# Would you consider adopting a 'special' animal? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 17, 2013, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191 "2013-03-17T19:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Ms.Pumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a87d85/32.png) [@Ms.Pumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms.Pumpkin)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/41 "2013-03-20T21:06:52Z")
I don’t think this is quite the same, but I rescued(?) stole(?) a former neighbor’s cat, after I realized they had stopped feeding her and had started physically harming her whenever she would try to go into their apartment. For the first year-ish, she hid inside/under my couch. I had to bring her food and water, and wrestle a small litterbox in and out, because she would NOT come out. A dozen years later, she’s still a scaredy-cat, but she’s a total sweetheart, and fairly social(with humans- not the other cats). A neighbor offered me a kitten with a deformed paw. It looked fine, but it felt like it had no bone, so it kind of flopped around. I would have taken it in, but I already had four cats at the time. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/42 "2013-03-20T21:38:09Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > … The FIV cat, btw, had the advantage that the organisation he was adopted from paid all vets’ bills, whether directly related to the FIV or not (it had to be their vet, for obvious reasons). So he always had to be an indoor cat and an only cat, and wouldn’t live as long, but would never cost you more than feeding and littering him and buying him toys. That’s flippin’ awesome. If I was starting over from scratch and had a zero-kitteh home I might go that route! ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/43 "2013-03-20T22:01:19Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Just last week we took in a dwarf hamster with some kind of growth or tumor on her belly. Libby is already a year and a half old, and the dwarfs don’t live longer to be older than 3 at the outside, sometimes only 2, so she’s probably not long for this world anyway. She still gets around fine, though – she’s an active little dynamo. > > Our exotic animal vet offered us the option of surgery or treating her for pain. Since surgery wouldn’t _cure_ her if it’s a malignancy, and very small animals don’t withstand anesthesia well, we opted for palliative care (pain relief). She still seems to be enjoying her time, and we’re monitoring her well-being closely. Bless you for doing this. Too often the little critters are treated as disposable, so taking them to the vet doesn’t even occur to people, much less considering surgery. For what it’s worth, I’ve had several dwarf hamsters who developed mammary tumors at relatively young ages, and in a couple of cases we did opt for surgery to have the growths removed. All said hammies recovered just fine and were back to their normal (neurotic) dwarfly selves in relatively short order. I’m not saying this to second-guess your decision for Libby, just pointing out for anyone else in this position that the surgery was less of a big deal than we expected it to be. (We’re lucky to have a fantastic exotic vet close by.) ---
**Author:** ![LouLou7](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a87d85/32.png) [@LouLou7](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouLou7)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/44 "2013-03-20T23:22:24Z")
My daughter has a cat that was born with only three legs, and is (apparently) brain damaged. Dumbest animal I’ve ever seen, but she has a sweet personality. Her name is Tripp. I have a three legged chihuahua, rescued from the Pound. She came in with a mangled leg and some other injuries (maybe a bait dog?), and she is a neurotic mess but we love her. We also have a one winged parakeet that can’t fly (dog vs. bird accident) that a friend gave us, and he’s got a little PTSD going on, but still sweet. We think we may be a magnet for amputee animals. From now on, when we get new pets we’re just gonna have a leg or two taken off before they come home. Seems more normal that way. Ha! ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/45 "2013-03-20T23:54:46Z")
I don’t know how well I’d do with disabilities that were very time/ labor / money intensive,(I have some health issues myself and the prospect of having to find a caretaker when I’m not available would be a hassle) but the Captain sounds like he wouldn’t be a problem. Once upon a time, I had a cat who developed diabetes. Giving her daily injections was something I was able to manage easily. Growing up, we also had a cat who had gotten caught up in the fanbelt of a car as a kitten and wound up missing a paw. He adapted to his disability pretty well. Special needs critters often have a lot of affection and companionship to offer if you are willing to deal with some extra care. Next time you’re at the vet, give Captain Hook some extra loving from me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2013, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/46 "2013-03-20T23:57:45Z")
What you are describing (to me) isn’t a special need, just a special kitty. No additional above and beyond care is needed for this kitty to live a great, healthy, happy life. If I were a cat person, I would have no reservations about adopting Captain Hook. In my view, special needs are things like the animal being in a wheelie cart, expensive medications, having to express their bladder for them or extreme behavioral issues. Physical deformities that don’t hinder their mobility or quality of life are character assets. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/47 "2013-03-21T00:09:54Z")
My only reservations would be about health conditions that would require a lot of time and money to treat. I have very little of both (especially money), so I would refrain simply because I think a cat deserves better than someone who can’t afford to properly take care of him. For something that had no impact on health or quality of life? I wouldn’t bat an eye. I wouldn’t worry about “what people would think” either, because I don’t invite rude, boorish people with bizarrely screwed up priorities into my _life,_ forget about my home. Seriously, what adult would give so much of a shit about a cat’s paw that they felt compelled to make fun of it like an 8 year old? They’ve got nothing better to do? I seriously cannot imagine any of my friends making a big deal of my cats oddball paw. My now-deceased cat had a deformed sternum; the only time it was ever even mentioned was letting people know to be careful when picking him up. No one ever made a big deal of it. I would think pretty poorly of anyone who did. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/48 "2013-03-21T00:11:41Z")
Based on your description, I’d at least see the cat, to see how we’d get along. I wouldn’t treat him differently than any other cat. Not “handicapped,” but . . . The last time I was ready to adopt, I went through all the cats at the shelter. There was one who caught my eye immediately. Solid black, with the most expressive blue-green eyes I’ve ever seen in a cat. When I expressed interest in him, the woman told me that he’s 7 years old, and had been there for quite a few months. \*“Nobody wants to adopt a 7-year-old cat. He’ll probably die here, eventually” . . . \*especially this one, who had some problems with his former owner. I’ve had the cat for about 4 years now. He’s such a joy, and my favorite of all the cats I’ve ever had. But I don’t say that when my other kitty can hear. She’s special in other ways. ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/49 "2013-03-21T00:59:48Z")
> [@Beelzebubba](#): > > Would you adopt a cat with a significant, obvious birth defect or physical handicap? What if the cat didn’t require any special care for its condition, would that make any difference? I adopted a puppy that had been kicked in the head and blinded in one eye. His appearance didn’t faze me in the slightest way at all. When he was a little over two years old and already owned my heart completely, that same kick (in the opinion of my vet) led to his having epilepsy. He would have cluster seizures, meaning at least two, up to 4 in a series over 48 hours. It was agony to watch and damned expensive to deal with. If I had known about the epilepsy at the same time I knew about the eye, I would have had a harder time. As it was, he died at age 5 from complications of his medication. It was easily the worst day of my life… because I adored him wholeheartedly. > [@](#): > > Prior to that realization, I struggled with the idea of adopting Captain Hook. I loved his personality and his gimp paw wouldn’t bother me in the least. But what about visitors to my home? If they made fun of fun of him or said anything even slightly inappropriate, I would throw them thru my glass storm door!!! I know I would have been hyper-sensitive to the actions and words of others and would have reacted to any that pissed me off with full force and no mercy! I wonder if parents of mentally handicapped children feel this way all the time, just watching and waiting to eviscerate the next mofo who looks at my kid wrong!?!? > > How do you think you would feel about adopting Captain Hook if you were in my shoes? All due respect, I hope you aren’t serious about this. This is you projecting on to your cat your own issues with other people’s judgments, because I swear to you your cat or dog wouldn’t not care in the slightest way if people made fun of him. So your feelings would be about you, not the animal. ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191/50 "2013-03-21T01:22:24Z")
> [@Stoid](#): > > All due respect, I hope you aren’t serious about this. This is you projecting on to your cat your own issues with other people’s judgments, because I swear to you your cat or dog wouldn’t not care in the slightest way if people made fun of him. So your feelings would be about you, not the animal. I also honestly have to wonder about the people she spends time with, that she would actually _expect_ something like that to come out of the mouth of a fully-grown adult. I mean, that’s not even something that would _occur_ to me as being a potential “problem.” The people I hang with just aren’t that juvenile. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-consider-adopting-a-special-animal/653191.md?page=2)