One thing that’s always bothered me about my allergies is that I can’t rescue more adorable animals. My dogs had to be specific breeds and cats are pretty much a no-go for me.
So I do my best to support animal rescue groups in other ways and I love to shout out anyone giving special animals a new home.
Which is what I’m doing here with the story of Toby and his bestie Quinton, who were adopted by Georgina Price and Christopher Lardner.
There were a lot of barriers to getting these two forever homes. They’re older cats (Toby is six and Quinton is seven) and couldn’t be separated. Quinton’s teeth were all removed when he was rescued and Toby has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS).
EDS is also called feline cutaneous asthenia (FCA) when in cats. Basically, a human or animal with EDS doesn’t have enough collagen, resulting in droopy, fragile skin.
Though they’d never heard of EDS before, Georgina and Christopher were smitten with the pair.
Georgina told Meow As Fluff about going to visit them at the shelter:
“They were both terrified and huddled right at the back. Toby just hid behind Quinton the whole time, trembling.”
It took some time for them to settle in, but after seven months, the family is comfy-cozy together.
While the EDS gives Toby his distinctive and adorable sad grandpa face, it also adds a lot of challenges.
His skin is so fragile that simple cleaning often causes bleeding. Quinton helps out by gently grooming Toby’s head and never uses his claws during play time.
Thankfully, Toby’s case appears to be fairly mild.
His current level of droopiness is likely due to lack of proper care by previous owners and won’t get worse if properly managed now.
Meanwhile, the extra skin doesn’t keep Toby from being a regular, silly cat.
Even if the pair of kitties need a little extra care, Georgina and Christopher are happy to have them.
They hope other people will consider adopting more animals with special needs. Georgina said:
“It doesn’t take anymore to love them. And despite whatever it is that may make them ‘special needs’ they are still beautiful animals with their own amazing personalities, likes, dislikes, and the ability to love you back.”