Maggie Mae with “Cheeto” (foster kitten)– August 2016
Maggie Mae was the product of an Amish puppy mill — full of disease, death and over breeding in cramped, filthy and inhumane conditions in Lancaster, PA and then ultimately sold to PetLand (Harbor Pets) in Boardman, Ohio in October 2006. She was pulled from her mother far too young and was alone, terrified in a dark, metal cage with no blankets, no toys and no human interaction as she was “DEFECTIVE” because she had an inguinal hernia so she was unable to be sold in the pet store so she was being sent back to the amish to ultimately either be over-bred or put down. The store was placing her in a black trash bag in which her “momma” noticed the heinous act they were performing and promptly asked a store employee why they would do such a thing, the employee callously replied, “If they go in a bag back to the breeder and do not make it then that saves them money in not having to put them down. They are the rejects, they are no good.” Her mother was not having any of this and immediately expressed interest in taking the small ball of fur home.
Sadly, puppy mill dogs have a reputation of their own — hereditary issues, ongoing medical problems and deformities due to inbreeding. Maggie Mae was scheduled for her spay July 2007 to which the veterinarian fixed the hernia as well in which after that she was a happy, healthy and vivacious young pug!
Maggie Mae continued from that fateful day to live a happy, spoiled life though the health problems would rear its ugly head–waxing and waning. Today, Maggie Mae celebrated her 12th birthday! She has a few teeth left (having over 20 removed due to her “pug mouth” and periodontal disease) and is now deaf and suffers on rare occasion petit mal seizures stemmed from being informally diagnosed with a tumor in the brain but without the proper (and expensive) diagnostic work it is simply the veterinarian’s professional opinion.
Though Maggie has slowed down, she cannot hear her momma anymore and sleeps more than she once did she was given a chance at life that was originally attempted to be taken away from her due to a medical condition that is easily repaired. Sadly, puppy mill pets are often subjected to these types of injustices every day — unsanitary, inhumane conditions with improper nutrition and often absent veterinary care they are viewed as inanimate objects instead of what they truly are– living, breathing beings with unconditional love and devotion to those who open up their hearts and homes to them.
Puppy mill pets, and pets with hereditary and genetic complications are categorized as “special needs” pets because they are often misunderstood and misinterpreted and badly need someone to be their voice.
Bart had a rough start to his little life. Surrendered to a local Veterinary Clinic caked in boogers and eye discharge he was terrified… he had a leg that had been previously broken (but was healing), a hernia and his left eye had ruptured due to the festering infection and chronic upper respiratory infection he was suffering while a stray kitten.
I agreed to foster him but as time went on I realized that this antisocial, terrified little baby kitten most likely would live his life hiding under the bed in my spare bedroom and that was perfectly OK! At least I knew he was safe and would get unlimited snackies and a safe haven all to himself.
I saw a glimmer of hope for Bart when I had to catch him to take him for one of his many veterinary visits (that usually involved stealth like precision and ninja like reflexes to capture him– I have no shame in admitting that a little blind kitten with a healing broken leg is far faster than I am!) he began to nuzzle my face all purrs and kisses!
The vet clinic he was dropped off at vowed to care for him financially/medically in whatever he would need provided that I fostered him and his sister (Taloola) to which I agreed. Little did I know that Bart would become apart of our little family, our “land of misfit toys” with the rest of the “handipets” here!
The fateful day came for Bart to get neutered so I brought him to the clinic he was dropped off at (that had vowed to provide any medical care he needed) as they ran the pre-surgical bloodwork and found his white blood cell count (which indicates if there is infection present or not) was three times the normal limit! I discussed with the veterinarian that came as no shock to me since his left eye had long ruptured (which the veterinarian knew this) and needed to be removed immediately. The vet skirted around the topic of removing his ruptured eyeball until finally hesitating slightly only to mumble,
“It is just not “financially responsible” for us to remove his eye and eat that cost…”
They said that in addition to NOT removing his ruptured eyeball they would not be neutering Bart (or repairing his hernia) since he had an infection (of course all I could think in my brain was DUH his EYEBALL IS GONE! Of course he has an infection!!) The veterinarian then continued the conversation with those fateful words that I would NEVER EVER forget…
“He is only a stray. It is not like he is anyone’s pet.”
There is was. Out in the atmosphere for everyone to hear. HE.WAS.ONLY.A.STRAY. As if that negated the fact that he was not worthy of quality medical care and patience! It took everything in me to keep silent, bite my tongue and take Bart back to my house and plan my next move but one thing was absolutely certain Bart was no longer going to be a stray, he was no longer going to be alone or have no one to advocate for him — because he was going to be my baby.
After some grumbling on my part and persistence (e.g., a thorn in someone’s side) they agreed to remove his non-functioning left eye, repair his hernia and neuter him to which everything seemed to go off without issue — Bart came home to me and began his road to recovery as well as learning to scoot around the house missing an eye (and clouded vision in the right eye) but I noticed as time went on something was off? He was still just as congested and “crusty boogie” covered as he was when he first initially came to my house! Despite the menagerie of antibiotics, pills, vet visits he was still just as stuffed up as if nothing had changed.
By this time I was working at an amazing veterinary clinic with amazing doctors so I wasted no time bringing the “handicats” in to meet everyone (aka flirt with the girls) and after we accomplished a few diagnostics for Bart (radiographs, bloodwork, culture swabs etc.,) it was decided that the doctor would perform an exploratory procedure and reopen that left eye to see what was causing him so much drainage and discharge.
Once the doctor finished Bart’s exploratory procedure she came to show me what was causing Bart all of his boogey issues for almost a YEAR — a 4×4 piece of pus covered gauze as well as sutures that should have been absorbable and they were not. After she removed the foreign items from Bart’s eye socket he began to recover… again. But this time I noticed that he was much happier, the day after his surgery he joined me in bed and began to rub his face on mine all while purring and nuzzling me. It was almost as if he was grateful for helping him, for not giving up on him and for being his advocate…his voice and more importantly his “mama”.
It disappointed me to think that there were still veterinary professionals, clinics, rescues out in the world that were so quick to “write-off” a stray animal simply because they were a stray, because they required a little bit of empathy and understanding, because they were simply a “black cat”. Bart was just as worthy as any other animal of receiving proper medical care and love!
Each and every day I was thankful I answered the phone that day- the day that I got the call informing me this scared, sick little kitten needed me. Today, Bart is a happy, healthy, ornery, affectionate little boy with a toybox packed to the brim with a plethora of toys, and I am thankful for him each and every day as he teaches me about dedication, strength, resiliency in the face of adversity and of course– affection. If you would have told me that fateful August day when I brought Bart home that years later I would have a sweet, cuddly little boy I would have laughed! I would never have believed the positive transformation he has completed but I could not be more proud of him.
Happy Belated Birthday, Bart. I love you so much little boy, thank you for being part of the driving force behind this campaign. To be a voice for those who do not have a voice and even more so for those animals that are a little “special”. Thank you.
A very special THANK YOU to Lola the Rescued Cat for interviewing Bifford on 05/03/2021 (Specially-Abled Pet Day)! Please be sure to “LIKE” Lola on Facebook and check her website out http://www.lolatherescuedcat.com
Hello, and Happy Monday! Did you know that today is Specially Abled Pets Day? This special day is celebrated every year on May 3 to educate the public about pets with disabilities. I am so excited to take this opportunity to introduce you all to one of our new friends, a pawesome guy with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, Bifford Langer! Bifford is a spokescat for specially-abled cats and dedicates his blog to educating people about Cerebellar Hypoplasia and taking care of pets with special needs. He agreed to sit down with me for an interview so our readers can learn more about him and his cause. So let’s get into it.Â
Lola:Â Hi, Bifford! Thanks so much for letting me interview you for âSpecially Abled Pets Day.â Before we get into the first question, Iâd like to say youâre looking very handsome today.Â
Bifford:Â Hello, Lola! Thank you so much for granting me this interview with you, especially for Specially-Abled Pets Day! It is so sweet of you. I wanted to look absolutely dashing for this prestigious interview with the beautiful and infamous Lola!
Lola:Â Awww, thank you, Bifford. Could you tell our readers a little about yourself?
 Bifford: I was born in Chicago in October 2011 to a foster mother who specialized in rescuing pregnant cats from the harsh streets. I was one of four brothers, and we all had Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). I was considered âmoderateâ and my brother Munchie was considered âsevere.” We were transported to a cat rescue in Youngstown, Ohio where I endured several failed homes until I found my forever one with my mom and dad in May 2014! Since that fateful day, it has been tuna wishes and high living for this âpresidentialâ candidate!Â
Lola:Â What do you think people need to know about CH?Â
Bifford: This is a particularly important question, Lola, which I get asked a lot. The thing people need to know most about CH cats is that we are not in any pain. CH is not contagious, does not get worse (or better, either), and we are very resilient and able to adapt to our abilities. Whenever I meet new voters, they often first look at me with a pang of sympathy as if I am suffering. But once they get to know me and see my flirtatious demeanor and zest for life they quickly see that those preconceived notions are just one of the many stigmas we are working to bust.Â
Lola:Â That’s such important information for people to know! So, tell me, how did you find your forever family?Â
Bifford:Â I actually had a rough journey finding to my forever family as I was returned to the shelter three different times. The very last time before I came to my forever mama, the âfamilyâ locked me in an empty hot tub because they wanted me to âdie with dignity.” I was finally surrendered after a domestic abuse situation happened in their home. My current forever mama got a call saying that I was not doing well at the shelter. I was terrified, getting beat up all the time, and getting more depressed each day I was there. I was waiting for that door to open and someone to save me and love me. My mama told the shelter she would take me home âfor the weekendâ to give me a break, but that “weekend” was years ago. Mama learned âon the flyâ about my special ability so she often tells people that they do not need to know much initially about CH. They just have to open their heart and home with a dash of patience, love & compassion. I promise they will not regret it!Â
Lola:Â Oh, Bifford, that is horrible! I’m so glad you were saved from that situation. Do you consider yourself a special needs cat? Do you need anything special at home to keep you safe and healthy?Â
Bifford:Â My mama says that all her babies are special in their own way, and I am no different. But the one thing she did that really helped me be more independent and stronger was to not âbubble wrapâ me, as she coined the term. She let me play and chase my brothers, climb on the couch or in bed with her at night, stumble a bit and even sometimes crash (of course she was always there if I needed her.) When I first came to my mom and dad I could not get into bed at night, I would cry all hours of the night to the point I made my mama cry with frustration. But as time went on, she just kept loving me and being patient. And soon I was able to realize just how independent I truly am! Now I can play and lay in bed with mama, dad, and siblings, and I can climb onto the couch with my brother Bart all on my own.Â
Lola:Â You’re so lucky to have such wonderful parents. Tell me more about your siblings. What, if anything, makes you different from them?Â
Bifford:Â My mama calls my siblings and me the âhouse of adorable misfit toysâ. The lineup consists of Bart, who is missing an eye (and his other eye is very ulcerated due to an untreated upper respiratory infection when he was a stray kitten); Roscoe, an epileptic rat terrier currently kicking cancer of the spleenâs butt; Bessie, who was found in the wall of an abandoned home in Youngstown, Ohio that was being demolished; and Lucy, a semi-feral calico that someone placed in a shopping bag and stuffed into mamaâs mailbox in the middle of August. Most recently mama brought home Maxwell, a baby pug born with a severe curve of his spine as well as swimmers syndrome (where he struggles to use his back legs.)Â A backyard breeder came into mama’s clinic, upset that Maxwell was âcosting her moneyâ and was a âfinancial lossâ for her. Luckily, she surrendered him to my mama.Â
Lastly, and it is important to me to include her as she was very important in my life, we recently lost Maggie Mae on 1/25/21 after she lost her battle with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and ultimately suffered a blood clot. Maggie was a product of Petland/Harbor Pets with inguinal hernia that coined her âdefectiveâ. They were placing her in a garbage bag when she was a puppy! My mama didnât think twice about taking her home that day in 2006. All of my siblings play an extremely important and beneficial role in the âcampaignâ and to bring awareness and understanding to specially-abled animals of all walks of life!
Lola:Â Your mama has a very special heart, that’s for sure. Can you tell me what a typical day is like for you? I hear you sometimes go to work with your mama!Â
Bifford:Â Sometimes I do like to go to work with my mama! Mainly because when I go I get to flirt with all the girls and my favorite doctors (who continue to spoil me rotten when I am there.) But a typical day for me consists of living the high life. Each night I cuddle with my mama and daddy in bed (of course at the head of the bed with them all tucked in snug as a pug.) In the morning, mama gets me up and we have our little routine –Â I snuggle with her while she brushes my hair and makes me âpresentableâ as she says, while I coo and purr. Then she gets me breakfast. Occasionally, I get jealous when my siblings want to cuddle mama because that is our quality time! After that I curl up on the couch with Bart and watch the news with my daddy and spend the day âyellingâ at the birds, playing with my toys, and cuddling on the couch with the rest of my siblings!Â
Lola: It sounds like the purrfect way to spend a day. Tell us about your website and your advocacy for specially-abled animals. What inspired you to start it?Â
Bifford:Â It is sort of a frustrating story how my campaign started. After mama officially adopted me, she wanted to take me to get my vaccines updated so we went to a wellness clinic because we did not have a veterinarian at that time. I was bobbling around exploring the exam room and being my usual adorable self when a staff member popped her head into the room and quietly asked if we were there for euthanasia. My mama was shocked! She simply stated that we were there for my vaccines. The staff member looked confused, and with a pang of sympathy offered to cover the euthanasia as a courtesy because she said I was clearly “suffering.” My mama was absolutely floored! To say that she went âmama bearâ would be an understatement (but I never loved my mama more than at that moment when she defended me) and we promptly left. This sparked something in her. She found that there is an alarming number of veterinary professionals, rescues, and catteries that are not well versed in cerebellar hypoplasia in cats. This can, unfortunately, trigger misdiagnosis or even worse, euthanasia for cats like me. Mama felt it was very imperative for our campaign to happen!Â
Lola: Your Elite Team looks very impressive. I’m sure our readers would love to know about that.Â
Bifford: Thank you! My âTeam of Eliteâ is important because we wanted to bring together other popular and important members of the specially-abled cat community as a group to bring awareness and understanding to specially-abled animals all over the world!  (They earned this honor by the nomination of their peers and then picked at random.)  Our amazing team consists of:Â
Lola: That sounds like a very impressive team! What do you think people should know about adopting a pet with “different abilities?”Â
Bifford: The main thing I would like people to know is to not be afraid, overwhelmed, or turned off about adopting a specially-abled pet. We think that most families hear that these pets have âsomething wrongâ with them, thus requiring more care, more financial restraints, etc. That is simply not true. I do not need any more veterinary care than my siblings (though it does help that mama has a ârainy day fundâ for our medical care as well as has a care credit card in the event of major emergencies. We feel that any pet parent should make these preparations.) My mama jumped and took a chance on me without ever knowing anything about CH cats and she tells everyone that I am the âperfect gentleman”. I cannot jump onto the tables or counters and I cannot scratch where I am not supposed to. But I can go on adventures with my mom and dad because I cannot dash away from them (not that I would, though. I enjoy living the good life.) I have been to Hell, Michigan, had my picture taken at the 45th parallel, and I’ve seen Santa and the Easter Bunny several times.Â
Lola:Â Is there anything else you would like people to know?
 Bifford: To not be afraid! Just because someone is different does not mean we are not worthy of love, compassion, and understanding! Â
Lola:Â Bifford, thank you for meowing with me today about this important topic. You were the purrfect guest! I’m sure people will look at CH kitties in a different light now.Â
Bifford:Â Thank you again, Lola, for this amazing interview, You are a true beacon in the cat community and it was such an honor to speak with you on something near and dear to my heart – my âcampaignâ!Â
I hope you all enjoyed meeting Bifford! His message about specially-abled pets is very important. You can follow Bifford on Instagram and Facebook. Don’t forget to tell him Lola sent you!Â
Please keep up all of your support and hard work!! Currently Bifford is #8 in the quarter finalists for America’s Favorite Pet! We want to bring awareness to specially-abled babies!!! Please spread the word to get these kiddos recognized!! You must have a Facebook in order to vote and can only vote once daily so please keep up all of your love and support! đžđ
Hi, I’m a sweet but shy girl born in August 2019. I have mild cerebellar hypoplasia, or ‘wobbly cat’ syndrome. It means I have a little wobble in my step but I don’t know I’m any different. I can use the litter box on my own, I love wet food (you’ll be my best friend for Friskies fillets) and my favorite toys are feather wands. I’m great at using fabric steps to get on the couch but can’t really jump so you don’t have to worry about me on high places. I’m also pretty quiet so I won’t bother you with a lot of meowing. It might take me a little bit to open up to you but I promise it will be worth it. I enjoy laying on my cat tower in the sun and will be a good new friend for you. I’m a little scared of younger cats but get along great with older, laid-back kitties who like to nap with me. I would be great in a quiet house without young kids. All my shots are up to date. Spayed, and SNAP tested.
Transportation can be provided if you do not live in the same area as Wobbles! If you have questions please contact CH Lives Matter!
