Purr-fect in her own way! Adorable dwarf kitten wins thousands of fans online

•  18-month-old Fig, of Bristol, has dwarfism so needs ramps to get around
•  Must read: Pet owner throws lavish baby shower for her pregnant cat 

An adorable dwarf cat is so tiny that her owner has had to kit out the home with a series of special steps and ramps so she can follow her full-sized brother around the home.

Katie Stocks, 29, adopted Fig and her brother Dante last February but was told Fig had dwarfism. Due to her condition, the 18-month-old cat’s growth is stunted.

Katie, an NHS worker from Bristol, said: ‘I didn’t know dwarfism in cats was a thing until we took Fig on and there is no real information online about it.’

While it’s not been an easy journey for Fig, she’s generated quite a following online and boasts almost 170,000 followers on Instagram.

Fans of hers have labelled her ‘gorgeous’ and ‘cute’, with some expressing their desire of getting a dwarf cat for themselves.

Fig’s dwarfism wasn’t obvious at first until the charity noticed that Dante was growing at a normal rate while Fig remained small

Katie has had to kit out her home with several ramps and sets of mini ‘cat stairs’ to help her get about so she can still play freely with her brother Dante. 

She added: ‘When we first agreed to take on Fig and Dante, we didn’t know about her dwarfism.

‘We met the cats when they were really tiny and they said we had to wait a bit longer [to take them home] so that Fig could get a bit bigger and could have her injections.

‘A few weeks went by and they realised she wasn’t getting any bigger so they told us that they suspected she had dwarfism, which they got confirmed by the vet.

‘They asked if we still wanted to take her on and we did our research, but there isn’t much out there other than saying they’ll face health complications and their lifespan won’t be as long as a normal cat.’

Fig was part of a litter of three kittens, with her sister Melody also having dwarfism while Dante does not. 

Her dwarfism wasn’t obvious at first until the charity Cats Protection noticed that Dante was growing at a normal rate while Fig remained small.

Due to her condition, the 18-month-old cat’s growth was stunted from a young age meaning she’s remained pint-sized

Fig is half the size of her brother Dante… but they are still close and Fig can now follow him around the house 

Fig is so tiny that her owner has had to kit out the home with a series of special steps and ramps so she can follow her full-sized brother around the home

Little Fig is not much bigger than a can of fizzy drink, but she is happy now she is on pain medication 

While an average cat’s life span is between 12 and 18 years, little Fig is only expected to live between six to eight years.

She was doing well until February this year when she started to suffer with joint pain.

Katie said: ‘We got her X-rayed and then got her some pain meds.

‘The same thing happened to Melody just a couple of months later. 

‘They both had a little bit of a wobble, but they’re both now on treatments and doing really well again.’

An X-ray showed the extent of Fig’s condition, with the young cat having several skeletal problems – including having no knee caps.

Katie said: ‘We got an X-ray and the growth plates in her spine haven’t formed properly and her rib cage hasn’t formed properly. 

Owner Katie, 29, adopted Fig and her brother Dante last year but was told Fig had dwarfism prior to bringing her home

While an average cat’s life span is between 12 and 18 years, little Fig is only expected to live between six to eight years

Fig is now on a handful of medications to help her with the pain caused by her condition and, while the discomfort had caused some distress for her, she’s now ‘doing a lot better’

What is cat dwarfism?

Dwarfism in cats is caused by rare genetic defects which lead to the development of disproportionate and undersized mature adult cats.

Feline dwarfism is a very complex and often poorly understood aspect of feline health and care.

There is no definitive treatment option available for treating cats with dwarfism, and the outcome varies according to the severity of the disorder and which bones are affected.

 For some cats, bone dysplasia can be debilitating, whereas, for others, they can learn to compensate for the smaller limb size and reduction in mobility.

It comes with increased risk of cat obesity, plus a high risk of bone and joint issues.

There is also a high chance of developing cat arthritis.

Source: Purina.co.uk

‘Her hips have no proper socket joints, so the ball and socket are just hard against each other. She’s also got no knee caps. 

‘Quite recently we got some blood tests done and they’ve discovered that she’s got very low thyroid levels, so they’ve diagnosed her with pituitary dwarfism. 

‘That’s what caused her stunted growth when she was a kitten.’

Fig is now on a handful of medications to help her with the pain and, while the discomfort had caused some distress for her, she’s now ‘doing a lot better’.

Katie said: ‘When she was at the peak of her pain situation, she had this little den under the dining room table and she wouldn’t really come out of there. We had to put her food in front of her. She was just a very sad cat.

‘It’s taken a while for her to settle [on her medication] but, in the last three weeks, she’s become a completely different cat again and stomping around the house and in the garden like she owns the place. 

‘She’s much happier and back to being really playful.’

As adorable as Fig is, Katie has warned people against actively seeking out a pet with dwarfism.

She said: ‘We get lots of comments on Fig’s videos like “Oh my god, that’s amazing. I want a dwarf cat,” but I just want to say that I’d never encourage someone to get one.

‘Obviously if you see a dwarf cat at a rescue centre then rescue it, but you have to think about the money implications. I’d tell people to never go out their way to get a dwarf cat because it is very expensive.’

Katie has Fig insured but due to the insurer labelling her dwarfism as a ‘pre-existing condition’, they rarely pay out for her veterinary bills.

While Katie has to pay a lot out herself, she has some financial support from Cats Protection because she took Fig on knowing she had dwarfism.

Sharing advice to people who may adopt a special needs cat like Fig, Katie urged people to make adjustments in their home as soon as possible.

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