Is this a kitten or a baby velociraptor? That’s the question more than one person had after watching Wobbles, a rescued kitten born with wobbly cat syndrome (cerebellar hypoplasia). She has a voracious appetite and zest for life. Despite having more than enough food, she becomes a tiny wobbly dinosaur! You have to see what she does for yourself to understand (see videos below).
Sometimes, cats with CH are only mildly wobbly, but Wobbles’ case is on the severe side. But don’t worry, she’s not in any pain and, with some simple accommodations for her unique needs, can live a long, happy life. She is super playful, gets the “super zoomies,” and is definitely a fighter!
Wobbles lives with Missouri’s Smelly Cat Rescue cofounder Kelly Manno, who has helped care for her since the kitten arrived at about 10 weeks old. Although the kitten is usually “a sweetheart,” she has raptor or gremlin tendencies whenever it’s time to eat. Rawwrrrr!
Images via TikTok/kellymanno
Wobbles the Kitten Becomes a Velociraptor
At five months old, Wobbles continued to go wild when she saw food. It would be a little much for some people, but this fosterer uses her hilarious sense of humor to laugh through the challenges.
“Wobbles is 5 months old. She is my foster cat with Smelly Cat Rescue; she has Cerebellar Hyperplasia, so she can’t control her movements. She also has a tiny touch of food aggression 😆,” shared Kelly Manno.
Video via Instagram/Kelly Manno
Hangry Cat
In another video, we see “Wobbles the Hangry Cat” doing her usual Velociraptor routine at mealtime. Her sister Butt Munch Manno is nearby, but there’s really no reason for Wobbles to be so hangry. It’s just her quirky way of eating.
“Kelly and her brother have done an amazing job caring for her, creating devices that help her live a better life, and have done physical therapy that has helped improve her wobbly ways,” Smelly Cat Rescue explained.
Since she was tiny, Manno has been helping Wobbles with physical therapy, and she has rough and tumble playtime with her dog friend. But she’ll always be off-balance and it must be frustrating when she needs to stay still for a moment to eat. So she tackles the task with extreme determination.
“Since Wobbles was a couple of months old, Kelly has held Wobbles to help steady her so that she can get the food in her mouth rather her eating carpet. We imagine the growling she displays is likely from frustration.”
“She has to work really hard to do basic things and when you’re hungry…you know! It could also be that she thinks Kelly’s gonna belly up to her food, too, so there’s that! With her mobility improving, we’ll be able to start some new eating approaches that may help her be more independent and curb some of her raptor tendencies,” they said.
Video via TikTok/kellymanno
Wobbles as a Tiny Velociraptor Kitten
When Wobbles arrived at 10 weeks old, her CH was already quite severe. But these St. Louis and St. Charles, Missouri-based rescuers have lots of experience caring for cats with this permanent neurological condition.
Kelly Manno shared what she wanted others to know about Wobbles at the time:
- She wants to be here.
- She was one of five in her litter.
- All [were] born with the same thing.
- She is the only survivor.
- She wants to be here.
- She loves my dogs.
- She loves toys.
- She likes bath time.
- There is no cure for CH.
- She still wants to be here.
- She will never be ‘normal’.
- She will keep improving, little by little.
- But I promise you she wants to be here.
“With your help, Wobbles can take over the world,” she said.
Video via Facebook:
You can see more and help support these wonderful rescuer’s efforts at Smelly Cat Rescue on Facebook and Instagram.
Recently, the Velociraptor kitten has been having the zoomies. As you can see, plenty of soft carpet keeps her safe from all the tumbles.
“Wobbles has the super zoomies.”
