Would you rescue a disabled cat?

[Laurama91]

We're going to view some kittens from rspca today. They are pushing us towards a cat with a neurological disorder which means she is a bit wobbly on her feet. I have looked up the disorder which doesn't look like it would cost in vet fees and isn't life limiting. The only thing putting me off is we already have a cat. He's just turned 1 and is very active, charges around, up and down the stairs. Id be worried he knocks her over and causes damage. The lady at the rspca said she's in with other kittens and would be fine but obviously our boy weights a lot more than the kittens.

They can't force you to get that one. From what you've said about your cat definitely get a different one

I don't see why you think the cat would knock over the other one and cause problems. They may play fight etc but it's pretty unusual for a cat to accidentally bang into things including other cats.
From what you've said this kitty has a condition that isn't serious. If you like the kitty and she's social and will get on with others then I think it's great to rescue one that's overlooked. We rescued at 12 year old with a few physical issues because no one else would take him and honestly he's the best cat!

Would it have to be an indoor cat? Does your existing cat go out? Would you be able to get insurance?

Her brain didnt develop properly, possibly due to her mum having infection when pregnant. It causes issues with coordination and balance. Thats the reason I'm worried my boy would charge past cause her even more unbalance, especially on the stairs where he likes to play.

She would have to be indoor but we have a catio. And our boy now goes out in the garden on a harness but I dont think that would be suitable for her.
I would assume as insurance doesn't cover existing conditions that anything related wouldn't be covered.

If she was going to be an only cat, or with older cats, I would say go for it every time. But your existing boy being still at the rambunctious adolescent stage I think your fears are reasonable.

There would be enough disparity in their physical abilities that yes the boy could cause her harm, and also it would leave her open to bullying.

Often when there's such a gap in ability its a fit younger cat being introduced into the home of an older, confident cat. In that case the incumbent cat will usually establish their position while the new cat is still settling in. In your case your existing boy may push it a bit with the newcomer who is likely to be shy & nervous coming out of a rescue into a new home.

In the worst case if if the new cat is very scared and runs away every time, your young existing boy may see the newcomer as prey and then things could turn very nasty indeed. That would be very unlikely, but it has been known.

So in summary, only you know your existing cat & how he is likely to behave, but I would be very wary.

My heart would want to rescue her. Perhaps you could agree a trial period to make sure there are no issues with your existing cat?

I've had a cat who was wobbly and a bit wonky. The rest of my cats, even Toad my nutcase, were more gentle with her. I don't know if it's a coincidence or whether they can tell something is different. They'd still play but it was like they knew there was a limit. She was a great cat and didn't let anything stop her. (Cat tax of a photo of wonky cat AKA Pigeon)

I rescued a cat like this and she fitted in just fine with my other, older, boisterous cat. She lived a long happy life.

I currently have a blind cat who navigates around two big playful dogs and another playful cat.

They find their way and I think other animals recognize they have limitations and respect those. In both cases the other animals were more gentle with her or gave a wider berth.

I bet you'd be fine. It's very lovely of you to consider it x

Here is Chester on his birthday 😂 he loves to play fight (unfortunately with my hand/arm), he's a big kicker. My heart does want to take her but there's still that little unsure feeling

Could you maybe agree a trial period of a few weeks?

I think she said something about 2 weeks. When I googled it some were worse than others. They have some kittens that are still a little feral due to being born in a shed. We are going to view them all

I'd ask for a month so there's a proper chance to settle. Hope it works out x

I would. Your older boy might surprise you with his gentleness.

Op we adopted a cat with a neurological problem that affects their back legs. We were even assured that it was fine they are just wobbly. Should be an indoor cat etc. we took her. She's fantastic. But!, although she gets around ok, play fights with our other cat etc she's now developed a bowel issues. She gets terrible constipated and then has spells of incontinence. Our vet confirmed this is due to her neurological problem. It will only get worse unfortunately. I'd think very carefully about it as she takes a lot if my time and vets are expensive. We adore her and we are in a position to care for her but it's something to think about

Thanks for your honesty. Its cerebellar hypoplasia that she has. This can also effect back legs.

Hi, I remember watching something on the BBC during lockdown about a lady who fun’s a charity for cats with this condition.

link

You could always ask her about issues these cats may have?

Ah, wasn’t during lockdown but I thought she sounded lovely and it made me remember her. Especially as we have a cat with wonky back legs now (deformed vertebrae) he lives his best life now but we’ve just needed to make a few adjustments eg picking him up to look out the windows etc

We will be going for our visit at 1ish. I think I can make best decision when I have seen her. Thank you for this information

How did it go?

We didn't end up with her. We talked it through with the Foster lady and she said that she would struggle with stairs. She was lovely though, straight away she came and sat next to me. Her condition was mild compared to the videos I saw. She wasn't very good at jumping and landing. You could see the struggle with her legs then. The lady recommended us taking a different kitten.

So.... meet junior. The lady had named this kitten Andrew which is my partners name so we decided on junior 😂

Lovely kitten, congrats! Hopefully the disabled girlie will find the right home, sounds like she would suit an older person in a bungalow.

Aww. He's cute. Hopefully the right home is out there for the other one.

Yes, we did. Slightly different in that we rescued her after seeing her being thrown from a car on the motorway. She was the only one who survived and had a broken hip and brain damage and urinary issues.

After a long time with the vet she came home to us and we had 2 dogs and 2 older cats at the time. The dogs were gentle with her actually and the cats - well the old really evil cat was actually lovely to her and the closer in age nicer cat didn't like her at all and would hiss but she never hurt her in any way.

Oh Junior is lovely.