Not long ago, I wrote about the Little Dude's (aka Doodles) medical situation. Although to some extent baffled by the Dude's fragile bones and small stature, the vet's best guess was that he suffered/suffers from rickets, a disease in which vitamin D deficiency creates weak bones and sometimes stunted growth. The Dude has been on a highly nutritious diet, eating both dry and wet food with great enthusiasm, and spending more time in the sunshine now that the rain has stopped. He doesn't go outside--this is by his own choice as the back door slider is usually open--but he will lounge around on a cushion in a sun puddle, which is surely all to the good. He still doesn't run or climb, but his 'power walking' is very brisk and he occasionally engages in a mild form of play--he doesn't exactly chase the feathers on the stick but will roll around on his back and bat at them as they pass over. (Little Guy, my ten-year-old male cat from Colorado, has a similar style of laid back play).
Lately the Dude has been getting up on the bed by himself and lounging. He is growing, but it is an odd sort of growth. I noticed the other day that he just about as big as Little Mom, another all black cat, but while Little Mom looks like a small adult cat, Little Dude more resembles a rather large kitten. His proportions are still kittenish and his front legs are bowed, a condition which may never change. He is adorable, though, and doesn't seem to be the slightest bit aware that he might be just a tad different from the other kitties.
So I am very thankful to have the Dude as a member of my feline household. He came from a bad situation on the Mesa and now has a loving forever home here in Pismo Beach.
