The outside world is a dangerous place for a kitten. Even though most babies have a Mama to look after them, sometimes disaster still strikes. This world is unpredictable— it’s all about how you play your cards.
Mercury is an inspiring feline who faced unspeakable trauma at only 4-days-old.
You see, when Mercury was just a baby and hadn’t even opened his eyes, the tiny kitten lost both front legs when he was accidentally struck by a weedwhacker.
“We believe [Mercury] was hit with a weed whacker since people in the neighborhood had been doing yard work in tall grass shortly before he was found,” his owners told Daily Mail UK.
When the injured Mercury was discovered, he was immediately rushed to a vet. Medical staff worked hard to dress and clean his wounds, and once he was stable, he was placed in a loving foster home. Mercury’s foster parents were volunteers for a cat rescue and had specialized in neonatal kitten care. They had never cared for a kitty in Mercury’s circumstances— but they were damn sure going to try.
“He was taken to our vet, his wounds were cleaned up, and we were then called to care for him since we do a lot of bottle babies and special needs kitties for rescue.”
Mercury’s foster parents spent every waking moment providing him with suitable care. “We fed him around the clock, and cleaned his wounds multiple times a day until they finally closed over.”
As mentioned, Mercury lost both front legs as the result of the accident. In the end, he was left with a right arm that ends just before “the elbow”, and a left arm that is a little bit longer.
In an interview with The Dodo, Mercury’s Dad said, “For you know, a little kitten, especially one that had been through so much— he was clean, he was pretty healthy. So, it’s like, yeah, yeah, he’ll make it.”
By the time Mercury’s family had nursed him back to health, they couldn’t bear to let the kitty go. They quickly adopted him into their forever home and were devoted to bettering his life. The first thing on the agenda was mobility.
Mercury’s parents knew the little kitten wasn’t eligible for a prosthetic; he didn’t have the required 40% of his original legs intact. The family debated getting a wheelchair as the kitten grew older, but with Mercury’s limited chest muscles, there was also no guarantee it would work. That’s when they opted for the old-fashioned approach: devotion, practice, and a whole lot of prayer!
“We’d make him crawl a little bit,” his Dad said. “We bought lots of stairs so that he could get up on the bed and on the couch.”
Mercury’s family helped him walk by using different types of stairs. They started with a tiny cardboard step and moved on to bigger flights as he progressed. Now, this special kitty uses just his hind legs for everything from running and jumping to leaping and balancing— all thanks to his human’s kind care.
“The first time that he actually crawled up on my chest in bed and went to sleep. I won’t ever forget that. That was pretty special.”
Since the beginning of his journey, Mercury has never lost the motivation to keep trying. His parents call him a T-Rex for his voracity— and, quite frankly, hilarious similarity to the short-armed dinosaur.
Mercury now spends most of his days adventuring outdoors, playing with toys and cuddling his sibling cats.
“He loves the outdoors, being in the grass and rubbing in the trees, and definitely watching birds.”
When Mercury’s story was publicized a few years ago, the inspiring kitty quickly amassed an online following. In an interview with the Dodo, his dad said, “Raising Mercury has taught me to never give up and never give in, even if we experience setbacks.”
“We get lots of stories from people that say, ‘I felt horrible, then I watched Mercury bouncing around and now I feel much better— because if he can do it, I can do it.”
Hear Mercury’s inspiring story below!
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