special needs cat

This is our beloved Roseme who was born with a rare condition called a Diaphragmatic Hernia, meaning some of her abdominal organs are out of place and actually located in her chest cavity. Because of this condition, she has a partially collapsed lung due to the liver pressing directly up against a lung. She is very susceptible to pneumonia so we watch her quite closely. Her liver function is not quite what it should be, and she suffers from urinary incontinence. This is why she wears boys' toddler jockey shorts (the elastic is better than on girls'). As a Manx, she has no tail so the shorts work quite nicely though we had to search to find some without "Spiderman" or "Spongebob Squarepants" on them. For some reason they don't make boys shorts with "Hello Kitty" on them!
Roseme, in spite of her problems, is the joy of our hearts and we can't imagine life without her. Living with a special needs cat has taught us one of the important lessons in life - appreciate the little things and this moment now. We know her life may be cut short by her condition, and we've had many frustrating times dealing with all of her health issues and giving her quality of life. But every day she is with us is a gift. Through it all she has remained a loving, spirited girl and this has made it all worthwhile.


Prince Magnus Olaf von Skarabrae is an all-white Skogkatt (more commonly known as a Norwegian Forest Cat in the United States) who lives in Geneva, Switzerland with his brother Fig and housemate Camillo. Olaf is completely deaf from birth.
He had fallen from my fourth floor window twice in two years because being deaf, he has a bit of an equilibrium deficit and has a faulty perception of depth, and consequently of danger. He barely survived his first fall because of the shock (he broke his back leg), and the second fall, he broke and deformed his rear left foot, making him waddle ever so slightly when he walks.

In addition, earlier this year, Olaf was diagnosed with the dreaded FIP, and has to be injected with Interferon once a week and is also on Prednisone.

It is very stressful for poor docile Ole to be undergoing so many medical procedures in his two years, not to mention taxing for me, but I will do anything and spare no expense for my sweet little prince who gives me so much love and joy in return.

Both are from about.com