Vet and Family's Disabled Cat Becomes Awesome Foster Mama To Litters of Stray Kittens
Growing up, my friend had a cat with no eyes, and honestly, you practically couldn’t tell. That cat still dashed around her house, leaping on furniture and living her best cat life. In fact, the only way it slowed her down was if you left your shoes in the middle of the carpet. She’d memorized the layout of the place and didn’t do well with clutter.
I think of that cat often, especially when I meet other special needs pets and see how resilient they are and how expertly they seem to rise above their disabilities. I have a friend with a tripod cat who’s more graceful than I am on my best days. And when I see a video of this special needs cat, who only has two working legs, I’m even more impressed.
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Veterinarian Matt McGlasson was working during the COVID shutdown when he came across a tiny tabby and white kitty who was born with severely deformed back legs. He fell in love with the kitten and decided to bring it home to his daughter, who had been wanting a cat. Thus begins the story of RuPaul, a darling kitty who doesn’t let her disability slow her down.
Related: Disabled Cat's Morning Routine with Mom Will Melt Anyone's Heart
RuPaul bonded quickly with her human sister, and get on remarkably well by balancing only on her forepaws. She loves making biscuits on the bed covers and taking care of any foster kittens Dr. McGlasson brings home. In fact, she’s already help raise over a dozen!
McGlasson says that this condition is not painful for RuPaula, and that her life is pretty much like most other cats. She may not do as much jumping and leaping as her able-bodied brethren, but she roams the house freely, loves cardboard boxes, and has no problem living her best kitty life.
Cats With Twisted Legs
Though apparently RuPaul the cat’s condition was untreatable when she was a kitten, some kittens born with twisted legs can be rehabilitated if the condition is caught early enough and treated by knowledgeable vets. There are programs online that explain how a young kitten can undergo therapy to adjust and recover from this birth defect.
In this guide for dealing with a kitten born with twisted legs, they even discuss how few vets are prepared to treat cats like this. “Many veterinarians are not familiar with a kitten being born with twisted legs. When the owner takes a kitten born this way to a veterinarian, it is not unusual for the veterinarian to assume the kitten is permanently deformed and recommend euthanasia. Please tell your veterinarian about this condition, and that it usually corrects with simple stretching exercises. By informing your vet about this problem, you may be saving a kitten’s life!”
But even if the condition cannot be corrected, that does not mean the cat can’t live a perfectly happy life. Look at RuPaul.
The Cat Doesn’t Know She’s Different
As far as RuPaul is concerned, the shape of her legs are no more important to her character than the color of her fur. In fact, RuPaul is a total princess, and her family regularly posts videos of her bossing around the other cats in their home. She rules the roost, even if she can’t get up there.
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