Malcolm was in the care of a small shelter in Virginia.Despite his wonderful personality and good looks, Malcolm languished for years because his diabetes made him an unlikely candidate for adoption.Eventually, the shelter had to make a difficult decision, as they could no longer use up the cage space for an unadoptable cat.

They called Tabby’s Place, hoping we would have a spot for him.We said we would be happy to accept Malcolm, but that our waiting list was many months long.The shelter said they would find a foster home for him & wait until his spot became available.We were happy when we were finally able to accept Malcolm, as he is a very affectionate, loving cat.

Diabetes results when an animal’s pancreas is unable to produce adequate amounts of insulin, a hormone especially important for metabolizing carbohydrates. The primary signs of diabetes are increased drinking, increased urination, and weight loss. Left untreated, diabetes can be painful and, even, fatal. Diabetes is most often treated by the administration of insulin, to replace that which the body isn’t producing. Malcolm lives in the Special Needs Suite, where we feed a prescription diet that helps minimize the need for insulin in diabetic cats. Fortunately, Malcolm has been very well regulated on his insulin since arrival.

Malcolm is also deaf.As with most deaf cats, however, he compensates very well for this disability.Malcolm loves people and gets along well with other cats.We are hopeful that he may eventually be adopted. But, there are not many people who will consider adopting a diabetic cat, so we know his chances of adoption are greatly reduced.