Life doesn’t always go as expected. It doesn’t matter who you are or what’s in your wallet— in the end, we’re all faced with unexpected obstacles and adversities. This is a fact of life. What defines you, however, is how you choose to deal with them. When life hands you an unexpected trauma, do you lie down and give up? Or do you do rise above the circumstances and grow into something better? Recently, a tiny kitten named Twiggy was faced with a life-altering trauma. And even though she could have given up, she’s shown everyone the true definition of a fighting spirit.
Twiggy is an adorable, tabby kitten that was recovered by PS9 Pets, a pet store in Brooklyn that helps facilitate the adoption of rescue animals. When rescuers came across poor Twiggy, she was dangling from a fence by her back leg.
“A stranger walked by and found her,” Twiggy’s new mom told The Dodo. “He put her in a shoebox and took her to the shelter, and then they gave her emergency care.”
Although Twiggy was rescued, the time she spent dangling from the fence had led to extreme nerve damage. Her mom explained, “They put the cast on to try to help it, but the damage was already done.”
When Twiggy’s new mom saw the tiny kitten in the shelter, it was love at first sight. “I went every day after work for a week until I took her home,” she said.
And as you can see, Twiggy was very happy to be adopted too!
Within 2 days of being in her new home, Twiggy’s owner realized the kitten’s leg was extremely infected and had no feeling in it at all. The kitten was immediately rushed to the vet. Her leg would have to be amputated.
“When I was at the vet and they told me it had to be amputated, I hysterically cried.”
“She was so tiny. She was a pound and a half when she had the surgery.”
“Will she survive this surgery? What happens if she doesn’t make it? And all these scary thoughts that go through your head. I was a nervous wreck.”
Twiggy’s mom had nothing to worry about, though— her kitten was a fighter! Although Twiggy was supposed to be in the hospital for 2 days after the surgery, the next morning, her mom received a call.
“They called me the next morning and said, ‘Actually, she’s ready to come home.'”
Once Twiggy was back with Mom, she recovered and was just as good as new! Because Twiggy had lost all feelings in her injured limb, she had basically taught herself to walk on three legs already!
“She had already learned to walk on three legs and the fourth one was holding her back.”
“As soon as I took her home from surgery, after about 24 hours she would start to walk around and kind of run around too. There was no issues with it.”
Nowadays, you would never be able to tell that Twiggy is missing leg. She is a social, little butterfly and is always zooming around the room like nobody’s business.
“She’s very social. Wherever I am in the apartment, wherever somebody is, she wants to be there. She’s a people person. She’s always where the action is.”
This kitten was teeny tiny when she got her leg stuck in a fence. Her new mom was SO worried, but it turned out she already knew how to run around on 3 legs just fine! 💪❤️ pic.twitter.com/auDriws8X7
