Different in a Perfect Way

Lilly has Cerebellar Hypoplasia or CH. She was either exposed to Distemper in utero or within two weeks of her birth. Her first mama, an elderly lady named Grace, always carried little Lilly, instead of encouraging her to use her legs. At eight months old, Lilly's mama passed away and was adopted by our Tuckers Mom. Little Lilly, was re-named, Lilly Grace, in honor of her first mom and as a way to mark the beginning of her life with her new family.

I've never heard of CH, but once I saw the photos and heard more about Lilly, I was astonished that how much spunk and drive this lovely lady has. What a zest for life! Jennifer (aka Tuckers Mom) calls Lilly, "specially abled" instead of disabled. Lilly lives differently than other cats, but that doesn't mean her quality of life isn't just as fantastic as able-bodied cats.

Jennifer, gave me permission to post this letter regarding Lilly Grace.

I would not know what to write about Lilly Grace. She's just a beautiful sweet cat that would have made anyone an amazing companion. But so many people can't overlook her disability. To me and Ron, she is specially-abled.

She can do anything. She can get anywhere, she just goes about it differently. There are days when she's a little tired so I hold her up when she eats. But she's tired because she just explored the house. What can take Tucker or Sam a minute will take Lilly Grace a half hour to explore.

She's a determined young lady. Yesterday Ron put her in the window seat, she loves fresh air. But she loves Ron more. She got off the window seat, which means lowering herself down a level on the cat tree and then down a level to the floor. Then climbing around a set of cat stairs and then flopping her way to the door to the hall. She proceeded to go into the bathroom and try to get in the tub while Ron was showering...

She has no issue with her special abilities. She loves life and loves to play just as hard as the next cat. She uses a pee pad that is covered with a towel to go to the bathroom. She does her best to make sure it's easy clean up for me. She certainly knows that she doesn't want to make messes in the house, so she found a place that is easy for her. She's just that smart.

I have a carpeted cheese house, it's got lots of holes and is tiny. Lilly Grace loves this house. With the carpeting and holes she can grab on and move herself around easily and can see all around. She has toys like any normal cat and purrs and tries to play with the other cats' tails. She has a stuffed lamb that she cuddles.

Just because she can't walk doesn't make her sad or change the way we love her. She is loved and regarded as part of our family. She is equal to all our cats. She even gets the same problems. She has to have a tooth extracted, I'm waiting just a couple of weeks to build her confidence and let her know that she will be coming home. Being a newbie to the house I didn't want her to be sent off too quickly for a stay at the vet's office.

How do you write about a cat that is different but in a perfect way?

As I said to Jennifer-
"I think you just did!"

To learn more about CH please visit Cerebellar Hypoplasia