Disco the cat is a beautiful calico girl with cerebellar hypoplasia (CH) that makes her ‘dance’!
Cats with this condition are sometimes called ‘wobbly’ cats because of how the symptoms present.
Disco’s owner thinks these ‘wobbles’ look like dancing, and they’re not wrong!
In late 2021, her owner went to a local shelter to see another cat who had a mild case of CH, but when they saw Disco it was love at first sight.
Disco has a more severe form of CH which means her ‘wobbles’ are more pronounced.
And so her owner decided to call her Disco “because she is always dancing”.
Special needs
Cerebellar Hypoplasia is a congenital neurological condition that effects the motor function, balance, and co-ordination in cats.
The condition is not painful, and although some cats may be more susceptible to injuries because of it, all they need is some adjustments to their surroundings to remedy this.
Otherwise cats with CH get on just like any other cat.
Unfortunately, despite the research on cats with CH, and the self-reported experiences of their owners, some people still think that cats like Disco should be euthanized because she is ‘suffering’.
But Disco’s owner refutes this and Disco herself proves this is not the case at all with her behaviour.
Disco is not going to let anything stop her from doing what she wants!
Life of the party
Disco’s owner has a great attitude towards their cat’s disability.
Not only do they stand up for Disco every chance they get against those who think she needs to be put down, they sync her movements to songs to really let this dancing feline shine and show the joy that special needs cats can bring.
And even though Disco can’t go outside on her own, her owner makes sure that she gets plenty of enrichment by taking her on shopping trips!
She even gets to pick out her own toys.
Disco is proof of the resilience of cats, and the joy they can have for life when given a fighting chance.
If Disco had been put down, we wouldn’t get to experience the world through her eyes and be inspired by this sweet little dancing queen.
Just because a cat has different needs, doesn’t mean they should be left behind.
Disco and her owner show us that to be different is beautiful.
