Special Ed's new special needs

For those of you who don't know, we have a cat named Special Ed. He is very special indeed. I am not making this up, he has the feline form of cerebral palsy (yes, cats CAN have cerebral palsy, I am not kidding) and is just generally not the sharpest crayon in the box. So he marches along on legs that don't work quite right and falls over a lot and doesn't do much other than eat, sleep, and snuggle, but we love him. He is our sweet faced special little guy. He is the most loyal cat around, once he loves you he truly deeply completely loves you. And has absolutely no use for anyone else. Some people in our life have never even seen him and probably never will. He is definitely a one person kind of cat, except he has two people to divide his affections over. Change is hard for Edward, so of course, Maddy's entrance has been a tough adjustment. Especially now that she is moving around and getting in his business. He has started to act out and progressively it has gotten worse. Those of you with cats know exactly what I am talking about... his bathroom habits have really gotten out of control. So I took him to the vet to rule out any medical problems, although I was pretty sure it is a behavioral thing that HAS TO STOP! I love animals, almost as much as I love babies, but I draw the line at peeing on the carpet. My house is not a freaking litterbox and I have zero tolerance for this whole issue, especially with not getting a ton of sleep and not the hottest coping skills around. Ok, so we are at the vet and the whole thing annoys me because you know it is going to cost an arm and a leg but has to be done. The verdict comes back that he actually DOES have something biologically going on in addition to all the stress changing his behavior. And of course he now needs super expensive fancy pants cat food to avoid surgery or the possibility of having to put him down. In addition to the food change we need to address his stress level. We talked about putting him on anti-anxiety medication, but with his neurological issues he is at risk for seizures and not metabolizing the drugs as a normal cat would. Plus the thought of having to pill him twice a day just seems too annoying to even begin to deal with. I love him, but seriously.... So this is my favorite part of the whole ridiculous story, the vet recommended trying to treat it homeopathically with an air infusion similar to one of those Glade plug ins. Except our plug in has special kitty pheremones in it to make the house "happier" and more "pleasant" for Edward. Give me a break!!! But I can't believe it: all of these things put together are actually working. No more accidents for quite a few days now. I think we have soothed the savage beast and found a solution. I feel like one of those crazy cat people, having kitty pheremone air fresheners and special food dishes in my bedroom and litter in our master bathroom (which drives me NUTS!). Sigh. But if it saves us from having to get all new carpet or not having Edward any longer, then I am willing to acquiesce. I did have to throw several five alarm fits along the way while I got used to all these changes that are so frustrating and annoying. More money going out each month. Litter in the bathroom (did I mention that this drives me absolutely NUTS?!). But then Ed gazes at me adoringly and I guess it is all worth it. The food he'll be on for the rest of his life (which could be cut short if he sprays even one more time), and hopefully we'll be able to transition the food and litter back to their rightful places in the laundry room. The kitty pheremone air freshener is what really kills me in this whole scenario, but if it works then I will just have to get used to being one of those crazy cat people willing to do anything for their furry little feline friends. But I tell you, when Edward and Micah go, we are NEVER having another animal as long as I live. And I have instructed Jason to feel free to remind me of this when I start to renig on my deal and beg for just one cute sweet soft little kitty someday. Don't give in! Don't do it! Don't let me get myself into another mess! Babies are enough work all on their own, sometimes I feel like I have fourteen of them with trying to take care of so many creatures. So we will someday be done with animals and cross your fingers for us that we all survive until that day comes (and hopefully it won't be too soon because as much as I whine and complain, I really do love them both, honest I do).