Cat with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome finally finds loving home, and his humans are making sure he’s living happy life with his brother
The photo of the “sad” cat became one of the most popular posts on Reddit. At first sight it seems like this is the most ancient cat in the world, but it’s not like that. The thing is, that Toby – that’s the name of our new celebrity – has a rare conɡenitɑl Ԁisorder.
This strange pet lives in the English town of Stroud, Gloucestershire. He came to his owners – Georgina Price and Cristopher Lardner – in 2018. The owners – who were new-weds at that period – adopted their first cat Herby from a shelter when he was 16 years old and was near to the end his journey. Sadly, he Ԁied just five months later. Herbie’s owners, the couple Georgina Price and Christopher Lardner, although they only knew it for a short time, they were deeply sɑddened by his ρɑѕѕing.
The loss, however, had opened their hearts for someone new.
“I just kept thinking about all the ɑЬɑndoned animals that might only have five months left and would spend the whole of that time in a shelter. So we decided we would look for an extra special cat that might take a little longer to find a home.” Georgina remembers.
While browsing the web, Georgina spotted Toby and Quinton “I found them on the RSPCA website when they were looking for a home and I fell in love with their sweet little faces” Georgina said. Quinton was missing all his teeth – they had to be removed because of infection. And Toby had a really unusual appearance. The entire face of the cat was covered with deep wrinkles, the skin in the part of stomach was hanging down almost to the ground.
Turned out, that the animal is suffering from rare Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (skin hyperelasticity). The disease is caused by disorders in the synthesis of collagen. Because of collagen shortage Toby’s skin is easily ᴠulnerɑЬle and looks senile.
Before that the couple didn’t even know anything about the disease but still decided on “adopting” the strange kitten. At first, Quinton and Toby didn’t trust people. “They were just so scɑred and were living under the bed for weeks but food and love eventually got them out,” .
7 months later, after the inseparable couple moved to Georgina and Cristopher, both people and the pets started to treat each other with great love and care. Georgina said “And now they own the place. They just do whatever they want and act ᴍɑԀ when you turn the light on if they’re asleep on the bed or something.”
Toby’s delicate s.k.i.n elasticity condition, however, makes him prone to ɪɴȷᴜгʏ even when he’s simply grooming himself or playing with Quinton. “He seeks Quinton out to help him clean himself so Quinton will lick his face and head, particularly any ᴄu.ts.” ”And they play, Quinton know to keep his claws retracted”.
The owners, of course, are very worried about the affects of the diseɑse on the cat’s health in the future. They are mostly worried about the condition of Toby’s joints. They carefully watch after the cat, so that he won’t make any dramatic jumps.
When Toby isn’t romping around with his brother, he is just your average kitty, he enjoys bird watching, playing with bouncy balls, and snuggling with his owners, special, he likes people to scratch his tummy, and even asks them to do so by pawing at it.
All in all, Toby is living his life fully and is absolutely happy. His little brother Quinton is happy too, who is successfully doing well with missing teeth
Georgina trusts that sharing Toby’s story will not only raise awareness about his rare condition but will encourage more people to consider bringing exceptional necessities cats into their lives. “It doesn’t take any more to love them and despite whatever it is that may make them ‘special needs’, they are still beautiful animals with their own amazing personalities, likes, dislikes, and the ability to love you back.” she said.
These amazing cats “run” their own webpage “tummyandgummy” where you can follow the events happening in their lives.
