I don’t know how the Monday Miracle column found its name. I suppose — as its title suggests — it was a miraculous combination of alliteration. Everyone loves an underdog (uh, cat) — especially an undercat with an underbite. And the truth is that with shelter overpopulation a very serious problem, the odds of finding to a forever home for a cat who may need special care go from tough to zero.
I started coming across the Facebook pages of cats who’d overcome obstacles, and I became intrigued by their stories of survival and the compassion of the human friends who had saved them. As I began sharing them with y’all, it became apparent that these stories tap into something universal and primal. And so the Monday Miracle was born.
As the year draws to a close, let’s reflect on which Monday Miracles touched my heart the most:
1. Saltwater Taffy, the kitten who is half lobster
When Saltwater Taffy was found it was during the night, so her rescuers couldn’t quite see what makes this kitten so unique. However, as soon as morning came, it was quite obvious: Saltwater Taffy is a “twisty” cat. The malformed tendons and bones of her front legs make her condition similar to that of Little Bear and Pretzel.
While some human friends of twisty cats opt for corrective surgery, for now Saltwater Taffy remains the same as the night she was found.
2. Blacky the one-eyed wheelchair cat with a penchant for hats
Blacky the cat first lost an eye to a ruptured ulcer and then he lost control of his rear legs to a car accident. Despite all this, Blacky somehow remains totally cool, and looks like a total badass with his wheels and his collection of hats. He calls himself then “only wheelchair cat in New Zealand” and so far I haven’t seen anyone contest the title.
3. Fangsy the Halloween cat
Speaking of underdogs — er, cats — with underbites, meet Fangsy and his fabulous set of inverted vampire fangs. Fangsy was abandoned by his first owners, who were probably mean, ugly people, so — whatever — because as you can clearly see, Fangsy is now living the good life and rocking an underbite like it’s nobody’s business.
4. Georgie Girl, the cleft-palate kitten
Darling Georgie Girl was born the runt of her litter. To make matters worse, she was also born with a cleft palate. Usually this spells out certain doom for a cat, but for Georgie Girl, her human friend recognized how special her differences made her, and now the kitten has a pretty strong following on Facebook, where fans delight in watching the cat with a unique nose grow up.
5. Marvelous Murdock, the cat with no eyes
After suffering from chronic eye infections, Murdock eventually needed his eyes removed … while he was still just a kitten. The RVT who was looking after for the sickly little cat eventually bonded with him, and that’s how Murdock went from foster to forever. Murdock is best friends with his human friend’s son, and the pictures are too cute not to love.
Who was your favorite Monday Miracle of 2013? Are there any miracles we missed that we can talk about in 2014?
Read more on Catster:
- It’s an Epic Battle of Cat vs. Christmas Tree
- The Pros and Cons of My Cats as Health Care Providers
- How to Build a Feral Cat Shelter for the Winter
About Liz Acosta: Dogster’s former Cuteness Correspondent, Liz still manages the site’s daily “Awws,” only now she also wrangles Dogster’s social media. That’s why she wants you to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and — her personal favorite — Instagram. See ya there!
