Status / Details
2017, Adopted
Additional Info
About Puddin
Born ~4/15/15, F, Blue Scottish Fold
“For better or for worse.” How many of us have uttered those words in fullness of heart and yet not quite consciously enough to imagine events that might unfold in the future? If we remain together long enough, our pledge will be tested in old age, when inertia helps to reinforce our good intentions. Should the “worse” come earlier–perhaps without warning, perhaps as a revelation over time–some of us rise to the challenge. Others do not.
What if we knew, in advance, what the future would bring—the sure prospect of watching a loved one face, say, increasing and perhaps debilitating arthritis? What if the symptoms might begin within a few years? Could we still say “For better or for worse,” and mean it?
If you have ever known a Scottish fold, you understand why the breed has so many admirers. Not only is a fold adorable, with a rounded look and wide-open eyes, but by temperament folds are sweet, quiet, and docile, with no tendency to race around, jump on counters, or scale the curtains. Little Puddin fits this description perfectly. When her foster mom comes home, Puddin is there to welcome her, and when foster mom starts petting her, “she is all about it!” flopping on her side and squirming to make sure mom reaches all the best spots. She has short legs and a short tail and walks with the cutest stride. Still kittenish, she likes to play with a laser pointer, but she doesn’t jump on things. She spends most of the time on or under a certain stool or in the kitty condo.
Why special needs? Well, if you have every known a Scottish fold, you can also guess the answer to this question. Even a carefully bred Scottish fold can eventually develop arthritis, especially in the hind legs, and Puddin unfortunately is the result of an accidental breeding of two cats with folded ears. This practice is scrupulously avoided by responsible breeders, because the folded-ear gene predisposes a cat to “osteodystrophy,” and a cat with two copies of the gene invariably suffers from arthritis, starting at an early age and worsening over time.
Osteodystrophy is not life threatening and does not make a cat more prone to other chronic diseases. Furthermore, the condition is treated mainly with nutritional supplements, so this isn’t the kind of special needs cat who will strain a family’s pocketbook. What Puddin will need from an adoptive family is exactly what any of us would hope to receive from someone who had made us a promise of love “for better or for worse”: companionship, loyalty, an extra cuddle or two on a bad day, and the sensitivity to recognize when some adjustment is necessary to assure our safety or comfort.
Puddin doesn’t seem to mind other nice cats–we don’t know about dogs–but especially as time goes on, it will be important for her not to be subjected to any other animal (or small person) who might chase her or put her in a situation in which she would have to jump up to get away.
Puddin is fostered in the Sacramento area.
If you think you are the right person to offer this darling cat a loving home, please contact her foster mom Nancy at (916)761-1929 or email gogirlnancy0517@gmail.com if you have questions, or send an Adoption Application. If you are unable to reach Nancy by phone or email, email us at Info@purebredsplus.org.