Bloglander

This week, Cat Friday is taking on a more serious tone, and will highlight a few very brave cats that have been faced with some difficult circumstances, but remarkably have overcome their obstacles or are well on their way to a better life state. 

We’re not trying to be downers, but feel free to refer to this post when you’re feeling sad and are faced with a true hardship, because these stories are uplifting and inspiring. If these little cats can live and thrive through adversity, so can we. 

We can’t promise that you won’t shed a tear or two, or feel a little pull at your heart as you read this post. Just remember that the intent of writing about these cats is to share their inspirational stories of courage, determination and trust in the world and the many people who’ve helped them.

Dutchess

Early photos of Dutchess after the fire were hard to look at. But this little cat is a trooper, and despite sustaining second and third degree burns from a devastating house fire, she’s looking like she’s going to make what seems to be a full recovery. 

Dutchess was trapped inside her family’s burning home when a responding firefighter found her hiding under the couch and saved her life, though initial thoughts were that the 8-month-old kitten wouldn’t make it. But this little fighter has proved everyone wrong as she’s undergone treatment from the caring staff at the University of Illinois’ College of Veterinary Medicine, with all of her care being funded by donations from around the U.S. and the world. Despite all that Dutchess has been through, she never stops purring. 

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As mentioned, the early photos of her are heartbreaking (the one above is from today! Look how good she looks!). But in the months since the fire, her fur has grown back, and other than the scarring that is pulling back her eyelids and the bandages on her feet, she looks amazing considering what she experienced. The next step is surgery to correct the tightening of the skin around her eyes, and to perform some skin grafts on her legs. So far, the veterinary teaching hospital has received more than $10,000 in donations to care for Dutchess, but roughly another $5,000 is still needed to cover the rest of her treatments. If you want to follow Dutchess’s recovery, check out her Facebook page, which is updated regularly by the firefighter who saved her. Links to donate toward her care can also be found there. 

Moki aka “The Wobbly Cat"

This adorable, wide-eyed tabby is an official spokes-cat of sorts for “differently-abled” cats and other special needs animals of all kinds.

Moki’s physical disability set in after he contracted some sort of weird virus that left him with severe neurological damage to the point it was thought he’d never walk, sit up, or eat on his own again. 

But like Dutchess, Moki also is a real fighter and receives various forms of what’s called complimentary and alternative veterinary medicine treatments — acupuncture, massage, water therapy and other forms of natural or homeopathic treatments. 

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Following Moki on Facebook is a real treat because his human mom posts adorable photos of him usually multiple times daily. He also doesn’t seem to mind dressing up in cute little cat hats or outfits and posing for the camera. Because of his huge fan-base’s requests for it, there’s a Moki calendar coming out for 2013 and all the proceeds will help pay for his ongoing medical treatments.

Snow

Like Dutchess, Snow endured a terrible situation. Though he’s now completely recovered from his physical wounds, Snow is still making strides overcoming some mental scarring left by his past experiences. Without going into the details of Snow’s state when he was recued, his extensive injuries were due to the evil, sadistic cruelness of one or more persons hurting him. 

Animal cruelty and neglect is a sensitive subject for many, so if readers want to learn more about what rescuers believe happened to Snow — a pure white, longhaired male cat — before he was found, there is a brief description on his Facebook page. The most important takeaway of Snow’s story is that he is a survivor, and his story is worth sharing to prevent situations like this from happening to other innocent animals. 

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Paws For the Cause, a nonprofit feral cat rescue group in southeast Michigan, has cared for Snow since he was found. He now lives happily in the home of the recue group’s founder, who frequently pulls sick or injured animals from high-kill shelters and more recently rescued a group of cats that were discovered in an animal-hoarding situation.