A mutual friend of my mom's on Facebook shared a post a little over a month ago about a kitten she had rescued who had been stuck in a fence. Looking at the pictures of her, I immediately fell in love. Through the mutual friend, I was able to get in touch with my local humane society to see if I could 'claim' the kitten. They quickly informed me that the kitten definitely had some kind of neurological condition— though they were unsure of what it was at the time— that made getting around pretty difficult for her. Because of this, the humane society had nicknamed her 'Twitchy'.

At first, she didn't yet weigh enough to be spayed, so I would have to wait to be able to come adopt her. They assured me that she was all mine as soon as she got spayed. Normally, that isn't something that the humane society could guarantee. Because of her condition, though, they were not even going to put her out on the adoption floor. The staff and volunteers who worked with her were all concerned that they, amongst themselves, wouldn't be able to find someone who would be interested in taking her. After all, her condition would be lifelong, and not everyone has the time and energy to take care of a pet with special needs. I'm not sure if it was instinct or my impulsive quarantine brain controlling me, but my mind was set.

When I told my mom I was adopting the kitten (keep in mind she had been the one to send me the original post about her in the first place), she was elated. She immediately told me I should name my new fur baby Zelda Fitzgerald. My two cats at my mom's house are named Scout and Gatsby, both after different book characters. Since my mom and I have bonded over all of F. Scott Fitzgerald's work and life over the years, I knew that Zelda would be the perfect name.

A couple of weeks ago, after weeks of being in touch with the humane society about her progress, I was finally able to bring her home. Because of COVID, I hadn't been able to go in and play with her until the day I adopted her. The second I got to hold her and kiss on her little head, I fell in love.

This is when I learned that her neurological disorder had been determined; she most likely had cerebellar hypoplasia (CH), and will for the rest of her life. CH is almost always caused when a pregnant, unvaccinated cat is infected with panleukopenia virus, which causes the kitten's cerebellum to improperly develop. What this means for Zelda, who has a fairly severe case of CH, is that her fine motor skills are very weak. She can drink on her own very well, but often needs help eating; she bobs her head almost like a pecking chicken and is able to eat much easier when I am there to help stabilize her. When I first got her, she could hardly take a step without falling over. She's been quite an investment so far, as I've had to pretty much baby-proof my apartment and purchase several toys and contraptions that will work with her needs.
Zelda doesn't let any of this crush her spirit, though. This condition is all that she knows, and it's just one aspect about her that I love as much as anything else. She's super spunky and is such a sweet and cuddly girl who has so much energy and affection to give. She's also so incredibly strong. Even though I have only had her for a couple of weeks, I can already tell a difference in her confidence and strength when walking and navigating her surroundings. I really believe that she will only get stronger from here, as she grows more muscle and figures out ways of getting around that work the best for her.

It's been such an adventure getting to know Zelda. As a college student who has been living on my own since quarantine started, I often got lonely over the last few months. I joked around a lot with my mom about wanting to adopt an animal, but I never would've guessed that I would go through with it, and with a special-needs animal nonetheless. Every day she surprises me and makes me so proud of how strong she's getting, and my parents and siblings love getting to call her their “grandkitty" and “niece". I can't wait for all of the memories we make together, and to see her take on the world.