It can be hard to find a home for pets with special needs and disabilities. Some pets have conditions that are so unusual and severe that it can be difficult to find a family prepared to care for them.
Recently, one 6-month-old kitten was placed up for adoption after losing her ears due to a mysterious illness — but thankfully, she has now found a loving new home.
On January 20, MSPCA-Angell shared the unusual story of a kitten named Dollie, who was left scarred by a recent medical issue.
Everything seemed to be going well for Dollie, and she was about to spend her first holiday with her new family. But in November, the kitten started to feel ill, and her family noticed serious issues with her skin and ears.
The family took her to the MSPCA, and soon the poor cat’s ears fell off due to her medical condition. “Parts of her skin were necrotic – it was dying,” their post reads. “It impacted her extremities, including her tail, legs, and most of her ear tissue. We had never seen anything like it.”
Dollie’s family was “understandably overwhelmed” by her condition, and decided to surrender her into the MSPCA’s care. Vets at the animal charity were determined to find the cause of Dollie’s sudden health decline.
“Given the complexity of her case, we all knew that this could be a long process with an uncertain outcome,” they wrote. “We did all we could to figure out what exactly was happening to this little cat, so we could save her life.”
Vets from the MSPCA’s dermatology team came to Boston, and were able to diagnose a severe case of ischemic dermatopathy, a reaction to something in the body that causes widespread inflammation. Vets were not able to determine the exact cause, but were able to treat Dollie.
In addition to losing her ears, Dollie also lost her tail and one leg due to amputations. However, vets now expect that Dollie is okay and will live a long, normal life, likely without longterm care for this specific condition.
After having Dollie in their care for a few months, MSPCA-Angell decided that it was time to find this kitten a new home. Since Dollie was left looking a little different, the rescue worried that it might be a challenge to find her a home.
In their Facebook post, they wrote that they were seeking “a family that’s looking for a unique cat and is willing to work with a vet to address any future medical needs.”
Dollie’s story soon went viral: the post has been shared nearly 700 times on Facebook in just a few days, receiving hundreds of supportful comments.
And thankfully, in an update, they announced that Dollie had found a new home.
This poor cat has been through a lot, but thankfully her new family loves her just the way she is and now she’ll have a great new home.
