Squiggy the CH Cat

My happy little Valentine! ❤️ sound up!

How exactly does a cat, who can’t walk, use the litter box? Squiggy will show you💕

If you have ever wondered if Squiggs has always had a magnificent purr… listen with the sound up!❤️

Squiggy really responds to my voice (as high pitched an awful as it sounds in this video, lol!🥴) He’s just like any other cat, when he hears me call, he comes on over! For anyone who doesn’t know Squiggy’s story, his natural way of moving around may trigger feelings of pity, sadness, discomfort or they may even question his quality of life… and guess what? That’s OK! He’s different and people aren’t used to seeing a cat like this and it can make someone pause for sure! I always encourage questions about his condition, Cerebellar Hypoplasia. It brings me joy to be able to bring awareness to disabled pets like Squiggy. His quality of life is actually quite grand! He loves all aspects: eating, playing, socializing, grooming… There’s absolutely no reason to feel bad for this little dude. If anyone has any question feel free to ask, there are no silly questions!

“…… but, how can you tell he’s actually happy…?” He makes it abundantly clear every day. He enjoys his food, his toys, he likes to groom and play and he also loves nothing more than to snuggle with us. (I mean, listen to that purr, now that’s a happy boy!) #disabledcat #cerebellarhypoplasia

He’s just a little cat boy living his life. He’s not burdened by his disability, he lives fully in its presence.

Physical Therapy is paused for an impromptu board meeting of the “Disabled Pets and Stuffed Animals of America Association. Squiggy has declared himself President of the DPSAAA.

Common question: “…. But… how does he go to the bathroom..?” He pulls himself on the edge of his pee pads where his litter boxes are. Then he positions himself to pee towards the litter box. Then he “covers” his pee. It’s all quite clever and endearing, especially the “covering” part. It’s so instinctual for cats!

Does Squiggy play chase? Absolutely! When his harness is secured around his chest it keeps him in better form, but he MUCH prefers being wild and free like in this video! You can see he’s slipping and sliding but having a grand old time! He has a big band for his belly and he’s also snugged in with a wrap around his middle AND the waist strap is still around him. Even though it’s poor form, it does wonders for his mental health, definitely worth some slipping and sliding!

When people ask me how Squiggy gets around without his wheel chair I reference this scene…🤷🏼‍♀️🤣

Squiggy’s wheel chair has been the most amazing tool to help him feel like a “cat”. Being upright with his paws on the ground really helps uncross the tangled wires from his brain to his body. While cats spend a good amount of time laying down and sleeping, they also have a prey instinct and love to play. When he plays, it’s not only mentally stimulating but it is very strengthening as well. Some great things going on here are: lifting one paw at a time to swat, standing, running, moving his head side to side, and up and down, moving his legs independently, grabbing and pulling. Even able bodied cats greatly benefit from this kind of play (sans wheelchair of course, lol!)

If you are looking for a dopamine boost, listen with the sound on. ❤️ My best little Buddy.

One of the best parts of having Squiggy is talking to him in an awful, ear piercing voice that sounds very nonsensical. It’s somehow oddly therapeutic for me, and terribly offensive to the ears of anyone else (including Squiggy!🤣🤷🏼‍♀️)

If Squiggy had a theme song…🤣🤣

A typical Sunday night 🤷🏼‍♀️

If I had a penny for every kiss I’ve given Squiggy, I’d be rich!🥰

Squiggy was completely unaware of an outside friend who came to check him out… but he was definitely aware of the swarm of OUR kitties around his bed! 🤣

Did you know that Squiggy can chase after his toys? Just like any other cat he gets the zoomies and let me tell you, when he does, he’s like a bolt of lightening lol! This was a relatively slow run but I can almost never catch him on video when he does it! ⚡️🤣

Watching a little TV, thinking I’m living a pretty normal life… then the cat rolls up in his GAP denim…🧐😎🤣 🤷🏼‍♀️👖🤣

Back when we trusted his kisses… we learned quickly that he enjoys biting our faces just as much as kissing our faces. 🤣🤣 (Never an actual bite, just a little nibble!🤦🏼‍♀️😅)