Happy Tail: A cat with cerebellar hypoplasia teaches unconditional love

When Amanda Maurer saw CG's photo on Petfinder, it was love at first sight. But then she read his description and had second thoughts.

He was born with cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition in which the cerebellum is not mature at birth. It affects a pet's fine motor skills and can cause tremors and jerky movements.

The condition is usually caused in utero, by a bacterial or viral infection such as feline parvovirus being passed through the placental barrier while the fetus is developing.

"I wasn't sure if I could handle that," says Amanda, who lives in Chicago, "but I soon decided if I was going to adopt and love any cat, it may as well be one that needed love the most."

She contacted Heartland Animal Shelter in Northbrook, IL, which had listed CG on Petfinder, and applied to adopt the cat, whose name is short for Cary Grant.

"Adopting CG has been one of the best decisions of my life," she says. "Living with and learning about his condition has taught me millions of things, including unconditional love." 

She has put her love to work by starting a blog: Life with Cerebellar Hypoplasia: The Joys of Living with a Special Needs Cat. On it, she educates readers about CH, posts photos of adoptable CH cats and connects with other parents of CH cats.