Oh, please do not! A word on disabled kittens.

[Bittycat]

So. I was in this popular roleplay. One of the pairs had a litter, and one kitten was white-with-blue-eyes and thus was deaf. We'll call them Whitekit, Snowflower and Shrewnose for example's sake.

So Snowflower is talking with their leader "Mousestar" about mentors for Whitekit. They're considering one warrior who became deaf due to an injury, and imagine she'd be good because she knows what it's like. Shrewnose hears this and comes, joining the conversation.

He suggests Doeleaf, the medicine cat, as a suitable mentor.

Mousestar is obviously skeptical. Whitekit is ~4 moons old at the time, so she's not quite old enough to make that sort of decision for herself. Snowflower is equally confused. It's kind of odd to her that he would suggest such an esteemed cat to be their daughter's mentor.

What is Shrewnose's reasoning, you ask? Allow me to paraphrase.

"Whitekit would never make a good Warrior, and we all know it. She could never do patrols or battle - she could never hear an enemy coming. Clearly she's destined to be a Medicine Cat - she'll be the least burden that way."

Excuse me,WHAT?

isndjxnsnef I was so mad. Has this happened to anyone else in-roleplay?

[Sparrow]

Thankfully, I haven't had anything like that happen to me personally. This is really absurd! They already had a deaf warrior, for one thing - one not deaf from birth who seems to have accommodated just fine, so why would Whitekit not be able to be a warrior.

And then there's the idea that a disabled cat would only be a burden, which is just gross, and exactly the opposite attitude that a clan cat should have! The whole point of a clan is to support each other, and even when you're too old to contribute as a warrior you aren't kicked out. No clan would ever consider a deaf cat a burden, they would look for ways that cat could contribute and train them to the best of their abilities.

The whole idea of shoving a disabled cat into the position of medicine cat is also absurd. Yes, put the cat you consider a 'burden' into one of the most important positions in the clan, where they have to play both healer and spiritual guide, without giving them a say in the manner. That couldn't end horribly at all.

I've gotta blame the Erins for instilling this kind of mindset. Disabled characters are given such poor treatment in canon, this isn't even surprising.

[Foxthroat]

I have to say that I unfortunately have encountered this, and from my sibling no less, in the Warriors roleplays we used to do together. I'm guessing it was due to their great insistence that 'fantasy doesn't have to be realistic' and adhering to exactly what Erin Hunter put down as opposed to experimenting with their own takes, as I enjoyed doing.

Blind/deaf/etc. cats always were made medicine cats, despite my repeated arguments of how utterly stupid it was to force someone into a position of great necessity and responsibility, because in all honesty that cat is going to be very ticked and resentful most likely; I consider myself pretty keen to help others and be kind, but I know I have a not so nice streak, and if I was in that position, I know I would probably be pretty darn spiteful about it. Especially considering that a clan's purpose is to work together, support everyone, and help them find /their/ preferred niches in clan life. And if a blind cat wants to be a warrior, they should be!

A thing I feel many people neglect to consider is that there is so much more to being a warrior than just fighting (and the occasional hunting). In a lot of things, it seems that's literally all warriors do. But there's a lot more-- teaching kits, guarding camp, kit-sitting, caring for elders, helping sit with and chat with sick/injured cats who need some moral support, advising the leader, reporting stuff to the deputy, training with apprentices, ensuring the dens and camp boundary are safe, cleaning dens, telling stories/myths/history, etc.

Additionally, consider that they certainly could fight/hunt/patrol, they simply may need to tackle things a little differently, and I feel that's an excellent thing, because consider this: you have a kit born with a deformed leg so they limp a little. But they do figure out how to get around and hunt/fight/patrol/what have you to the best of their ability. Not only have they proved how strong, adaptable, and intelligent they are, they've also improved the adaptability of the whole clan-- they could perhaps advise the medicine cat or any cats who injure a foot permanently some possible ways they could go about tackling activities successfully. A clan is all about learning and gaining from each other and growing together.

Another thing I have noticed here is that even if the disabled kitten becomes a warrior, they're automatically barred from being a deputy or leader-- why? Because the strongest argument I can bring for that is that being a good leader /does not/ mean being the best fighter or the best hunter or the best tree-climber. It means having good qualities for leadership-- being confident, being organized, being good at knowing who is good at what you need done, being someone who can make others work together and command their respect. You can be all  of those things, because they require learned traits, personality traits, and intelligence. It has nothing to do with your physical situation.