Rescue Cat Can’t Stop Smiling After Finding Forever Home

Smiling CatSource: © Shutterstock

Two years ago, gym manager Kelly DeWeese lost her mom to breast cancer. As you might expect, she was extremely depressed and since she was already into fitness, she thought that going for a series of runs might help her deal with the depression that she was experiencing. A native of Owensboro, Kentucky, she had a habit of running through wide-open cornfields. In only her second run into the series, a small, stray kitten ran out in front of her. She stopped and noticed that the kitten was very ill, so ill in fact that it could scarcely keep its eyes open. She knew that she had to act. Even though she was roughly two miles away from home and the kitten was infested with fleas, she gently picked it up and carried it the entire distance back to her house where she could give it a bath. She then took it to a veterinarian. That’s where the story really starts for these two, and it is indeed a story of redemption, love and ultimately, triumph.

A Rough Start

There’s no doubt about it, the kitten was off to a rough start. After taking her to a veterinarian, Kelly was informed that the cat was not only weak from hunger, but also very ill. It took several weeks to sort everything out but eventually, it was determined that she had potentially dangerous polyps behind each eye, something that was affecting her ability to breathe effectively because it was impacting her sinus cavities. That left the cat, who had now been named Calico Snickers, in such a state where she was constantly sneezing and was actually incapable of making a sound. The surgery to fix this problem would be both risky and expensive. As a matter of fact, the specialist that they had eventually started seeing said that she would have to have two surgeries, one for each eye, slated six weeks apart. The first one went just fine but after the second surgery was completed and the kitten came out of recovery, she couldn’t see anything at all. The veterinarian informed Kelly that she had a 50% chance of regaining her sight. That meant that there was just as big a chance that she would end up living out the rest of her days completely blind. Ultimately, the veterinarian offered to put the cat down on Kelly’s behalf, admitting that she was so sick that it might perhaps be the better option. Kelly, on the other hand, was having none of it. She had no intention of giving the cat up, knowing full well that she would allow her to live there with her for the rest of her life. As a result, she was willing to do whatever could be done in order to help her.

Gaining Strength from One Another

Kelly couldn’t help but think about how this cat to come into her life at a time when she was not only depressed, but extremely lonely. Granted, she herself was struggling with the depression that she was facing after the death of her mother. By the same token, the cat was struggling as well. As it turns out, the two of them decided to gain strength from each other as opposed to giving up. Whenever Kelly was having an especially bad day, Calico Snickers was right there to cheer her up with her cheeky personality, her adorable antics and beautiful markings that are nothing short of stunning. She actually looks like she’s smiling all the time, something that brought Kelly a great deal of joy in her darkest moments. By the same token, she was able to give the little cat exactly what she needed. Medical care was definitely included in that, but the biggest thing was love. After a couple of surgeries, several months and more than $7,000, the little cat started showing signs of strength. She wasn’t ready to give up, so there was no way that Kelly was going to give up on her. She couldn’t help but be completely awestruck by the cat’s markings every time she looked at her and that got her thinking about the possibility that this little cat could bring joy into the lives of other people as well. That’s when she came up with the idea for starting an Instagram account dedicated to Calico Snickers.

An Explosion of Popularity

Just as Kelly had anticipated, people couldn’t wait to go to this little cat’s Instagram account and see what she was up to. There’s no doubt about it, her markings make her look extremely happy all the time and that’s definitely a plus for being a success on Instagram. However, it’s not just about her looks. Her personality matches that permanent smile that she seems to be wearing on her face. She has a tendency to follow the camera, seeking out an opportunity to be photographed. She also seems to make some of the cutest poses, and Kelly insists that they’re all her own. She says that she never poses her. As it turns out, this is a cat that also loves to watch television, so don’t be surprised if you see some Instagram posts featuring her being completely engrossed in one of her favorite shows. Thankfully, this is a story that has a happy ending for everyone involved. These days, Calico Snickers is doing great, as is her person. At the same time, they’re both working steadily to bring smiles to the faces of countless numbers of people who see their posts on Instagram. Kelly herself often reflects on those darker days when she decided to go for a run. She’s so grateful that she made the decision to do that on that particular day and that she took that particular route. She’s very happy to have this cat in her life and by all accounts, Calico Snickers feels exactly the same way.

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  • Smiling Cat: © Shutterstock

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