When Molly Lichtenwalner was looking for a new pet, she knew she wanted an animal with special needs. Little did she know, however, the extent that her new furry companion would end up changing her life.
“[I] suffered from anxiety as a result (of a car accident),” she said. “Growing up on a farm, surrounded by animals, and after my accident, I realized just how much animals help me and my mental health.”
Otitis was adopted by Molly after being surrendered to the Reline Rescue Association of Baltimore. He had been given up when he started developing large, painful cysts in his ears, and his family could not afford his surgery. Staff at the rescue raised money to help get the sweet boy fixed, and now Otitis, the earless cat, has been busy making a difference in his new home.
When Molly laid eyes on the adorable Otitis, she knew he was the one.
“I knew he was the perfect cat for me,” she said. “He was an older, special needs cat that I knew needed the home and love that I absolutely knew I could give him. I found out later that many people asked about him, but none ever put in an application for him— I was the first.”
“His foster family told me that he was in so much with his cysts that he never played and moved as minimally as possible,” Molly told The Dodo. “Now he’s constantly running around and playing and loving life, [he’s] so much happier without his ears.”
Since being adopted into his new family, Otitis spends his days playing and cuddling his mom. He helps her deal with her anxieties and can even sense when she’s upset.
“One night,” she told The Dodo, “I woke up from a nightmare and Otitis was sleeping on my pillow. My heart was beating very fast and Otitis could tell I wasn’t myself.”
“He crawled off the pillow and onto my chest and slept there until my heartbeat went back to normal, then went back to his pillows.”
Now that Otitis lives with Molly and Dad, his life is happy, healthy, and pain-free. Molly tells The Dodo, “He is by far the best thing that ever happened to me.”
