Humans are creatures of empathy. Our brains are wired in such a way that we are readily able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes and imagine how they would feel in a certain situation. For most of us, seeing a person in pain creates waves of empathy in our brain, making us want to seek out a solution and solve their problems— but this doesn’t just apply to fellow humans! As a species, humans are well-known for showing empathy towards animals too.
A woman named Justina Strumilaite was experiencing this kind of empathy when she found a sickly, stray kitten named Brownie. The little kitten was very weak and no one expected him to survive. But Justina felt bad for the little guy and refused to just leave him there alone.
When Justina took a closer look at at the kitten, whom she named Brownie, she noticed his feet looked a little different. Turns out the sickly guy was also a special kitty, having just two toes on one of his front paws.
Brownie’s fusing of the toes, known as syndactyly or ‘split foot’, is rarer than having extra toes— a condition known as polydactyly. Brownie’s version of syndactyly, where a kitty has two toes, in particular, is the most common form of split foot. But, as Messy Beast explains, “the condition rarely causes problems as long as the claws are kept clipped.”
For the most part, Brownie’s little “lobster claw” didn’t seem to bother the little kitten at all. For Brownie, most of his difficulties laid mainly in the arena of food.
Justina tried everything she could to get Brownie to eat, but the little guy kept up a tough front. Because he wouldn’t eat, he wasn’t gaining weight, and the issue soon became a serious concern.
Justina refused to give up on little Brownie, though. And with some coaxing and determination, she finally got the little guy drinking water and eating tasty food. From there, he grew into an adorable ball of fur!
When Justina nursed Brownie back to health, she quickly learned the little kitten was full of affection and purrrsonality— and once little Brownie had mastered his food, his fur started growing… and it just didn’t stop!
Brownie, the former sickly kitty, grew bigger and fluffier than anybody— least of all Justina— could have ever imagined!
What was once a tiny, sickly kitten had blossomed into a majestic feline KING.
Who knows what would have happened to Brownie if Justina hadn’t felt it in her heart to help.
With Justina’s love and compassion, look at “little” Brownie now!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
