True story: true love lasts.

And when it’s hopelessly-devoted-to-you kinda love, it lasts forever. So it’s only fitting that we (you, me, Tashi, Bialy) are still very much in lurrrrrve with the dancing ocelot, Molly. Special thanks to her forever MollyMama for writing this glorious, picture-full update. Prepare to swoon…and dance.

“Molly (a.k.a. “Mollipop,” “Mollinator,” “Weebles,” “Bumper,” “Munchkin,” and “Chicken Pickle”) came home with us from Tabby’s Place two months ago. I wanted to write to let you know how wonderful she’s doing and how amazing she is.

“When we first brought Molly home, she spent approximately 2 1/4 seconds in her little cube before deciding, Gee, this place is alright and these human beans seem alright. I think it would be more fun to explore than to hide.

“And so she came out of her cube and acted like she’d lived with us her whole life. On Day 2, Molly (much to my surprise) got past me at the door and started marching down the hallway like she owned the joint. Wanting to introduce her slowly to our resident cat, I picked her up and put her back in her room. Instead of being miffed, she simply head butted me and rolled over for belly rubs.

“Oh! The belly rubs! These are Molly’s favorite things in the whole wide world. While most cats I’ve known would rather you step on their tail than touch their bellies, Molly is constantly rolling over and requesting tummy love, and she will reward you with mega-decibel purring and a little (or big) puddle of drool.

“The most extraordinary things about her, though, are the ordinary things. See, Molly has cerebellar hypoplasia. She weebles and wobbles and bumps into things and sometimes face-plants when she’s trying to move forward just an inch, and yet… she manages to do everything a ‘normal’ cat would do. She might not do it the same way or with the same grace, but she has adapted quite well to her handicap and doesn’t seem to be aware at all that anything’s different about her.

“Molly climbs (not jumps) onto furniture for cat naps and sort of ‘pours’ herself down to the floor when she’s done. She has quite the appetite and no problem eating, though she either pecks at the food like a bird or simply buries her face in it.

“She has to lie down while doing her business, though gets everything inside the litter box just fine. She grooms, she plays, she stalks, she pounces (with a few detours side-to-side along the way), and she is a total and complete lap cat. Sit down Indian-style on the floor, and next thing you know, you’ll have a purring, drooling, head-butting, belly-rub-requesting cat on your lap.

“Her favorite toys are feathered. She is talkative and greets you when you enter her room (brrrp!) and runs over with anticipation to her place mat when you walk in with dinner.

“We’re having fun getting to know Molly and having her teach us how to best accommodate her handicap — non-tip bowls, no dusty litter that flings everywhere, cat bed by the food so she can lean down into it, area rugs please! — but most of all we love our cuddle and play time together and all the other ‘normal’ things that she does in her own special way.”

MollyMama, thank you for giving your mighty munchkin a love that’s custom-built for her. And thank you for giving us one final treat: a front-row seat to the world Mollination tour. Click here…and prepare to lose your heart. No Broadway musical could compete with these brrps and feats of footwork. Thud!

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