Dallas Cat Rescue

Special needs cats are the most awesome cats I know!

Well, as a cat mama, I’m 100% biased to say I have THE most awesome cat.  Five years ago, we weren’t looking for another cat.  Truth is, my nearly 18 year-old cat had recently passed away and we had a bonded pair of fur-siblings already.  And then I saw it.  This picture of a kitten with a deformed leg.  You see, I volunteer with Cat Matchers and part of what I do is post pictures of foster cats that will be available for adoption.

Her face drew me in and I drove across town that day (I might have played hooky from work for a bit) to meet her.  Within weeks, we were taking her home with the stitches from her leg removal (due to the deformity, the leg couldn’t be saved).

And within five minutes, she turned our world upside down.  That baby was audacious – she refused to be contained to only one room of the house and attempted to sneak out every time the door opened.  Never mind that she had water, food, and toys, she wanted to explore.

Sasha quickly won over the hearts of anyone she met – she was fearless, running around and playing with toys, greeting guests at the door for attention, and, like many young children, refused to sleep until she just couldn’t go any more.

About 4 months later, Sasha went blind.  We found out that at some point around her surgery, she had been exposed to feline leukemia virus (FeLV).  What that means is she’s more susceptible to getting sick than most other cats.  She developed glaucoma and had to have her eyes removed.  When the vet told us, he said, “this will be WAY harder on you than her.”  He was right.  Within a month of the surgery, she had her run of the house — in fact a house we had just moved into and she never had a chance to explore while she could see.

And guess what?  She hasn’t slowed down a bit.  She went on living her best life.  She chases the other cats (and yes, she can keep up), catches bugs better than the other cats, climbs to the highest tier on the cat tree, loves to greet people at the door and get belly rubs, snuggles with us nightly, and can navigate the house with her amazing hearing and “spidey sense” of her whiskers.

We were so taken with her amazing spirit that two years ago, we adopted a second special needs cat, Sadie.  As a kitten, she was hit by a car and came to us after healing from two broken legs.  While one of her legs became a peg-leg due to the injuries, she just uses that to her advantage.  She shows off her speed when she races my husband up the stairs and when she chases the other cats around the house.  And, she’s good friends with Sasha, so they spend most nights curled up on the bed near each other.  Will we adopt more special needs cats?  100% yes.  They will be our first choice when considering a new cat or kitten.