An orange tabby was placed in an animal shelter in NC for a chance at a better life. While he was in foster care they noticed that something was wrong with his hind legs when he started walking.
“He couldn’t get around easily. The shelter foster care coordinator contacted us, because she knows we work with special needs cases,” said Sarah Kelly, founder Murphy’s Law Animal Rescue, share.
The kitten, named Leo, has a congenital condition called Swimming Syndrome, which causes his hind legs to spread out to the sides, making it difficult to walk and run. Despite everything, Leo proved himself to be a fiery, brave guy from the start. He will push himself up and forward, so that he can keep up with the other kittens. “He was a mighty soul and an even bigger personality, like a lion, hence his name.”
Leo settles right into his new space and takes all the beds and toys as his own. He is fearless, vivacious, eager for attention, and has a lot to say. With her experience helping kittens like Leo, Sarah began providing physical therapy and supportive care to correct her hind limbs and improve her mobility.
Leo strode all over as if he knew it would make it easier for him to stand and walk. “We immediately started with bandages and physical therapy exercises,” says Sarah. The tabby boy started his daily routine by meowing when Sarah asked. enter the room.
He walked over to his adoptive mother and looked her in the eye as if he were ready for physical therapy. With stretching exercises and regular walking, Leo has made great progress. The tabby boy is always adventurous and craves attention. He’ll snarl and meow and won’t stop until he gets exactly what he wants.
Leo is doing a great job of strengthening his legs and putting them in place. “He’s a love bug. He wants to snuggle up and play on our feet or in our laps all the time. He also loves cuddling his foster siblings.”
Now, Leo can move much more easily and even start to do some jumping while playing. After two weeks of hard training, Leo is much stronger. He is determined to one day be able to run and jump like many other kittens.
Leo is living up to his name like a cub. What he lacks in size, he definitely makes up for with character, determination and attitude.