This Scrawny, Maltreated Kitten Found Love and a Forever Home

You’ve heard the story of the ugly duckling that turned into the swan.

But how about the one about the scrawny kitten that turned into a calico?

This little Australian kitten, originally called Lulu, got a second shot at life thanks to a caring foster family.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

The foster mom, Kiki, told Bored Panda that Lulu had been surrendered by her owner to be euthanized, but rather than putting the malnourished kitten to sleep, the veterinarian called Best Friends Felines, on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

“Lulu was riddled with fleas, loaded with hookworm, totally emaciated, and mostly bald as the babies were so hungry they ate each other’s fur to try and get some nutrition and sustenance into them.”

It’s a heartbreaking story, but thank goodness for Lulu that she was taken to the right vet who knew just what to do for her.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

Lulu was the only survivor of her litter.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

Yes, she was a fighter.

“She was tiny but mighty with such a will to fight to live.”

As she recovered at Kiki’s, she immediately stole the foster mom’s heart–and demanded lots of attention, not just because she was sickly and needed lots of TLC.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

And what a personality!

“She has the biggest personality, boldly confident and super outgoing. She was never ashamed to yell for your attention and demand cuddles! She adored everyone she met, from humans to other cats and dogs.”

As bad off as she was, little Lulu could have been in even worse shape.

On a proper diet, and with the fleas and worms under control, she grew quickly filling out to the proper size that a kitten ought to be.

Once out of “intensive care” at Kiki’s, Lulu moved in with another foster who had a single kitten in similar condition, called Peach.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

Lulu and Peach immediately became BFFs, each recognizing a kindred spirit when she saw one.

After so much good care and attention, Lulu was healthy enough for adoption, and she went to her forever home with Reece, who renamed her Ciri.

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

Now Ciri is all grown up, a gorgeous calico cat who you would never guess had such a scary start to life.

Isn’t it wonderful, what modern veterinary medicine and a lot of love can do?

Image credit: Best Friends Felines

What do you think of Ciri’s story? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Thanks cat fam!

The post This Scrawny, Maltreated Kitten Found Love and a Forever Home appeared first on UberFacts.

A Genetically Rare Chimera Kitten Was Rescued in Tennessee

I had a cat who seemed like he had two different personalities when I was growing up.

Sometimes he was sweet and cuddly, and other times he had the devil in him.

But last March a kitten was found in Nashville, Tennessee that really was essentially two different cats fused into one.

 

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Her name is Apricot, and though she hasn’t had a DNA test to prove it, her rescuers believe her to be what’s called a “chimera.”

Although “chimera” sounds more like a mythological monster than a sweet, cuddly, kitten, according to My Modern Met, Apricot is half tortoiseshell and half ginger tabby, while her brother is just an ordinary tortoiseshell.

She looks like two cats merged into one, and in fact, that’s exactly what she is. Apricot is a rare chimera cat, which means she was born with two sets of DNA. She’s the result of two embryos fusing together inside her mother’s womb. In other words, Apricot is technically two fraternal twins combined into one individual cat.

How amazing is that?

 

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Apricot was rescued along with her brother, Pretzel, from inside the wall of a newly constructed home.

When the mama cat didn’t return for them, the family contacted the Nashville Cat Rescue, who quickly placed them with Kiki, a cat foster mom who also happened to have two nursing females perfect for Apricot and Pretzel.

 

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Kiki fosters lots of cats, but she had never seen one quite like Apricot.

Even so, the kittens were made to feel right at home.

 

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The goal of Kiki and her partners at Nashville Cat Rescue is to stop the cycle of feral cats having litter after litter that need more and more homes to take care of them.

She cares for the cats (and some dogs, too!) until homes can be found, ensuring that the adult cats are spayed before they leave foster care.

 

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The end goal for Kiki is to find good homes to adopt the kitties, and that’s exactly what she did for Apricot and Pretzel.

They stayed with Kiki and their furry foster family for a little over two months before being adopted out to their forever home at the end of May.

 

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And if you’re heart broken that you didn’t get to be the one to adopt them–you can still buy a mug of the unique kitty, with proceeds going to support the continued care of all her feline friends.

 

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Have you ever seen anything cuter? Tell us in the comments!

The post A Genetically Rare Chimera Kitten Was Rescued in Tennessee appeared first on UberFacts.