An Interview With a Specially Abled Pet - Meet Bifford!

Hello, and Happy Monday! Did you know that today is Specially Abled Pets Day? This special day is celebrated every year on May 3 to educate the public about pets with disabilities. I am so excited to take this opportunity to introduce you all to one of our new friends, a pawesome guy with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, Bifford Langer! 

Bifford is a spokescat for specially-abled cats and dedicates his blog to educating people about Cerebellar Hypoplasia and taking care of pets with special needs. He agreed to sit down with me for an interview so our readers can learn more about him and his cause. So let's get into it. 

Lola: Hi, Bifford! Thanks so much for letting me interview you for “Specially Abled Pets Day.” Before we get into the first question, I’d like to say you’re looking very handsome today. 

Bifford: Hello, Lola! Thank you so much for granting me this interview with you, especially for Specially-Abled Pets Day! It is so sweet of you. I wanted to look absolutely dashing for this prestigious interview with the beautiful and infamous Lola!

Lola: Awww, thank you, Bifford. Could you tell our readers a little about yourself? 

Bifford: I was born in Chicago in October 2011 to a foster mother who specialized in rescuing pregnant cats from the harsh streets. I was one of four brothers, and we all had Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). I was considered “moderate” and my brother Munchie was considered “severe." We were transported to a cat rescue in Youngstown, Ohio where I endured several failed homes until I found my forever one with my mom and dad in May 2014! Since that fateful day, it has been tuna wishes and high living for this “presidential” candidate! 

Lola: What do you think people need to know about CH? 

Bifford: This is a particularly important question, Lola, which I get asked a lot. The thing people need to know most about CH cats is that we are not in any pain. CH is not contagious, does not get worse (or better, either),  and we are very resilient and able to adapt to our abilities. Whenever I meet new voters, they often first look at me with a pang of sympathy as if I am suffering. But once they get to know me and see my flirtatious demeanor and zest for life they quickly see that those preconceived notions are just one of the many stigmas we are working to bust. 

Lola: That's such important information for people to know! So, tell me, how did you find your forever family? 

Bifford: I actually had a rough journey finding to my forever family as I was returned to the shelter three different times. The very last time before I came to my forever mama, the “family” locked me in an empty hot tub because they wanted me to “die with dignity." I was finally surrendered after a domestic abuse situation happened in their home. My current forever mama got a call saying that I was not doing well at the shelter. I was terrified, getting beat up all the time, and getting more depressed each day I was there. I was waiting for that door to open and someone to save me and love me. My mama told the shelter she would take me home “for the weekend” to give me a break, but that "weekend" was years ago. Mama learned “on the fly” about my special ability so she often tells people that they do not need to know much initially about CH. They just have to open their heart and home with a dash of patience, love & compassion. I promise they will not regret it! 

Lola: Oh, Bifford, that is horrible! I'm so glad you were saved from that situation. Do you consider yourself a special needs cat? Do you need anything special at home to keep you safe and healthy? 

Bifford: My mama says that all her babies are special in their own way, and I am no different. But the one thing she did that really helped me be more independent and stronger was to not “bubble wrap” me, as she coined the term. She let me play and chase my brothers, climb on the couch or in bed with her at night, stumble a bit and even sometimes crash (of course she was always there if I needed her.) When I first came to my mom and dad I could not get into bed at night, I would cry all hours of the night to the point I made my mama cry with frustration. But as time went on, she just kept loving me and being patient. And soon I was able to realize just how independent I truly am! Now I can play and lay in bed with mama, dad, and siblings, and I can climb onto the couch with my brother Bart all on my own. 

Bifford and his Mama

Lola: You're so lucky to have such wonderful parents. Tell me more about your siblings. What, if anything, makes you different from them? 

Bifford: My mama calls my siblings and me the “house of adorable misfit toys”. The lineup consists of Bart, who is missing an eye (and his other eye is very ulcerated due to an untreated upper respiratory infection when he was a stray kitten); Roscoe, an epileptic rat terrier currently kicking cancer of the spleen’s butt; Bessie, who was found in the wall of an abandoned home in Youngstown, Ohio that was being demolished; and Lucy, a semi-feral calico that someone placed in a shopping bag and stuffed into mama’s mailbox in the middle of August. Most recently mama brought home Maxwell, a baby pug born with a severe curve of his spine as well as swimmers syndrome (where he struggles to use his back legs.) A backyard breeder came into mama's clinic, upset that Maxwell was “costing her money” and was a “financial loss” for her. Luckily, she surrendered him to my mama. 

Bifford and Bart

Lastly, and it is important to me to include her as she was very important in my life, we recently lost Maggie Mae on 1/25/21 after she lost her battle with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and ultimately suffered a blood clot. Maggie was a product of Petland/Harbor Pets with inguinal hernia that coined her “defective”. They were placing her in a garbage bag when she was a puppy! My mama didn’t think twice about taking her home that day in 2006.

All of my siblings play an extremely important and beneficial role in the “campaign” and to bring awareness and understanding to specially-abled animals of all walks of life!

Lola: Your mama has a very special heart, that's for sure. Can you tell me what a typical day is like for you? I hear you sometimes go to work with your mama! 

Bifford: Sometimes I do like to go to work with my mama! Mainly because when I go I get to flirt with all the girls and my favorite doctors (who continue to spoil me rotten when I am there.) But a typical day for me consists of living the high life. Each night I cuddle with my mama and daddy in bed (of course at the head of the bed with them all tucked in snug as a pug.) In the morning, mama gets me up and we have our little routine -  I snuggle with her while she brushes my hair and makes me “presentable” as she says, while I coo and purr. Then she gets me breakfast. Occasionally, I get jealous when my siblings want to cuddle mama because that is our quality time! After that I curl up on the couch with Bart and watch the news with my daddy and spend the day “yelling” at the birds, playing with my toys, and cuddling on the couch with the rest of my siblings! 

Lola: It sounds like the purrfect way to spend a day. Tell us about your website and your advocacy for specially-abled animals. What inspired you to start it? 

Bifford: It is sort of a frustrating story how my campaign started. After mama officially adopted me, she wanted to take me to get my vaccines updated so we went to a wellness clinic because we did not have a veterinarian at that time. I was bobbling around exploring the exam room and being my usual adorable self when a staff member popped her head into the room and quietly asked if we were there for euthanasia. My mama was shocked! She simply stated that we were there for my vaccines. The staff member looked confused, and with a pang of sympathy offered to cover the euthanasia as a courtesy because she said I was clearly "suffering." My mama was absolutely floored! To say that she went “mama bear” would be an understatement (but I never loved my mama more than at that moment when she defended me) and we promptly left. 

This sparked something in her. She found that there is an alarming number of veterinary professionals, rescues, and catteries that are not well versed in cerebellar hypoplasia in cats. This can, unfortunately, trigger misdiagnosis or even worse, euthanasia for cats like me. Mama felt it was very imperative for our campaign to happen! 

Lola: Your Elite Team looks very impressive. I'm sure our readers would love to know about that. 

Bifford: Thank you! My “Team of Elite” is important because we wanted to bring together other popular and important members of the specially-abled cat community as a group to bring awareness and understanding to specially-abled animals all over the world!  (They earned this honor by the nomination of their peers and then picked at random.)  Our amazing team consists of: 

• Tipsy Butler
• Jack Hanna
• Marty Jones
• Nilla Bean Hill
• Coraline Eckles
• Frog Ferguson 
• Brutiss Rising
• Jinx Niven
• Bill Cooper
• Buttons Fassano
• Bob Fournier
• Marty Fournier 

Lola: That sounds like a very impressive team! What do you think people should know about adopting a pet with "different abilities?" 

Bifford: The main thing I would like people to know is to not be afraid, overwhelmed, or turned off about adopting a specially-abled pet. We think that most families hear that these pets have “something wrong” with them, thus requiring more care, more financial restraints, etc. That is simply not true. I do not need any more veterinary care than my siblings (though it does help that mama has a “rainy day fund” for our medical care as well as has a care credit card in the event of major emergencies. We feel that any pet parent should make these preparations.) My mama jumped and took a chance on me without ever knowing anything about CH cats and she tells everyone that I am the “perfect gentleman".  I cannot jump onto the tables or counters and I cannot scratch where I am not supposed to. But I can go on adventures with my mom and dad because I cannot dash away from them (not that I would, though. I enjoy living the good life.) I have been to Hell, Michigan, had my picture taken at the 45th parallel, and I've seen Santa and the Easter Bunny several times. 

Lola: Is there anything else you would like people to know? 

Bifford: To not be afraid! Just because someone is different does not mean we are not worthy of love, compassion, and understanding!  

Lola: Bifford, thank you for meowing with me today about this important topic. You were the purrfect guest! I'm sure people will look at CH kitties in a different light now. 

Bifford: Thank you again, Lola, for this amazing interview, You are a true beacon in the cat community and it was such an honor to speak with you on something near and dear to my heart - my “campaign”! 

I hope you all enjoyed meeting Bifford! His message about specially-abled pets is very important. You can follow Bifford on Instagram and Facebook. Don't forget to tell him Lola sent you! 

Do you have a specially-able pet at home? Tell us about them in the comments. 

Lola