Orbit lands a forever home

Orbit is one of nine beautiful Siamese cats who came to RAPS as a group of strays after they were found on a Richmond farm.

All of the cats and kittens were quite scared. They were infested with fleas, but otherwise appeared healthy. After receiving intake, the cats were placed in pairs or trios (for comfort) in our cat holding room where they were given a cozy bed and a much-needed meal.

Our team immediately noticed that Orbit was not quite like the other kittens. His hind end was a little bit wobbly. Still, despite being unbalanced, Orbit was definitely the most outgoing and friendly of the group and he immediately captured the hearts of our staff!

We had our shelter veterinarian examine Orbit. He immediately ruled out toxin exposure and determined that Orbit did not appear to be in any pain or immediate distress. Our vet recommended that we watch Orbit closely and perform some more diagnostics to obtain more answers about his condition. We monitored sweet little Orbit closely and kept our shelter vet updated on his condition, which was both stable and consistent. Orbit had a great appetite and was exhibiting completely normal kitten behaviours. His hind end was just a little bit off balance!

After further diagnostics and a consultation with a specialist, our vet confirmed his suspicions that Orbit has what is called cerebellar hypoplasia. This is a condition that can develop in-utero and involves the part of the brain that controls fine motor skills. It is non-life threatening and is not known to progress or worsen over time.

Due to the diagnosis, we had to look for a home who would be willing to take on a special needs kitten. Orbit is very outgoing, affectionate, and cuddly and absolutely loves people. He will purr and head butt and roll over onto his back for a belly rub. Orbit uses his litter box with absolutely no trouble, and he behaves just like any kitten – including being incredibly playful.

Orbit needed a home that could modify his living conditions as he should be kept off of surfaces or furniture from which he could potentially fall off of and hurt himself. Orbit is slightly uncoordinated at times and cannot jump the way a “normal” cat could, so he will need some steps to help him move throughout the house, such as getting up onto the couch. Orbit’s prognosis for a long and healthy life is great, but his family will need to be cautious and monitor his environment and surroundings.

Thankfully, last week Orbit’s perfect family came to the shelter! His family did a lot of research on his condition, asked excellent questions, and felt that he was a perfect match for their family.

We felt the exact same way and Orbit was whisked off to his forever home. His family reports that he navigates throughout the house very well and his condition doesn’t slow him down one bit.

We are so thankful to Orbit’s new family and the chance they gave him despite his condition. We know Orbit will have the best life ever and we cannot wait to hear about all of his adventures!

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