Special Needs Pets

Today’s post is a little off the normal topics, but since many of you are also animal lovers, I hope no one will object.

 

As of yesterday, it’s been 4 wonderful years since our kitty Punkin entered our life & our hearts.  Here are a couple of pictures of my handsome guy….

Punkin when he first came home..

Punkin with Grace not long after we adopted her in 2016.  She has always adored him.

 

Punkin isn’t your average, handsome orange man cat.  His vision is either limited or gone in his right eye, & he has feline PTSD.  I’ve had traumatized cats & disabled ones, but Punkin is very different than any of the others.  And you know something?  I love that about him.

 

Punkin thinks & acts differently than other cats.  PTSD does that in humans too, so it’s not a surprise.  And, sometimes it can be tough to deal with, like when he has flashbacks.  He also gets over the top anxious & panicky sometimes, & is distrustful of most people.  Learning about feline PTSD plus having C-PTSD myself have enabled my husband & I to help Punkin manage it.  One good part of him having PTSD is we understand each other & can help each other when the symptoms flare up.  Plus with his vision problem, Punkin doesn’t have the depth perception healthy cats have.  He has to get creative on figuring things out sometimes, & he does very well with it.  He’s just different than your average kitty.  Thankfully, Grace picked up on his uniqueness immediately after we adopted her.  She keeps close to Punkin’s side (as you can see in the picture), helping him calm down when he panics or grounding him during flashbacks.  She just instinctively knows what he needs, when he needs it.

 

Punkin is also very appreciative, loving, snuggly, playful, fun, intelligent & sensitive.  He’s an absolutely wonderful kitty.. he simply has a couple of challenges that we have to work with.

 

Lots of people pass by cats like Punkin.  They want to adopt healthy cats who require food, water, a litter box & nothing more.  Those cats are wonderful, of course, but so are special needs cats.  In fact, many special needs cats are even better pets.  They are more appreciative of what their people do for them & loving towards their humans.  Plus, because of their unique needs & dependency on their human, it’s easy to form an especially close bond.  Caring for someone, be they animal or human, opens that door.

 

If you’re looking to adopt a cat, please take some time & get to know the shy  or skittish ones, the ones with health concerns, the ones who may not have the shiniest or fluffiest coats or who have lived on the streets.  Those cats need & deserve loving homes just as much as any other cats.  Besides, you may find out you’ve adopted the most wonderful cat you could have asked for, like my Punkin.