Last week, I noticed our blind cat, Idgie (star of my essay in Almost Perfect), seemed a bit “off.” Couldn’t place it, really, she just seemed out of sorts. And then I’d been noticing that I could feel her vertebrae more pronouncedly than I recalled in the past. And her hair, though always matte anyway, seemed less springy and kind of limp. I might have just told myself I was imagining things, but I’d begun reading The Complete Cat’s Meow: Everything You Need To Know About Caring For Your Cat. The author, my friend Darlene Arden, had sent me a free review copy (full disclosure), and I’d started reading it. And on page 120 is list, “Subtle Signs of Illness.”

Well, thanks to what I read there, I realized that indeed Idgie might be in some distress, so I immediately got her in to see the vet. It turned out to be just a mild intestinal blockage caused by a massive hairball, so no worries — Idgie’s just fine, thanks! In fact, here she is, watching me type this:

But the important part is that this book helped validate my innate knowledge about my little girl, and made me take the action needed to make sure she’d be okay. I am so grateful for that! And there are little tidbits like this throughout this useful “cat owner’s manual” that I’m sure I’m not the only one who’ll find really informative and enlightening! For instance, on page 88 is a “Litter Box Hygiene” sidebar that explained to me why, after a recent litter box cleaning, our four critters developed a sudden aversion to using one of their litter pans. Why? I had used an industrial cleaner on it — a definite no-no!

In fact, that whole chapter — “Understanding Cat Behavior” — is just fascinating and really lends great insight into the minds of our feline companions. And that’s just the beginning of the treasure chest of knowledge this book is, for everyone from the cat newbie to longtime feline family members (I still have much to learn from it after having cats my whole life!).

In chronological order, Cat’s Meow covers the newborn kitten, choosing a cat, creating a safe and happy home environment for kitty, proper feeding and health care and special concerns specific to feline health. You’ll also learn enough about emergencies and cat surgery to at least keep you from losing your mind out of fear and ignorance, should you ever have to face such a situation, along with a general overview of popular cat breeds, and activities you can do with your cat. Two thorough appendices provide resources for everything from useful books and websites to cat products, and a comprehensive index makes this book eminently usable.

Inside the health areas, Darlene does cover illnesses and injuries that could cause cats to become disabled or long-term special needs pets, and the ways to do everything you can to keep that from happening. Here at Almost Perfect Pets, we’re always thankful for anything that gets such information out to the public, and are especially glad for the experience and expertise Darlene brings to this important subject.

The best part of this handy book is the fact that it’s so well-written — with Darlene’s signature wry wit and the confidence that comes with her animal behaviorist certification — that you can sit down and actually read it like any other book, or just pick it up when needed for a specific situation. I recommend the former, though — you’d miss a really good read if you only skim it like a guidebook. Either way, you’re sure to get a lot of use and enjoyment out of this comprehensive “owner’s manual” I think should be required reading for every new cat family.

But it’s a story I just HAD to share with you, because Corky is likely on her way from euthanasia endangerment to poster child for the “rescue a disabled pet” movement. I don’t wanna spoil the story, so go on over and read for yourself this heartwarming tale of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right, compassionate people ready, able and willing to help.

Sure to warm the “corkles” of your heart!

When we published Almost Perfect: Disabled Pets and the People Who Love Them, there was no other book available that was devoted solely to the stories of special needs pets. Within a year of its publication, there were three other similar titles. Conventional wisdom in the publishing industry is that if there’s no other book like the one you want to publish, there’s probably a good reason for it — namely, that no one’s probably interested in reading such a book. We knew all that, but we believed the time had come for our anthology about the joys and challenges of living with disabled pets, so we took the chance. And we’re thrilled that we did. It seems we pioneered the genre — an honor usually reserved for the Big Six publishers and their imprints, who can afford to take such a gamble.

The truth is, we really didn’t believe we were gambling. As the mom of four disabled cats myself, and knowing several other disabled pet parents, I knew there were readers out there hungry for more information about living with special needs pets; looking for connection with other disabled pet parents like us. The continued sales of Almost Perfect — including our first foray into eBooks — along with what is now a plethora of similarly themed titles by other publishers, proves that we were right.

And now, there’s an increasing amount of anecdotal evidence from veterinarians that indeed, a trend is afoot among their patients’ families to consider living with a less-than-perfect pet rather than having injured animals euthanized. And we’re excited about that, since the main theme of our book — and this blog — is the fact that special needs pets, though admittedly more work, still make great companions and are worth the extra effort, because they can still live happy, full lives and enrich our own as pet families.

“Today, people consider their animals part of the family,” says Walter Renberg, DVM, a professor of small-animal surgery at Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine. “They’re less willing to euthanize a pet if there’s something they can do to sustain that relationship.” And often, there is something they can do.

Here at Almost Perfect Pets, we’ve also received calls and emails from pet parents whose beloved animal was in danger of being euthanized for an injury, who were desperately searching for an alternative to that death sentence, which bears out Dr. Renberg’s statement. We’re happy they reached out, and we’ve been able to put them in contact with groups and information to help them — a deeply gratifying outcome.

We’re very happy to share the rest of this conversation with you today in the form of LIFE WITH A DISABLED PET: TOOLS AND TIPS THAT HELP, a post from PawNation. In these times of so much bad news, we’re thrilled to be able to spread this great news, in the hopes that it will help people struggling with their own decisions about keeping an injured family pet alive or even adopting an almost perfect pet from the start. Please pass this information on to anyone you know who may be needing it. Roll on!

Certainly not Gizmo, the sixteen-year-old, blind cat who snagged an unlikely 14th place in the Cat Fanciers Association cat show in February. She had just about everything going against her, including the fact that she lives at the NatCat shelter in Spring Valley, California. But she didn’t let any of that get in her way when she entered the Household Division after gaining a free contest entry when her organization registered to exhibit at the show in hopes of gaining some adoptions.

Read the rest of this happy ending story, and I guarantee it’ll give your day a little lift.

Tulsa Pets Magazine recently ran an article by Anna Holton-Dean, talking about this very topic. Check out A Different Kind of Able.

Christine Martinez pinned a piece about Carli Davidson’s Disabled Pets photography exhibit, which I covered in my last post, on her Pinterest page.

Eddie’s Wheels, that bastion of support for critters whose legs need some help, gave us a wonderful post, Living With Disabled Pets — Impact on Your Home, on its blog.

Massachusetts Veterinary Hospital’s InTown Veterinary Group recently gave us the uplifting Born To Ride: Disabled Pets Still Have A Great Quality of Life!

Every Playlist thought The King’s photo of a wheelie dog was entertaining enough to include on its site, and I’ll leave you with that happy image.

No one who’s lived around an aging animal or person can argue that age often brings with it many forms of disability. When those disabilities get too difficult, it’s easy to turn away, not wanting to see. But Philadelphia fine art photographer Isa Leshko has made it a point not to allow us that easy out.

In her latest series, Elderly Animals, she has done something akin to that which Georgia O’Keeffe did with flowers we normally walk right by, when she blew them up to supersized portraits we couldn’t ignore. Leshko has, with this series of direct portraits of old animals, made it impossible for us to turn away and not see. And isn’t that what great art is really about…making us get over ourselves enough to let in some new information and ideas? I strongly recommend checking out a few of the images and reading this fascinating piece about how the photographer came to create this moving body of work.

Just had to share with y’all this brief post on a professional photographer who felt inspired to do a photo essay on disabled pets. She sees what we see: the unspeakable beauty of the almost perfect pet. Enjoy!

This kitty was born with two faces, one of an uncommon type of cat called “Janus cats,” after the Roman mythological god whose one face looked to the past, while the other looked to the future. And what do you call a two-faced cat, but two names?

This one’s Frank and Louie, and I think you’ll enjoy the story of this record-holding, literally multi-faceted kitty who didn’t let being born different cramp his style one bit. Our little inspiration for the day.

Found a great post about a brave girl named Sierra, who lost one of her back legs to cancer. Her parents were pretty freaked out at first, but soon Sierra taught them all the meaning of getting over it and getting on with life. So much like the critters we wrote about in Almost Perfect!

In fact, it appears they discovered our little book, since it got a blurb in the middle of this post. But what’s really great about this piece is all the really sound info it gives for others who may be struggling with difficult choices — adjustments that might have to be made, options for critter wheelchairs — and what it really means to share your life with a disabled pet.

Read on, and see what you think!