Dusty

My story

FROM FOSTER PARENT: Dusty is a sweet special guy. He is a unique kid with special challenges. He has limited mobility due to severe forebrain and spinal cord dysfunction. He cannot scale a cat tree, but can climb your furniture. He depends heavily on his nails to do so. He does run and play with the best of them. He has no idea he is different! However because of the weakness in his hind end, he has a lot of difficulty navigating a litter box. He will choose to go near my boxes, but not in them. Putting potty pads around the litter box would be helpful and easy clean up. He is accustomed to wearing diapers, but is prone to urine scalding, so they should be changed frequently. I am attempting to train him to go on potty pads at the moment. He LOVES chin and ear scratches. He also always seems surprised that he likes them. Approaching him from down low seems to be better for him, he gets unsure if approached from above him. He's not a cuddly boy, and will always choose to jump off my lap if I ever pick him up to sit with me. He does not like to be picked up and is startled every time, but supporting his back end and holding him snuggly seems to help. He does, however, choose to be near us, like the nearest cat bed, the other couch, etc. He wants to be close, but not held. Bigger toys are better for him. He has a hard time seeing the small mice and balls. But something that is easier for him to hit is best. He *wants* to play with wand toys, but his poor vision makes that very difficult. He has no peripheral vision. He can also see things far away, and close, but the in-between is hard for him. And if he's right on top of something, he has a hard time navigating to it. He LOVES a good snuggly cat bed. Put it near a heat source and he is in heaven. He runs and plays and loves chasing my other cats. He does occasionally get over stimulated, which can result in play aggression - he bites and holds. However if your cat is confident and can set boundaries, he will respect those. And he is easily distracted from it should intervention be needed. I just happen to have a cat that is *too* patient and will let him get away with it. My other cats do not, and he has not had any issues with them. He does not purr and knead at home like a typical cat. He will do that in situations that are new to him, so I believe it is a stress response/self soothing. Overall, Dusty is an amazing little guy, incredibly resilient, and happy. He would do well with a confident friendly kitty who will play chase with him, and someone who understands his limitations and boundaries. He really is a good boy and deserves the best family. Like all Purrfect Pals cats, Dusty is microchipped, altered, vaccinated and viral tested. If you are interested in providing a wonderful home for Dusty, please complete an adoption application on our website today!

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Dusty, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.