Willy
Willy was brought into Memphis Animal Services in January 2023 after almost 20 cats were seized from a home. It was evident right away that Willy’s movements were jerky and uncoordinated and he was placed on the “urgent” list asking for a rescue to pull him for neurological evaluation. Purrfect Match stepped in to help Willy and after receiving a thorough exam by our veterinarian, he was diagnosed with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, or CH. There is no treatment for this condition and it’s not contagious (it’s often compared to Cerebral Palsy in humans).
Upon meeting Willy, you realize right away that there’s no reason to be sad for him, he has no idea that he is different and he is one of the most joyful, exuberant, charismatic cats we’ve ever met! He puts 100% of his being into his favorite things, which are playtime and people time.
We were very excited when our friends at Ten Lives Cat Rescue in RI said that they wanted to help Willy find the perfect home and we soon put him on transport to New England where a fabulous and very excited foster mom awaited him.
Willy and Ten Lives were featured on TV soon after his arrival for a local pet segment and not only did Willy enjoy his 15 minutes of fame, but this experience also led to his forever home! One of the employees at the TV station (Kassi, the mom in the pics below) fell in love with Willy and expressed adoption interest. After the phone interview and meet and greet, everyone agreed that Kassi's family was perfect for him! They have a spacious home with extended family members so there will always be someone around to shower love on this very attention-hungry boy. They are eager to provide any accommodation that will help Willy get around and were very loving and protective of him from the getgo, talk about a dream come true!!
We just received this lovely update from Willy’s adoptive family (lucky boy even gets kitty daycare with Grandma!!):
“Willy joined our family a little over two weeks ago, but I cannot imagine a life without him now. He sleeps upstairs with his 8-year-old human and at 6:30am wakes her up for school. He goes into his cat carrier uncoached and patiently waits for her to carry him downstairs to start his day with Grandma. Grandma usually already has breakfast ready for him which makes him super happy. Like most grandkids, grandma has spoiled Willy rotten, he has toys as far as the eye can see. They spend their day watching birds on the TV (yes, Willy sits and watches TV) playing, gazing out the window and sleeping until his human kid gets home from school. Once she is home the fun starts all over again, he is always excited to see her and chases her around when she walks in the door. At dinner time Willy comes back upstairs and enjoys his time with the rest of the family. He is never alone. He loves to snuggle, play and be part of whatever action is going on around him. He brings joy wherever he goes. I am not sure who said he could not climb because he has managed to get into every bed in the house and enjoys sleeping on Dad’s side of the bed most! We cannot wait to see what he does next!”
