“They have great lives!”
S iobhan Webster, from Dumfries, has not one, but two cats who need special care, as well as two moggies who came from Cats Protection.
“I follow the Facebook page of The Animal House Rescue in Birmingham,” she says. “That was where I saw a little black-and-white cat they weren’t sure would survive. She was only about six months old, had already had kittens, was very thin and scared, and had cerebellar hypoplasia which means she has problems with her balance — but we loved her at once.
“We call her Mira — short for Miracle — and we researched her condition before adopting her so that we knew what we were taking on.We had to make a few changes around the house, such as a stairgate so she doesn’t fall downstairs, cushions, and a ramp up to the window because she can’t jump. When she fell, we were always tempted to pick her up but she doesn’t like that — she is very independent!
“Then our next cat, Charlie Roo, came up on the
Facebook page too. He’s white with black markings and has radial hypoplasia which means his front paws don’t work properly. In spite of that, he gets around really well. He can’t jump as high as most cats and has trouble getting down again.To compensate, his back legs are really strong.
“Of course, just like Mira, he doesn’t know he’s different! We have to moisturise his ‘elbows’ because he walks on them and he can’t manage to clean his ears or claws so we have to do that for him. Because we already had Mira, we never had the slightest doubt about adopting Charlie Roo. They are both lovely cats and they have great lives! Mira is quite possessive with her toys and tends to live upstairs. Charlie Roo follows me around all the time.We don’t let
him go outside on his own but sometimes I take him into the garden in a harness.”
Last year, Charlie Roo won the ‘Purrfectly Imperfect’ class in Cats Protection’s Alternative Cat Awards. Siobhan was very proud and hopes that more people will think about adopting a cat who needs special care.
“Our cats make us smile every single day,” she says. “There’s no need to feel too sorry for cats with disabilities or assume they need lots of help, as long as you do a bit of research so that you know about their condition.”