Have you ever thought about adopting a cat, but just felt like the tail was too much? Has the thought of having to scoop poo from a litter box been a deterrent from a furry feline joining your family?
If you answered yes to either of those questions, we have just the cat for you!
Meet Ringo, the adorable tailless wonder, who doesn’t poo in a litter box! (More on that later)
Little Ringo came to us with his siblings (with tails) at the end of summer. Ringo and his siblings all faced some challenges coming to us including upper respiratory illness and intestinal parasites. The whole family quickly made leaps and bounds in feeling better, growing, and learning to be loving, playful kittens, but Ringo just wasn’t quite keeping up with his siblings. We had of course noticed the one glaring difference - that he didn’t have a tail, but quickly we noticed he wasn’t gaining weight as fast, he had an abnormal gait, and when it came to pooing…well things just weren’t quite right. So off to the vet Ringo went, where x-rays revealed Ringo was quite constipated and had several genetic anomalies, particularly involving potentially deformed or absent sacral vertebrae, entirely absent caudal vertebrae, and the potential of those issues to be causing neurological problems. To put that in simple terms Ringo’s skeletal system just wasn’t quite right where a tail, or even a nub of a tail should have been, and as a result our vet believed there may be problems with his nerves causing his pooing issues and his strange walk. Ringo came back to the rescue with lactulose (essentially a kitty stool softener), a few enemas to get things moving, and the orders to monitor him to see how things went and return if needed. That was about two months ago and we are so excited to say things have gone well and Ringo is doing phenomenally!
Ringo is now about 8 months old, has an adorable bunny hop, has grown like a weed, is getting his adult teeth, and is on a good routine with his lactulose to ensure he doesn’t get constipated! The catch of that last bit is that due to his health problems his body doesn’t have the normal nerve signals to control his bowels, so sometimes while he is bunny hopping around, poo just comes out. Ringo does use the litter box to pee, and sometimes manages to poo in the litter box, but not always. Ringo also has been requiring daily butt baths to make sure things stay clean and can keep moving as they should. He is the best boy for these baths, and only asks that you fill a sink partway with warm water before you dip his hind end in, give him a quick scrub with your hand, and then swaddle him in a towel and cuddle him.
We know that between unregulated poos, sticking to a schedule with his lactulose, and daily bathing needs Ringo sounds like a lot of work, but we, and Ringo, promise he will make it so worth it. He is an incredibly sweet-natured and snuggly guy, his strange walk is sure to make you laugh on your saddest days, and his brave and curious nature will change your perspective on special-needs pets. We just desperately want to help him find a family who will love him as much as us, despite his differences.
If Ringo sounds like he could be just the guy for your family, adoption applications can be found online at
www.catkinsrescue.org. We would also be happy to work with a family interested in fostering Ringo. Ringo is neutered, dewormed, up-to-date on vaccinations, and microchipped.
November 6, 2024, 12:09 am
