Adored Special Kitten Finds a Dream Forever Home

Home is where the heart is according to Dolly Parton, but that should not mean that the physical houses should not be as comfortable as possible. Consequently, we do everything to ensure that we come home to a clean house, a well-manicured lawn and beautiful décor. Therefore the minute you find something that is out of place or unwanted, your first thought is to discard it. However, what happens when that “something” is an animal sitting in your backyard? If you are not an animal lover, then you will immediately chase it away, but one special pawed kitten was lucky. Love Meow details out the journey of the kitten to finding a forever home.

Getting found and assessing his health conditions

One day, last summer, one resident in Queens, New York, walked into the backyard only to find a kitten whose legs were constricted. The resident called upon Jacqueline, a trap neuter return rescuer to come and rescue the kitten. Upon seeing the condition of the cat, Jacqueline’s’ first instinct was to take the kitten to the vet where they discovered that it had a congenital disease. As a result, the kitten’s legs were deformed, but his problems did not end there. Apart from the deformed legs, the kitten had trouble eating; therefore, he was weak. As a result, he was underweight, weighing less than a pound despite being six weeks old. Usually, a kitten his age should weigh about a pound to 1.5 pounds, but the minute he was in a comfortable home environment, the kitten began feeding on his own.

Taken in his forever home

The kitten needed some special attention so, no ordinary home would do. Therefore Fuzzy Butts Rescue and TNR took him in so they would take care of his physical therapy and provide proper nutrition. Dina, who had seen the kitten pictures and fallen in love with his cuteness, came to the rescue. According to Dina, the kitten immediately became of the part of the family and behaved as such. He felt he belonged and began playing with the other cats he found there. Since he needed a name, the family ended up calling him Speck-tabular or simply Speck. The name is derived from his cuteness; both in personality and physical features. Now that he has grown a bit bigger, even his canines have developed into fangs.

Special care for Speck

Speck does not believe that he is special and trusts he can do anything that the rest of the cats can. Therefore despite his disability, he tries as much as he can to move around without help. However, as much as Speck wants to be independent, he still needs a helping hand. The condition he is suffering from is still unknown with specialists from the University of Pennsylvania attempting to find out, but Speck has received all the care that he needs. His hind legs could at first enable him to move around, but as he has grown older, they seem to have gotten weak. Therefore Speck had a custom-fitted cart to ensure he keeps the shape of any healthy cat and enable him to build muscle strength. Further, they have gone ahead to give Speck some physical therapy, primarily water therapy, as well as braces.

Enjoying life to the fullest

Had it been a human being born with such limitations, they probably would have given up on life too quickly and indulged in self-destructive habits. However, Speck knows what a blessing life is, and he is not taking it for granted that he has come this far. Consequently, he ensures that even those around him are aware of his presence with his immense need for attention. Speck will ask for treats from his owners and let them know when he needs to use the litter box by a simple tap or meow according to Lipstick Alley. Moreover, Speck cannot go to sleep unless he has cuddled up with the owners for at least half an hour. When he does fall asleep, he wants to sleep beside them so that a few minutes before 6 am he will wake them up with cuddles. It seems like Speck already knows that the goal of Dina and the other rescuers is to spoil him rotten, so he does not feel neglected. Therefore every morning after waking them up, Speck leads them to the kitchen for his breakfast. After that, Speck enjoys some playtime with the other acts while also getting some exercise. Although he wears braces and has a cart to help move around, Speck does not think he is any different from his fellow felines. Still, whenever he needs help, he is not afraid to meow for help.

Is it an isolated case?

Taking care of people with special needs is a hectic job that demands patience and understanding, and it is the same with animals. In 2017, one cat owner had had enough of caring two cats born with a congenital condition. Suzie and her brother Baxter, then 15 months old, were dropped off at Animal Rescue League of Boston. Their owner could not accommodate their needs according to ARL Boston. The cats suffered from radial agenesis; they had only a hind leg each and front limbs had missing bones, causing them to walk on their wrists. Due to their condition, the cats could only stay indoors and needed easily accessible basics such as lowered-opening litter boxes. They also required carpeted floors, especially on the stairs for more effortless movement as well as a healthy diet to maintain a healthy weight. They ended up in foster homes as they waited to be taken to their forever homes.

More about Fuzzy Butts Rescue and TNR

This organization is located in New York and aims to facilitate rescued cats into permanent homes while also ensuring their well-being. It, therefore, provides the option of adoption or fostering through applications that can be downloaded from their website.

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