we lack in coordination, we make up for a thousand fold in determination! 

Sophie on an adventure

Lexy: Do you consider yourself a special needs cat? Do you need anything special at home to keep you safe and healthy? 

Sophie: Technically I am a special needs kitty. I do require a little bit of extra care and attention, but not too much. Here’s a list of the things that my mom and dad do to keep me safe and make things easier for me:
• They keep my nails long since I need them to help stabilize me when I’m      walking/standing, and I also use them to help myself up on the furniture. CH kitties aren’t the best jumpers, so we do a lot of climbing instead.
• They make special litter boxes out of big plastic storage bins by cutting a hole in the side. These give me plenty of room and also give me high walls to lean against. I have trouble keeping my balance in the litter box otherwise.
• They always follow the “four on the floor” rule – meaning whenever they put me down, they always make sure all four of my feet are on the ground before letting go. 
• Our previous house had stairs, so they kept a baby gate at the bottom to keep me off the them. They were worried about me falling down the stairs. Never mind the fact that I figured out how to climb over any baby gate they put up…

I only have a mild-moderate case of CH, so as you can see, there isn’t a whole lot of extra things my mom and dad have to do for me. Kitties with more severe cases sometimes require walkers, special flat litter boxes, help with eating, and other special considerations. 

Sophie and Lucy

Lexy: What makes you different (if anything) from your other siblings? 

Sophie: The only thing different about me from my other fur-siblings is that I walk differently. I still play the same, eat the same, and most importantly, I still love the same. 

Lexy: What is a typical day like for you?

Sophie: Same as any other lucky kitty like me – I wake up snuggled between my mom and dad, they feed us all (never soon enough though!), and then I spend the rest of my day doing regular kitty things like playing, napping, and cuddling. If I’m really lucky, I get to go on an adventure to the park or someplace cool!

Kylo Ren, Lucy and Sophie - The Adventure Team

Lexy: How did you find your mom and dad? 

Sophie: They actually found me, accidentally! They were at PetSmart one weekend getting supplies for my older fur-siblings Delilah and Sampson. The rescue that Deli and Sampy were adopted from was there with more adoptable kitties as usual, so of course Mom and Dad had to take a peek. They saw me stumbling around playing and having a good time. They just sat and watched me play for a little while, and then asked my foster mom why I was walking the way I was, so she explained to them about my CH. They were already in love with me, and knowing that I was extra-special made them love me even more. My dad picked me up, and I went right to sleep, purring in his arms for over an hour. It was love for sure, but they didn’t take me home that day. They wanted to really badly, but they didn’t think they could afford another kitty, and they didn’t think it would be fair to me if they weren’t able to give me the care I deserved. A few months went by, and they came to visit me a couple of times. Then finally, they couldn’t resist me any longer, so they adopted me!

Lexy: Do they treat you any different from your other siblings? 

Sohie: No, not really. They used to baby me more when I was younger because they were worried I would hurt myself. After a little while though, they realized that I don’t need to be babied – that I am perfectly capable of doing everything on my own in my own way! They had to learn to let go so that I could learn to be more self-sufficient. They still worry about me sometimes though – mostly when I jump off the back of the couch superman-style!

Beautiful Sassy

Lexy: You’re not the only cat in the house that would be considered special needs. Can you tell us about your sister? 

Sophie; I have an older sister named Sassy who is FIV+. FIV is the kitty version of HIV. Unfortunately, many people freak out when they hear FIV and think that FIV+ kitties are sickly, contagious, and should just be euthanized. Those beliefs are absolutely NOT TRUE! Sassy has been living with us for almost 3 years now and has never had to go to the vet for any reason other than her yearly check-up. She is perfectly healthy – you would never know she has FIV. This is the case for most FIV kitties, as long as they are given proper diet, care, and love – all the normal things you would give any kitty. She has also been around all of the rest of us in our house, and none of us have gotten FIV. As long as she doesn’t bite us super hard, she can’t pass FIV on, as FIV is passed through deep bite wounds. 
It is sad that so many FIV+ kitties are needlessly euthanized. Sassy and I try our best to spread the word and correct all of the misconceptions and negative stigma surrounding FIV. Thanks for asking about her. 

Sassy

Lexy: It's my pleasure. What do you think people should know about adopting a pet with “different abilities”? 

Sophie: Be patient. When you first bring a specially-featured animal home, you have to give them and yourself time to adjust and figure out a routine. My mom says that when they first brought me home, she felt overwhelmed for the first few weeks. She was constantly worried about me jumping off the furniture, and she and my dad had to give me baths almost daily because I would fall over in the litter box and make a mess of myself. It was stressful and hard for all of us, but eventually they figured out the homemade litter box trick, and eventually they realized that I do stumble and fall frequently, but I am okay. Adopting a specially-featured pet isn’t for everyone, but if you decide to add one to your family, please don’t give up. You will figure out what works best, and you will fall into a “new normal” – it just takes time. 

Lexy: Is there anything else you’d like people to know? 

Sophie: “Less adoptable” does not mean “less lovable.” So I’m wobbly; Sassy has FIV; others are three-legged, one-eyed, diabetic, epileptic, blind, etc… - so what? We are still just as deserving of love as any other animal. And we have so much love to give in return. If you adopt a “less adoptable” pet, you will not regret it. You will be increasing the love and fulfillment in your life by a million times!

Lexy: Thanks so much, Sophie, for a fab interview.  

Sophie: Thanks again for having me, Lexy, and thank you for helping to spread the word about “Adopt a Less-Adoptable Pet” Week!

Isn't Sophie wonderful? If you missed the first part in this series, you can read it here.  And stay tuned, because up next Lola is going to tell you about some beautiful "Forgotten Felines" at Tabby's Place. 
Lexy

Photos courtesy of Kitty Cat Chronicles