Weebles [redux]

Weebles and her siblings were just a few days old when they developed severe infections. Weebles mom, Snowy could no longer effectively nurse or care for them, so I took over that role, feeding them formula with an eyedropper. But since formula lacks all the nutrients and goodies that mommy's milk has (colostrums), all of Weebles's siblings died within a few weeks. As it turns out, that may not have been the only reason the other kittens didn't make it. Mommy was likely exposed to the distemper virus, which has an effect on the developing brains of the babies. Weebles had a very severe case of cerebral hypoplasia which caused her to have a great deal of trouble walking in that she would take two steps then fall over. Her back legs seemed to be taking orders from a different cat! She also had "intention tremor," like a person with Parkinson's disease. When she really tried to accomplish something specific, she would shake violently. In order to eat, she had to have her back end steadied -- usually with a little napkin holder -- so it didn't try to take off while she was trying to eat. She was (and still is) the princess of our household!

Weebles eventually convinced one of our snooty adult cats, Hazel, that she was her kitten. Hazel was a rescue herself, so we expect she related to Wee. Hazel cleaned her like a dutiful mother and played with her when Weebles was looking for some romping. And then Weebles did a bit of mothering in turn. A while ago, when we had a male kitten in the house who had just been neutered, and Weebles took pity upon him. She went all the way downstairs to the “kitty dining room," grabbed a large chunk of canned food, and carried it all the way back upstairs in her mouth! Try to picture this: a wobbly cat who struggles to climb stairs, carrying a mouthful of moist food, and NOT SWALLOWING it herself! She then plopped it on the floor in front of the little guy, and laid down beside him until he had eaten every bit of it. She then dozed off, since her work was done! We have NO idea what made her want to take care of this particular little stray. It gave us a whole new perspective on “brain damage.”

Now, at four years old, Weebles no longer requires help when eating, but does occasionally topple onto the cat beside her. When relaxing around the house, she can most often be seen doing the "tripod" sit, where she sits on her hind end and spreads her front paws far apart. This helps her retain balance while sitting still. She still has the intention tremor, which shows up when she is 'intent' on doing something specific, like bending over to have a drink. She has definitely NOT outgrown her palsy problems, but merely takes them for granted. It hasn't stopped her from scaling the six-foot-tall cat trees in our main room, mostly because that is the best vantage point to view the birds!

I hope you've enjoyed meeting Weebles. She always enjoys talking about herself, so welcomes any comments or questions you may have. By the way, Weebles's mom Snowy was adopted by a loving family.