Three-legged kitten — ‘joy condensed into orange fur’ — gets a fresh start in NC
A three-legged shelter kitten was bursting with joy — and now, he gets a fresh start.
Peewee, an “optimist” who craves affection, has been adopted in North Carolina.
“We were ECSTATIC for him,” Mady Thielemann, a spokesperson for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) of Wake County, told McClatchy News via email. “Everyone was smiling at each other!”
The roughly 7-month-old cat got a new home after he was rescued in bad shape. A good Samaritan had found him walking “bow legged” with a “decomposed” tail, Thielemann said Sept. 4 in a phone interview.
Peewee landed at another shelter, which couldn’t care for the extent of his injuries. Then he was transferred to the Raleigh-area SPCA, which learned one of his hind legs was broken in multiple places.
“We don’t know what sort of accident caused Peewee’s injuries, but it was clear from the moment we saw him that neither his leg or tail could be saved,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post.
After his amputation surgeries, the shelter believes Peewee is adjusting well.
“Despite all the pain he’s been through, he thinks humans are just the best thing in the world,” Thielemann said, adding that he’s been seen rolling over like a dog and leaning in for pets.
“Peewee is missing a leg, a tail, and all knowledge of negativity,” the shelter wrote. “He is simply too busy being happy. When Peewee sits, he turns into a loaf with a smile on his face. When he sees new friends, he climbs his kennel door in anticipation of receiving head pets. And when he purrs, he means it. He is joy condensed into orange fur and serotonin embodied.”
As Peewee waited for a home, the shelter shared his story Sept. 3 on Facebook. He received a flood of interest and got a new owner the following day. Potential adopters may have been drawn to him due to his age and the desire to help a kitten in need, according to Thielemann.
“People really love orange kitties,” Thielemann said. “Pretty much any time I post about an orange cat, it just about happens. I think also whenever they have that really friendly, outgoing personality, that attracts people.”
