Wanting Special Needs Cat/Kitty...

Hi everyone, I am trying to find a special needs cat/kitty (i.e. blind, one eye, neurological disorders, three legs, etc.) to adopt. My 17 year old brother died two years ago and his birthday was in October so every year for his birthday in rememberance of him I like to do something extra special. Last year I adopted a feral cat (which to this day I have never been able to touch) and this year I was hoping to adopt a special needs cat or kitten.

I don't have the time to necessarily handle a diabetic cat or cat that needs medication everyday or a cat that needs its bladder surpressed or something like that though because I work full-time, have 7 cats and 2 dogs of my own and foster anywhere from 5-10 cats at any given time so I do stay busy (which I am one of those sick people that loves to constantly be moving and doing things) but was hoping to be able to give a good home to a friendly, outgoing cat that liked other cats and dogs and didn't mind the comings and goings of foster cats.

So, anyone that knows of a special needs kitty with disorders similar to the ones above, please let me know.

I live in SC but am willing to travel. I found a kitten in NJ that has had to have both eyes removed due to feline herpes but only have an e-mail address that I sent an e-mail to like 5 days ago so it doesn't look like I will be getting a response back from them

Thanks for your help guys!

Would you be willing to come to Ohio for a sweet special needs boy?

I live in Columbus, and I volunteer at a place called the Cat Welfare Association, www.catwelfareohio.com. Yesterday, someone dropped off a sweet guy who is just really, really loveable, but he tested positive for FIV.

Now, that could just mean that he's had the FIV vaccine because cats who have had that will test positive for the virus. And it could have been a false positive. It's hard to say. What I do know, though, is that he's perfectly healthy -- his coat is shiny, his eyes are bright, he has no sniffles and his mouth is beautifully healthy. There is no sign of FIV infection in this cat. Sometime during his time outside he must have gotten his tail stuck in something because the end two inches or so have been stripped, but that would easily be amputated in what I imagine would be a minor surgery. He wouldn't have to lose the whole tail, just the part that's kind of chewed up.

Now, before you become concerned about him infecting your other cats (if he is indeed FIV+), please know that FIV is only transmitted through deep bite wounds, which are rare and typically only happen with unneutered males. It can't be passed through sharing bowls or litter boxes or even through mutual grooming. I have an FIV+ little girl and she lives among my four FIV- cats with no problem. I learned a lot about FIV from this Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FivCats/ All the people on there have FIV+ cats and they mix them in with their negative cats. No one has ever had a formerly negative cat come up positive after living with a positive cat.

If I don't find a home for this little guy, the shelter wants to put him to sleep. I can't let that happen. He's such a sweet cat -- he purrs and purrs as soon as you touch him, he rubs his head on your face, and he just wants to be loved. He's perfectly healthy; he just needs a home. Oh, and he's even declawed. If my husband and I lived in a house instead of an apartment we would just add him to our clan, but we can't. When I saw that you wanted a special needs kitty, I couldn't help but tell you about him.

I have pictures of him if you'd like to see him. He's black and white with tuxedo-like markings. He's just a sweetheart.

Thank you!

--Stacy

I'd love to see pictures of him. In the meantime I am going to do some research on owning FIV positive cats with FIV negetaive cats and will get back to you on if I am comfortable doing that.

Just call your vet- they always get special needs kitties that people want to surrender over to them. Meet the vet bills and the cat is yours.

Here's a picture of him:

http://tinyurl.com/bxus9

He's now safely living with me -- I was so worried that someone would sneak him off to have him put to sleep without telling me that I couldn't sleep. He's such a sweet little guy. He's very, very affectionate. We're calling him Byron.

We're taking him to the vet tomorrow about his tail. I have reason to believe that he's NOT actually FIV+, that it's coming up as a false positive because he has an infection in his tail and it's causing his blood levels to be all wacky. It seems that someone actually dunked his tail in something like battery acid, if you can believe that. If those chemicals are in his system, I can imagine that it would cause problems with a test.

Another way to find special needs kitties in your area is to go to petfinder.com, do an advanced search using your zipcode and checking the box for "special needs" kitties. Good luck!

I did a petfinders search and e-mailed a lady in NJ about a cat that I am interested in but haven't heard back. I contacted my local shelters and told them if someone comes in w/ special needs to call me. I will defintely have to call around the local vets, didn't think of that one. Thanks guys!!

Stazi - He is adorable. I am partial to tuxedo kitties, as my first three cats are all tuxedos.

You could be an answer to prayer, i have a male kitten around 12 to 14 weeks. one of my students found him in a busy street and brought him to me. my vet diagnosed him with wabbler syndrome. i have far too many cat to aford the necessary test to confirm this condition but the symptoms match everything iv read. he is a wonderful boy but does need special care... if you are still looking i can send you my number or i can call you. oh yah, he is orenge and has 7 toes on his front feet and 5 on the back. we call him diget.

Do you have a picture of him??

no but that can be arranged. ive been so picky about where he go i just havent gotten around to that.

Well whenever you have time I would to see a picture of the little guy.

if all goes well i will have a picture of didget on line by monday... i know you will fall in love with him.