Guinevere- The Cat with Special Needs

Guinevere is seventeen years old. She is not only fighting the ravages of growing old, for when cats enter the double digits in age, their bodies begin to wear down naturally. They can face the effects of: Diabetes, Pancreatitis, heart disease, or kidney failure.

Guinevere faces a different war. She battles daily, the effects of what years of abuse did to her. As a young adult she became the catalyst for her owner’s rage. Finally, when the neighbors could no longer bear her cries coming from the basement, they called animal control. Guinevere ended up at an animal shelter.She remained there at the no-kill shelter for a long period of time.

I visited the shelter and lliberated her there after being told how long she had been there. Deemed, “Unadoptable” by the staff, her fate was to remain in a small cramped cage. Immediately I brought her home with me. She now occupies our master bedroom.

Cats have nine lives, after reading Guinevere’s file; I am convinced this white cat with green eyes has twelve!

Her regeneration abilities were amazing. To be intentionally and repeatedly harmed, denied vet care and cast into the basement “to heal herself,” she did just that. She knit herself back together. But now the pattern is wrong. She has a free-floating front shoulder, broken (and healed) pelvis. She is peppered with bb's pellets and is suspected of having  FIP.

I do not see her disabilities.  I see her abilities. Unable to walk normally, Guinevere crab-crawls and hops until she reaches her destination.

We have frequent floor visits. She hops/crawls over to me, and lays her head in my lap. Gently, I pick her up, cradling her back-end, supporting her stomach until she is on my lap. She loves to snuggle.

Her world consists of a lounge cushion placed on the floor. Food and water are within easy reach. Litter pans are on the other side of the room. Movement is important, without regular movement her muscles will atrophy and lock-up. 

Her litter pans are hot water heater pans. She had such difficulty, navigating over the edge of a standard litter pan. This became the perfect solution. The first time she used the litter pans she was so grateful, she hopped over to me and head-bumped me in thanks.
 
She can't drink water from a bowl comfortably. She dehydrates quickly.

She sleeps nearly all day on the cushion. Even with pet stairs, she doesn’t venture on the bed. When she feels threatened, she slides under our bed. All we can see of her is her rear-end and tail. I leave her be when she is scared. She comes back out when she feels it is safe.

The other cats visit from time-to-time. My ambassador cat will briefly touch noses with her. She will hiss, and Prowler, forever the diplomat will back away.

Guinevere seems happy here. Her world accommodates her needs. That is how it should be. When I see her asleep, I hope she is having peaceful dreams and can soon forget the nightmares. Right now, she deserves a world without anger, where she can relax and know that the pressure is off. The abuser is gone and she is safe.

Mary Anne Miller is a freelance writer, website content provider and member of The Cat Writers’ Association. Her expertise lies in feral cat socialization, bottle babies and animal abuse issues.