Anne Bremner is one of the nation’s most familiar legal analysts.
Over her 29-year career, the well-respected trial attorney has covered high-profile cases from Amanda Knox to Mary Kay Letourneau.
Bremner is a regular contributing legal analyst who has appeared on CNN, Fox, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, and the BBC, and she is often the go-to legal contributor for Nancy Grace.
While Bremner is a well-known legal presence, she’s truly passionate about highlighting cats who have a lesser-known condition called Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH).
“I’m such a cat person, but I never realized the joy you’d have with a CH cat,” she enthused.
Cats and kittens with Cerebellar Hypoplasia have a disorder where the cerebellum of the brain has not fully formed.
Symptoms include jerky movement, wobbly or uncoordinated walking, and head bobbing. While there is no cure for Cerebellar Hypoplasia, it neither gets better nor worse. A kitten will learn to compensate for his or her condition and will have a normal lifespan.
Bremner first learned about CH cats when she adopted a feral kitten from a foster program.
“The kittens’ foster parent said that there was something ‘really wrong’ with one of the kittens and said she’d understand if I didn’t want to adopt him,” Bremner stated.
Bremner, who had just lost her 20-year-old cat, didn’t consider this possibility.
“My cat’s name was Jimmy,” she stated. Bremner, who names all of her cats after her father, remembered her longtime friend lovingly.
“He was a fabulous orange male. He was the building mascot and he’d ride the elevator with me. He walked the stairways and greeted the neighbors. People loved him," Bremner recalled.
"Toward the end, Jimmy was going through chemotherapy. He got really sick one morning. I grabbed him to take him to the vet and he died in the elevator.
"When he passed away, I got more flowers than anyone had ever seen. They knew what he meant to me.
"But getting these two was even better – it’s kind of like he lives on in these two. He’d be really proud of his successors."
Upon the foster parent’s warning, Bremner took both kittens to the vet, who told her that one of them was CH. “The vet assured me that he would have a wonderful life,” she stated.
And in the five years since Bremner adopted the kittens, their lives have been truly blessed.
While the still-feral kittens spent most of their first year beneath her bed, Bremner's love and patience eventually won out.
“It was hard because my old cat, Jimmy, had been my best friend,” Bremner recalled.
Continuing her tradition of naming her kitties after her father, Bremner dubbed the kittens Jim (who has CH) and Jimmy.
But then Jim fell out of the window, breaking his leg in 5 places.
“When he broke his leg, the vets said he’d have to have it amputated. I said that he was too unsteady already, so I spent a fortune to help him keep that leg.
During Jim’s recovery, Jimmy jumped into my arms and started to bond with me.”
From that point onward, the trio was inseparable.
"During his treatment, the vets said that Jim was the sweetest, most gentle cat they’d ever met. He’s so happy. It’s like every day is the best day of his life," Bremner stated.
“I think it’s such a cool dynamic that Jimmy is normal. They really love each other," Bremner added.
The two kitties are happy to share their home with Bremner.
"Jim is sweet and fat. He’s so special and loving and cracks me up all of the time. When I come home from work, Jimmy sits up like a gopher.
And then Jim will come flying out and look at me with his crazy eyes that don’t focus," Bremner stated.
And Bremner isn’t the only one in the household who has a soft spot for Jim.
“The two kitties fight a lot – but Jim always wins. I think that Jimmy knows that Jim has special needs. Jimmy protects and guards Jim.”
In addition to capturing her heart, Bremner’s cats have also learned how to be show stoppers.
“Once, I was in the middle of an interview, and Jim got up and tried to get out the window. I had to stop in the middle of the live show,” Bremner said, laughing.
“I always joke with Nancy Grace that she has twins and I have twins, too. I just have one who is special needs.
It’s so important to get the word out that these cats can have a normal life – and they’re so very loving. I can empathize with parents who have kids with special needs. It’s just a joy to have him. I’m so thankful that he was rescued.”
Bremner advocates both for her clients and for those who cannot speak for themselves.
"I’ve actually said once that I wouldn’t do an interview on national television unless they showed a picture of my cats. And they did. So I did the interview," Bremner stated.
"When I go to bed at night, Jimmy comes in normally, but then here comes Jim, he’s crashing, he comes up and looks at me with his eyes that don’t focus.
Sometimes he can’t make it into the bed. But he has to do it himself – he won’t let me help him.
My contractor is making me some stairs so that he can come up onto the bed. He’s so determined to do it himself."
Bremner is happy to support those who help CH cats and kittens.
“I love what Lisa [Beers Kirry] is doing for these cats,” Bremner enthused.
“People will realize that they will love them more than any cat that they ever have. They're so loyal, loving, and funny.
These cats are so rewarding, loving, and fantastic…I can’t say enough about how happy I am that I had adopted these cats. I’m just so glad that Jim is my little guy.
I’m so lucky that I ended up with these two."
Would you like to learn more about Cerebellar Hypoplasia cats and kittens? They truly do make amazing pets. Visit their Facebook site here.
The Seattle Pets column will be featuring special Cerebellar Hypoplasia cats and their people in upcoming articles.
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