Milwaukee Record is working in partnership with Urban Cat Coalition to help find loving homes for area cats. Each week, we—with generous sponsorship from Skilos, A Family Pet Store—plan to highlight a feline friend that’s currently up for adoption by naming it “Milwaukee Record’s Cat Of The Week.” This week: a cute wobbly girl called Present.
Present is the gift that keeps on giving! This fuzzy little kitty is the sweetest ever. Present was born with what we suspect is cerebellar hypoplasia, or “wobbly cat syndrome.” For most cats, this means they lose their balance, wobble, and fall over often. For Present, her case is much more severe. She is unable to walk or stand. Present lives life on her side, scooting to where she needs to be. She can sometimes get herself into an upright position but will flop back quickly.
She can get down the stairs like a slinky, then meows because she can’t get back up. She scoots well on carpet, but if she hits the hardwood floor, it’s fruitless flailing until someone rescues her. She also Usain Bolted across the living room one day when her foster mom turned on the vacuum cleaner. So getting around isn’t too much of an issue for her.
Present can use the litterbox, but she needs your help! We have worked with her to time her number 1s and number 2s right after she eats. She just needs someone to hold her upright in the litterbox and grasp her back foot for optimum pottying leverage.
She gets most of her hydration from wet food, as she doesn’t like to drink from a bowl. You can also water down her dry food, or supplement with some hydro boosters. Her foster home bought a water dispenser usually given to hamsters and she will drink from that sometimes when offered to her.
Present’s foster home rigged a harness to keep her upright so that she can eat. Present can eat lying on her side but sometimes her legs get a mind of their own and kick the bowl out of the way. She also hangs out in the harness to strengthen her legs and give her body a chance to stretch out and get off her side.
She absolutely loves crinkle toys. For all that she lacks in mobility, she can MOVE when one of her crinkly balls rolls by. She also likes dangly and tippy toys. Present likes to hide under the couch to get her 10 hours of beauty sleep during the day. Then she’s ready to play. She loves to snuggle, and purrs constantly when she’s being held, which is often, because she prefers to be held.
Present’s foster home made a little “crib” so she can sleep safely on the people bed with the family. And like the average toddler, Present knows how to escape from her crib so that she can explore and attack toes under the blanket.
She loves the foster home’s resident dog. They play and wrestle, and Present doesn’t seem to mind the slobber. She would do well with a pup that can handle a fragile friend. She would also do well with a gentle snuggly cat friend – her mom, Yuki is also adoptable.
Little Present will bring so much joy to a family that knows how to handle a special needs cat, and that has the time and dedication to meet her needs. She is not the type of kitty that can be left home alone for a couple days. She is loved by everyone who has met her and she will be an amazing addition to a lucky home.
About
Coat length
Short
House-trained
No
Characteristics
Affectionate, brave, curious, loyal, funny, friendly, gentle, sweet, velcro
Health
Vaccinations up to date, spayed. Special needs.
Good in a home with
Other kids, dogs, other cats
Prefers a home without
Status with other animals unknown
DOB
11/22/25
Urban Cat Coalition Policies
