Maka Lea

Maka Lea ("twinkly eyes" in Hawaiian) is also a rescue cat. In his case, our veterinarian, knowing Debbie's weakness for "challenged" cats, prevailed upon us to take this little fellow. He had an infection and a very high sustained fever when he was a tiny little thing. As a consequence, he's got some neurological damage that makes him walk funny, fall frequently, and rely on his front paws for almost everything involving motion.

He climbs using one front paw to throw his weight up, while he grabs a higher point with the other front paw. He can't jump; he just doesn't have enough control of his rear legs. And his leaps from high places are the absolute antithesis of grace -- he's as likely to land on his head as he is to land on his feet. When he does accidentally land on his feet, he looks startled, like "What happened here? I'm supposed to be in pain on the floor, but instead I'm up and about!"

But Maka Lea's real grace is his personality -- he's as sweet, dependent, and affectionate as our dogs. He'll follow us all around the house, demanding attention just like our dogs do (only even more persistently!). He comes to us when we call him, just as reliably as our dogs do. And he'll nuzzle and kiss you exactly like the dogs do -- very unusual cat behavior, and impossible to resist...