Floppy Cat isn’t like all the other cats. Instead of strolling and running, he flips, flops and sways when he walks.

But instead of treating his oddball crawl like a hindrance, he treats it like a gift, making his story a metaphor for any child who isn’t like everyone else.

Kari Kay, author of Floppy Cat, from the Floppy Cat Company (www.floppycat.com) based her children’s book on the life of her real cat, Floppy, who was born with a balance disability that turned his normal feline gait into a staccato strut, making every step a challenge. She wants to use his life, turned into a rhyming children’s story – complete with a CD of uplifting music about the hidden blessings of being special – to inspire children who may view their own differences in a negative light.

The story of Floppy Cat is based on the real life of a SD farm cat once owned by author Kari Kay.

“Floppy was born with very little balance control which made his daily life very difficult,” Kay said. “He had two other siblings that were born with the same challenges - Flippy and Shakey. Flippy and Shakey laid around most of the day letting their challenges get the best of them, while Floppy reacted differently. He spent his days taking on one adventure after another. Rarely did you see Floppy in one place for very long. Floppy enjoyed his life. Never letting his challenges stand in his way of having fun.”

While Kay knows the book will resonate with children who may be different for one reason or another, she feels the primary messages in her book apply to every child, no matter their gifts or hindrances. Her main points include:

• Keep your Whiskers held high and your tail to the sky – No matter your situation, always have faith that being yourself is more than enough to making the most out of life.
• Don’t let challenges hold you back from doing or getting what you want – Life isn’t always going to be easy, but that doesn’t mean you should let its challenges hold you back. Facing them with a smile can be your strength!
• Figure out what you want and go for it and be willing to learn new things – It’s sometimes easier knowing what you don’t want than what you do want, but once you’ve figured it out, you should be more like Floppy, who didn’t let anything stand in his way.
• Believe in yourself! Use your uniqueness to move forward in life – Being different isn’t a burden, but rather, it’s a gift. Use it to your advantage instead of letting it hold you back. Your ability to overcome adversity will inspire everyone around you.
• Stay positive! Look for the good in every situation – Even at its worst, life can still have its good points, if we only look for them. Floppy wouldn’t have had to look far to find doom and gloom, but instead – no matter what – he could always see the good in every situation.

“If you want to live life to the fullest – stay focused on what you want, look for the good, and never, never let challenges stand in your way as obstacles,” she said. “Rather, you use them as opportunities to grow and become all that you want to be.”

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