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| Name: |
Buffy
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Age: |
One year old
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| Gender: |
Female
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Kind: |
Domestic Shorthair
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| Home: |
Canfield, Ohio, USA |
Buffy
was adopted from the North Shore Animal League last November.
I spent three years there working in the animal hospital, and saw a
great many 'miracle kittens.' Buffy is one of these miracles.
Buffy has a condition known as cerebellar hypoplasia, or what we techs
commonly called "wobble cat." This means that her mother was exposed to
Panleukopenia, commonly called Feline Distemper, during her first
trimester of pregnancy, when the developing kittens were at their most
vulnerable. When this happens, there is a good chance that the
cerebellum, which controls balance, will not develop properly. Kittens
born with this condition exhibit a wide array of balance issues, and can
range from nonviable to normal.
Buffy is about mid-range as far as her walking and running abilities go.
She has not yet learned to climb, but she plays and runs very
enthusiastically. In the course of her daily life she falls a lot, but
she is a very happy cat, full of high spirits, and she always picks
herself up and continues what she was doing with scarcely a pause.
I am not sure where Buffy was born, only that the League rescued her
from the pound in New York City, where she would almost certainly have
been euthanized as unadoptable. Thanks to the League, Buffy was saved
from that fate and nursed through the many numerous diseases that claim
the lives of so many shelter animals. Buffy was rescued at eight weeks old,
and at six months old was finally healthy enough to go up for adoption.
I was no longer working at the League while Buffy was a patient, and
hadn't been there in quite a while. I drove there one evening shortly
before I moved out of state just to walk through and say goodbye to the
place that had meant so much to me during the early stages of my career.
While I was walking through the kennel, I happened to see Buffy and
instantly fell in love with her. Despite her beauty, her handicap and
sometimes inappropriate behavior (cerebellar cats can be a bit nippy,
but they rarely mean it!) had kept her from finding a home. She was also
named after my favorite television character, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Of course I took her home that night, and not a day goes by that she
doesn't bring love and joy to our household. She is a very happy cat,
forever playing with my other cats and taking charge of the feline toy
collection. She also loves to lie in the crook of my arm as I read or
work on the computer. Imagine passing up this gem of a cat because of a
little wobble! Because of her handicap, she is never still. Her head has
this constant little tremor. It's a very endearing characteristic, but
makes her less than easy to photograph.
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