LITTLE BIT
By - Connie, Little Bit's Mom
05291952@ameritech.net

Little Bit is a three-year old tuxedo cat. He has the most beautiful coat - it is soft and shiny. You just want to love him all over. He is shaped like a pear. He had a health problem last summer and was put on steroids for a while so he blossomed out and isn't a Little Bit now like he was when he came to us.

He came to us three summers ago. I do rescue and found him in a field next to the complex where I work. The mother was a wild cat and I found him when he was young enough to tame (about six weeks.) I caught him and brought him home to the rest of the "family". My husband and I rescue so we usually have a houseful. He adjusted very well but after a day or two, I took him to the vet's for a cold and small round holes we saw on his head. The doctor thought the holes were caused by a fly crawling up his nose and laying eggs. They were fly larvae and they were burrowing out through his brain. The doctor removed them and we took him home. The cold kept getting worse. His fever jumped up to 106 degrees. We were able to get his temp to drop but then it went to 96 degrees and wouldn't come up to normal, which is 102 degrees. The doctor thought this might be from brain damage and he lost the ability to regulate his temperature. He was incubated for a week and during this period yet another larvae was removed.

He finally got better enough to take home but his balance was poor. He was running in the dining room one day soon after coming home and ran into our oak sideboard and fractured his skull. This time at the doctor's office, they also found he had cicada This is a fairly common parasite for outdoor kitties. We brought him home again and once a day he would go into a trance and lean and would urinate where he stood. He totally quit using a box as when he had to go it just usually kind of hit him. Fortunately, he doesn't go often, he just goes a lot!

Little Bit has a flat head from the skull fracture and won't use a box. Periodically, he becomes immobile because his temperature has dropped and I have to wrap him up in a blanket and hold him for several hours until his body temperature increases. Quite often I wrap him up and take him to bed and by morning he is his old self. This happens more in the winter. Fortunately, most of his bathroom times actually are in our bathroom on a washable throw rug. His balance is poor so he doesn't get up on furniture although just lately he has got up on the couch or bed with us by himself. He seems to have some immune system problems and has had a terrible time getting over respiratory infections - which takes us to the steroids last summer. I'll probably never be able to place him because he won't use a box.

So, why is he my favorite? Little Bit is a perpetual kitten and always looking for something fun to do - maybe because of the brain damage, he just doesn't really mature. He loves the other cats and I can count on him to be friendly with each newcomer. He loves the dog and drives her crazy rubbing up against her. He likes people but is generally kind of busy discovering other things. When he wants attention, he comes up and you'll feel him sniffing you for a second before he takes a big bite out of you to get your attention - and seems to smile while he does it. He is always in a good mood and can be counted on to be happy. He is generally the first cat people notice when they come to look at cats because he has a beautiful coat and isn't shy but the litter habits stop them from taking him. It's okay though because, after all we've been through together, I don't know if I could give him up and I'm not sure I would trust anyone else to be on the lookout for changes in his body temperature. The trouble he causes is outweighed by the happiness I get from him.

-- Sometimes it's the special needs animals that bring the most joy to our lives! --