My Mommy Says I'm Special

Many people forget that humans are not the only creatures that have physical and mental disabilities. Some cats are born with special needs or become disabled because of accidents.

There are a few internet kitties who have become famous because of their disabilities, like Lil BUB, Little Bear, and Samwise Chance. Yes, Sammie. Unlike Lil BUB and Little Bear, who's disabilities are mostly physical, Samwise's affect his health, personality, and little cat mind.

Sammie as a stray.

When Sammie was first found, he had been living approximately two years as a stray. He was severely underweight and was infested with worms. Just a month or so after Elizabeth rescued him, he began suffering from an impacted bowel and an upper respiratory infection--both of which would have killed him if he were not taken immediately to the vet. It took many months and multiple trips to the veterinarian to make Samwise healthy again after being living on his own for so long.

Living "in the wild" also caused Samwise mental trauma. He is very skittish and seems only perfectly comfortable around his "mother" and savior Elizabeth. Samwise also rarely acts cat-like. He only meows under great duress, cannot climb (although he has very long claws), and rarely plays. Most of the time, Sammie merely sleeps. Even though he doesn't act much like a cat, Samwise does have one very strong quality: he is sweet.

Samwise also has a few various problems that are associated with nervous disorders, such as involuntary nystagmus.

Tabby's Place is an adoption center, hospital, and cage-free facility for cats that have disabilities or are considered "not adoptable." Through their website you can sponsor a cat, adopt a cat, volunteer, and more. There is also a Tabby's Place location to visit in New Jersey, if you happen to live in that area and want to check them out.

Another rescue shelter for disabled pets is Petswithdisabilities.org. Pets with Disabilities is located in Maryland, but their website allows visitors to make donations, learn more about disabled pets, and adopt pets. Unlike Tabby's Place, which is exclusively for cats, Pets with Disabilities has cats and dogs.

Specialneedspets.com is like a Craig's List for disabled pets. Users can list disabled animals they have that need new owners or animals they found that need a forever home. Although this site is good, I do ask you to be wary about posting animals on there that you want to find a home for. Just like you can't trust everyone on Craig's List, you can't trust all the people that use the site--they might not love your special pet like it needs to be.

Sammie requests for you to always remember that every pet needs love--no matter what.

~RL