Special Needs Cat Who Can't Walk Gets Chance to See the World with Rides in Clear Backpack
Courtesy Avalo Cat Sanctuary
Sarge is a two-year-old cat with a rare disorder that has left her unable to walk. Her owner, Michelle Donlick, says despite that, the feline is incredibly social and loves people. So Donlick came up with a way for Sarge to meet new people and see the world by taking the cat on field trips in a see-through backpack.
"I wanted to make her feel like she's included, and with the backpack, she can see everywhere, which is really great. When we were wandering around the Charleston Market, everyone stopped and asked us a ton of questions," the pet parent tells PEOPLE.
Sarge, short for Sargenta, has cerebellar hypoplasia, a developmental condition where the cerebellum fails to develop properly — that's the part of the brain that controls motor skills, balance, and coordination.
"Sarge was born this way and has a really severe case. She can't walk at all; she lays on her side, and she kind of flops wherever she wants to go, but she's not in any pain," Donlick says. Donlick runs the non-profit Avalo Cat Sanctuary in Aiken, South Carolina. The 16-acre property is home to 353 cats — many of which have special needs. The rescue welcomed Sarge two years ago when the feline was just a few months old and quickly realized she loved being around people.
Courtesy Avalo Cat Sanctuary
"I was trying to figure out how we could tour her around, and I went on Amazon and found this backpack, and it was just the neatest thing with breathing holes. People were so excited to see us and meet her. She just looks amused in the backpack. She sits there swaying back and forth, and she moves around a lot so that she can look out and see everybody. She really likes the attention. She's a really sweet girl," Donlick adds.
So far, Sarge has visited the famed Charleston Market, restaurants at Shem Creek, and a beach at nearby Sullivan's Island.
"We sat and ate lunch at a restaurant with her in a chair in the bubble, she sat on the docks at Shem Creek, and she loved every minute of it," Donlick says of her trips with Sarge.
Courtesy Avalo Cat Sanctuary
According to Donlick, Sarge enjoyed her backpack adventures so much that Donlick is already planning another outing for the cat. And for the next field trip, Sarge will likely have company because Donlick recently ordered two more backpacks so other special needs cats at the sanctuary can join in on the experience.
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There's Akimbo — a Bengal who is paralyzed after falling nine stories from a high-rise and can't walk — and Rita, a tortoiseshell cat who had her leg amputated after a car ran over her.
Courtesy Avalo Cat Sanctuary
"Those guys love hanging out with Sarge, so the goal is to get to the point where we can take them all out in their own backpacks and all go sightseeing together," Donlick says of the adventure ahead.
