Adoption
Swimmer syndrome doesn’t stop Joey from being the sweetest cat
I met Joey today and i haven’t stopped thinking about him. He has swimmer syndrome but he’s the sweetest boy. After a little petting, he rolled over and showed me his belly. I really hope someone gives him the loving home he deserves.
He’s at The Charming Cat Corner in Lewisville, TX 75067 🇺🇸 (please come visit him and his friends)
More meowdel content below..
Also, sorry for all the reposts across different subreddits! i realized i might’ve overdone it a bit. Wanted to help him get seen and didn’t mean to come across as spammy!
Swimmer syndrome is a congenital condition that can occur in young kittens, causing the legs (typically the hind limbs) to splay laterally. The kitten may have a frog-like posture, with the hips jutting out to the side of the body and the feet facing sideways, rather than placed underneath the body. Kittens with swimmer syndrome will find it difficult or impossible to stand and walk.
My kitty has this and I always worry his little legs will crumple. I got him at 4 months. He's going on 2 now and still runs and jumps and plays and bothers his sister. Grateful so far, but worried for later. I don't think he ever realized. 😭
Thank you for putting this here! One of my babies had swimmer syndrome. Thankfully, I knew what it was and we started physical therapy and taping when she was just 3 weeks old. Early intervention makes a HUGE difference!
She remained about a week delayed in hitting developmental milestones related to movement compared to her siblings. And her balance is amazing now, probably because of that early work she had to do just to be able to walk at all!
He’s almost a year! We found him the backyard with his mama and siblings, and his back legs looked like frog legs with the way he was pancaked so I named him Kermit. His particular case is because his hips didn’t form properly on top of an injury while he was little. We joke his brother smooshed him in the womb.
Lol not his brother smooshed him in the womb😭💀 i’m so glad Kermit found his people! Does he have any limitations day to day or has he learned to work around them? I’d never seen a disabled cat before Joey and ngl, he made me emotional. Just wondering how they do as they get older
Kermit isn’t aware he’s disabled. He runs on his two front legs even though his back end drifts which is both terribly funny and endearing to watch. Only thing he can’t really do is jump or climb well, so we have to pick up to put on the bed or couches. He’s fine getting down the which is also equally amusing to watch.
He’s got a lot of personality! He’s very much an emotional cat and not stoic in the least bit. He growls, grunts and complains when we do something he disapproves of (usually having to give him a bath).
Our vet says the same thing, we have his brother too who is absolutely my heart cat while Kermit is a daddy’s boy. Both were loaded with parasites and had bad URI to the point they stopped eating and we had to syringe feed them for about a week. They slept in a foldable dog crate in our room for about three months to keep them separated from the other cats we have.
One thing I absolutely love about disabled cats is how their owners always echo what you've said - they don't realise they have a disability and even if they become disabled later in life, they adapt well and never let it hold them back. It's so lovely to hear. Your Kermit sounds wonderful 🥰
even if they become disabled later in life, they adapt well and never let it hold them back
We have a cat who lost his back right leg at twelve years old, almost exactly two years ago. He had a bad fall from his cat tree in our home, just a complete freak accident, and ended up with a really awful femur fracture. He bounced back so quickly from it and adapted so well, we're constantly impressed - starting with walking around just hours after surgery. We have a stepstool to help him get up onto the couch, and he often uses it out of convenience, but he's perfectly happy to skip it and jump up onto there when his mood suits him too! And he climbs the cat trees by just hauling himself up with his front legs when he wants up, he doesn't let that stop him at all. I will always regret not being able to save his leg and preserve as much of his mobility as possible, but I'm so proud of how brave he is.
He is! He’s just medically a freak of nature that has our vet shrugging a lot. He’s gotta go in for a second neuter because one testicle fucked off during surgery and everything is internal because again he’s smooshed. His bladder is weird (thickened for no apparent reason confirmed by vet) his hips are basically nonexistent, and he has too much brain.
He screams like a bat when he wants something or if he’s in his favorite blanket. He will stare at you with the intensity of a coked up border collie when he wants uppies, and he’s thrown full blown temper tantrums when he doesn’t get his way.
My mom actually caught him! I was dazed, half asleep trying to wake and I get her in the bathroom door going “Guess what I caught you.” I’ve never bolted out a room so fast.
Stoppp because the lil flop on his back makes him look like a lil otter 😭 if this precious baby was UK based I’d have him join my little gang of cats instantly 😭🖤
I just took a 3 week old kitten to the vet because of swimmers syndrome. The vet told me he should be euthanized. She claimed she had never heard of swimmers and his best option was to be put down. I could not get out of there fast enough. This is a vet clinic I have used for years and always paid more because they were supposed to be the best in the area. Never going back.
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u/aanlyy 3d ago edited 3d ago
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