thelmalu, what a great story! I think it's funny how our dads start out cat unfriendly, only to become a cat lover when least expected. Same thing happened with my dad. Now it just cracks me up when I see him sitting on the couch with our old cat socks laying across his lap.
I have a cat with a behavioral problem, so I'm not sure if that counts as special needs. His behavioral problem forces my husband and I to keep him contained when we're not home, because otherwise he'll pee all over the house. We have to watch him like a hawk when he is out roaming about when we are home, which can be a little annoying at times. This is my husband's cat, and he just loves that thing to pieces. We've tried everything, but nothing seemed to stop the problem, so we just have a kitty playpen that he stays in when we're gone. He uses his box just fine when he's in there.

I had a good friend in high school who had a dog with epilepsy. It was the saddest thing to see that dog have one of her seizures. All we could do is steady her and keep her calm until it was over. She took medication for it.