They may topple over dozens of times a day, but two cats in Esquimalt aren’t letting their unique neurological condition slow them down when it comes to online fame.

Charla Stromkins adopted Trooper in November 2014 after she had just learned about cerebellar hypoplasia, a condition that affects animals’ fine motor skills resulting in a distinct, wobbly walk.

“Victoria Humane Society posted this video saying this is a cat with a special condition and needs a special home,” said Stromkins. “I was at work, I was working a night shift, and I stopped what I was doing and emailed Penny Stone from Victoria Humane Society and put in application instantly.”

When she realized not many people had heard of the condition, she started photographing and filming Trooper’s exploits on an Instagram account.

“At first it was just private for my friends. Then people said you need to make it a public account,” she said. “Slowly people started following and asking really good questions, there wasn’t a lot of meanness which was really refreshing.”

That’s when it became apparent to Stromkins that the popular social media app could raise awareness about cerebellar hypoplasia, and possibly even save some cats from being killed because of the harmless condition.

“The whole point was to stop them from being mass euthanized. If people understood what they were looking at, they’d be more inclined to see it’s not a sad thing,” she said. “We know that they’re not in any pain, they don’t know they’re any different, they’re born this way, they adapt so quickly. There’s no reason they can’t have full lives.”

Trooper and Sampson, who Stromkins recently adopted and has the same condition, have gained nearly 10,000 followers on Instagram – many of whom are learning about CH for the first time.

It seems awareness may also be on the rise beyond Stromkins’ efforts, according to the Victoria Humane Society.

“We used to get like one or two a year but we’re seeing a lot more now that the vets know we will take them on,” said executive director Penny Stone. “People will come to realize that they can have a great life.”

As for Trooper and Sampson, they’re unaware of any other way of life and are adjusting to each other, Stromkins said.

“You don’t need to feel sorry for them,” she said. “They’re just so resilient and I think that we can all learn something from that. If you fall down you just get back up.”