It's a miracle Louie survived his first week of life. He was part of litter discovered outside in a bitter New Jersey winter only about 4 days after they were born. He was one of only two who were still alive, and despite heroic efforts, the other died within 24 hours.
A wonderful woman from a rescue group managed to nurse him through the crisis and gave him a foster home. Louie's medical problems made him difficult to place, so the rescue group contacted us to ask if we would consider adopting him.
It was love at first sight and Louie has quickly made friends with the other special needs cats and dogs in our home.
Louie is a very playful, affectionate kitten facing significant challenges. An MRI has confirmed that he has cerebellar hypoplasia, which makes it difficult for him to stand or walk -- he moves in a creative way, sometimes tumbling from side to side, sometimes pulling and pushing himself along. He has heart problems, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. A hematologist is evaluating Louie's blood, which shows some puzzling abnormalities.
Here's Louie sharing a nap with two of his pals -- he has draped himself over Maggie (whose back legs had once been paralyzed but is now able to to get around pretty well) and has leaned his head against Pandora (who was born with one eye and cardiac problems):
If you would like to see how Louie moves from one place to another, please follow this link to a 27-second video of Louie going across the room to his food dish.
To see other members of the family of special needs dogs and cats who live in our home, please follow this link or choose one of the names in the menu along the left side of this page.