A very special kitten made his way to Helen Woodward Animal Center at the end of 2024. Rufus, an incredibly fluffy orange tabby, came to the Center in the middle of August at only 10-weeks-old. When he first arrived, nobody fully knew how special he really was. He had a fluffy orange coat, a spunky personality, and the adoration of all of the Center’s employees. Little did they know that they would be spending a LOT more time with the kitten.
Baby Rufus, his first day at the Center.
Rufus spent the next few weeks growing up in the Center’s care. During that time, he began to show symptoms for a rather unpleasant digestive malady. The Center’s medical staff conducted a series of tests and determined the kitten had chronic constipation, probably caused by a developmental narrowing of Rufus’s hips. They prescribed him a medication called Lactulose which allows him to have some semblance of normalcy. He just has to take it for the rest of his life.
But Rufus’s medical woes didn’t end with his digestive system. The tests revealed he had another birth abnormality to deal with.
Rufus’s radiographs revealed he has an incredibly rare birth abnormality called a, Peritoneal Pericardial Diaphragmatic Hernia (PPDH). That means he was born with a hole in his diaphragm and part of his liver is protruding into his chest. Despite the daunting name and scary description, PPDH often doesn’t have any clinical symptoms and typically won’t affect a cat’s quality of life and the only way it’s discovered is through a radiograph. The Center’s medical staff elected to keep a close eye on Rufus for several weeks to determine whether or not the PPDH would cause significant medical problems and to ensure the Lactulose treatment for his digestive issues would continue to work.
After many weeks of close monitoring, the Center’s medical staff determined Rufus’s condition wasn’t causing him pain or negatively affecting him, and that it was unlikely the PPDH would cause further medical issues in the future. They also noticed the Lactulose was working, and as long as he took it every day, he could have a normal-ish life. They also noticed Rufus is really, really lovable. Rebecca Flores, an Animal Care Technician who really bonded with the orange kitten, said he’s so playful despite his multiple rare diagnoses and is incredibly understanding when it comes to receiving care from the medical and care teams.
“But my favorite thing about him,” she said, “is when he buries himself in his bed making muffins. He’ll look up at you to make sure you’re watching, it’s the cutest thing ever.”
Rufus became available for adoption near the beginning of December. The Adoption team was nervous his laundry list of medical maladies would ward off potential adopters. But his cuteness couldn’t be contained by a few birth conditions! Rufus found his forever family the day after first becoming available, where he’s living happily ever after.
