Kittens? Pretty cute. Brave kittens? Cuter. Brave kittens with their legs in little kitty casts? THE CUTEST THING EVER.
Here’s a bit of good old-fashioned warm-fuzzy animal story to take the edge off what’s been a profoundly edgy year: the Cat Cuddle Cafe, a cat cafe and no-kill rescue group in Brisbane, recently took in three kittens suffering from a foreleg deformity called radial hypoplasia. Now they’re raising funds to treat and rehome them.
Michonne, Phyllis and Fleur Bunny were rescued along with their severely malnourished mum, Florence. After a lifetime of neglect, Florence was diagnosed with FIV, and her undernourishment meant all three kittens had varying degrees of deformation in their forelegs.
The condition means that some of the bones in the kittens’ forelegs are missing or only partly formed, giving them (adorably) wonky, floppy front legs. While cute, it can cause a number of problems later in life, including broken bones and ulcers.
Undeterred, the shelter has forked out for X-rays, vet consultations and care for the family, and is now turning to crowdfunding to support their ongoing treatment. They’ve already raised more than $9000 of their $15,000 goal, and when you see what it’s going towards you’re going to lose it.
Despite initial vet consults suggesting that the kittens would need amputations (or even to be put down – nooo), Cat Cuddle Cafe have persisted with alternative treatments and settled on: TINY LITTLE KITTY CASTS!
Two out of three kittens are now tapping about in their custom leg-straightening gear like little gorilla-cat hybrids bred specifically to break our hearts (in an almost intolerably heartwarming turn of events / Christmas miracle, the third recovered all on her own).
Treatment is progressing well, as you can see from a number of face-clawingly cute Facebook vids:
You can contribute to caring for the cutest Christmas kittens of the century, possibly longer, by donating to the ‘Fix Our Legs’ GoFundMe here.
Once the casts come off, the kittens and their mum will all be up for adoption. Obviously I’d take them, but I’ve already died from looking at too many pictures of kittens in casts. WORTH IT.
Source and image: Cat Cuddle Cafe.
