Last Fall, about six months into the 2020 pandemic, I found myself telecommuting for work, and really feeling the emptiness of being at home. We had lost our family dog earlier that Spring, and so I reached out to several local animal rescue agencies and signed up to be a cat foster. During the course of my volunteer work, I met the amazing Skippy!
Skippy came to a local rescue agency with a broken pelvis and severe nerve damage, and it was decided that an amputation was his only option. He was only 9 months old at the time, and his kind and loving demeanor won over everyone that he met. The amazing veterinarian who performed his surgery relayed to me the overwhelming emotion she felt at taking his leg, and how when he awoke from surgery, he put his paws around her neck and hugged her and purred his gratitude. On some deep level, I truly believe this amazing cat knew that she was saving his life. After surgery, he stayed with a phenomenal medical cat caregiver, who would become a dear friend to our family and especially to Skippy.
I pretty much knew I wanted to adopt Skippy from the first moment I met him, when he wobbled over to the crate door at the rescue vet’s office and lovingly “booped” me through the woven metal door. My heart melted, and there was pretty much no going back from there. Approximately 60 days post amputation, he was cleared for adoption, and he officially became a member of our family. I was so nervous at first, and worried about his limitations and his safety, but he quickly proved to me that he was a normal rambunctious kitten, who just happened to have three legs. He never let it slow him down, not for one single moment.
