© Deann
Special Needs Cat Roseme
This is our beloved Roseme who was born with a rare condition called a Diaphragmatic Hernia, meaning some of her abdominal organs are out of place and actually located in her chest cavity. Because of this condition, she has a partially collapsed lung due to the liver pressing directly up against a lung. She is very susceptible to pneumonia so we watch her quite closely.
Her liver function is not quite what it should be, and she suffers from urinary incontinence. This is why she wears boys' toddler jockey shorts (the elastic is better than on girls'). As a Manx, she has no tail so the shorts work quite nicely though we had to search to find some without "Spiderman" or "Spongebob Squarepants" on them. For some reason they don't make boys shorts with "Hello Kitty" on them!
Roseme, in spite of her problems, is the joy of our hearts and we can't imagine life without her. Living with a special needs cat has taught us one of the important lessons in life - appreciate the little things and this moment now. We know her life may be cut short by her condition, and we've had many frustrating times dealing with all of her health issues and giving her quality of life. But every day she is with us is a gift. Through it all she has remained a loving, spirited girl and this has made it all worthwhile.