I’ve got a heartwarming tale to share about a special cat named Chloe. This adorable orange feline faced rear-leg paralysis due to abuse.
Little Chloe was taken by Hannah Shawn, also known as Kitten Lady Determined to help her get better, Hannah decided to do everything in her power to make her new friend walk properly.
She reached out to many veterinarians, but what ultimately made the biggest difference was acupuncture. Let’s dive into this uplifting story!
How Did Chloe Come Into Hannah’s Life?
Can you believe Chloe stumbled into Hannah’s life by accident?
When the Humane Rescue Alliance reached out about a nine-day-old black kitten, Kitten Lady and her partner, Andrew, jumped in their car to pick up the little one.
At the shelter, they met the kitten they were supposed to foster and instantly fell in love.
But then they learned a six-week-old orange kitten with rear leg paralysis named Chloe desperately needed a loving foster home.
Long story short, Hannah ended up bringing home not one but two foster kittens. Sharing the news on Instagram, she said:
“We rescued a kitten with rear leg paralysis from suspected abuse. She is so sweet and so vulnerable; we absolutely could not say no to her.”
Hannah soon learned that Chloe could only squirm on the ground, which wasn’t bad – but she wanted more for her! So, she scheduled vet visits to determine the cause of Chloe’s paralysis and explore possible solutions.
She considered acupuncture and getting her wheelchair so she could walk on all fours.
But first, Chloe needed a good cleaning as she was covered in fleas and dirt. After cleaning her up, Hannah also tried at-home red light laser therapy to stimulate cellular activity and boost blood flow to Chloe’s back and hind legs.
Hannah got Chloe a cardboard box to easily move around their home. Chloe loved it and immediately started exploring her surroundings.
In a YouTube video she shared, Hannah marveled at Chloe’s resilience.
“Even though Chloe dragged her legs behind her, she played just like a normal kitten. She adapted to her paralysis and didn’t seem to know that anything was different about her.”
Chloe proved to be a real fighter, which made Hannah extremely happy. Her fighting spirit thrilled Hannah, who eagerly scheduled vet visits, excited to hear the professional opinions.
Vet’s Gloomy Prognosis
Hannah first took little Chloe to the Nova Cat Clinic for an X-ray to figure out the cause of her paralysis and the best treatment options.
The X-ray showed Chloe had problems with the fifth, sixth, and seventh lumbar vertebrae. It also revealed that her bladder was full and that it, in the vet’s own words, looked like a full moon.
Hannah said:
“Chloe’s bladder was so full that it was close to rupturing, indicating that she was unable to urinate on her own. She would have 80 milliliters of urine drawn from her.”
The vet then used red laser therapy to relax her muscles and stimulate urination.
Next, they saw a neurologist at Hope Advanced Veterinary Center, looking for more answers about Chloe’s paralysis.
“The neurologist performed lots of tests on Chloe to determine if she had any feeling in her legs and the prognosis was not what I hoped for. He said that her case was extreme and that she would likely never use her legs again.”
While Chloe wasn’t in pain, the neurologist’s bleak outlook devastated Hannah. He was sure Chloe wouldn’t regain feeling in her legs.
The neurologist also doubted Chloe’s bladder recovery.
Despite the discouraging news, Hannah wasn’t feeling discouraged. Determined in her mission to help Chloe, she made an appointment for acupuncture with a specialist who had recently helped another paralyzed kitten learn to walk again.
Chloe’s First Acupuncture – And Her Awesome Results!
Excited to see if acupuncture could help their little foster fluff, Hannah and Andrew took Chloe to City Paws Animal Hospital.
The acupuncture specialist explained she’d need treatment at least twice a week at first, using Korean hand needles. Both Hannah and Andrew agreed to it.
The moment she placed the needles on acupoints, Chloe reacted immediately, twitching and moving her legs and tail. It was like a miracle!
Don’t believe me? Take a look for yourself!
After that procedure, they also tried electroacupuncture, which included running a gentle current between pairs of acupuncture needles.
The acupuncturist was pleased with Chloe’s response – and so were Hannah and Andrew! Explaining Chloe’s promising response, she said:
“Only about 10 percent of animals respond after one session – she responded during her first session! It can take up to six sessions to see any tiny little response, and your prognosis is better the sooner you respond and sort of with the intensity that you respond, So, I think she’s gonna do great. I think she’s gonna be a happy, healthy kitten, living a normal life.”
Thanks to acupuncture, Chloe’s leg and tail movements increased, but most importantly – she started peeing through stimulation! That was the biggest and most important progress she made.
“With just one appointment we noticed a remarkable difference. Her legs and her tail were beginning to move just a little bit. I lined her bedroom with yoga mats to give her more grip and bit by bit we’re starting to see her mobility and her demeanor improve. She’s playful she’s happy and she’s a total fighter. She is the definition of tiny but mighty. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”
Inspiration For Us All
Although Chloe never actually started walking on her own, she still beat the odds with her incredible progress.
In the beginning, Hannah got her personalized wheelchair, hoping it would help her walk like any other “normal” kitten. However, Chloe wasn’t very fond of her ride.
“I had a lot of hope that this was going to increase Chloe’s mobility, but it turned out the wheelchair was not for her. You know kittens want to be able to do a lot of different movements. They want to be able to climb and crawl and pounce, and they can’t do any of that when they are strapped in here. So even though I thought it was doing her a big favor to get a wheelchair made, it actually was giving her more restriction.”
This lady obviously preferred to drag her legs while exploring the world. Some kittens just want to be able to live in their natural body – and that’s purrfectly fine!
Hannah also added:
“I always hoped that Chloe would be able to walk again. In fact, in the beginning, I was so determined that I wouldn’t take no for an answer. It’s like I thought her life would be harder if she couldn’t walk. Boy was I wrong! Even though Chloe doesn’t have use of her legs she does an incredible job of getting herself around. (…) She is totally fearless!”
It’s safe to say that Chloe didn’t allow her leg paralysis to hold her back. She was playful, energetic, and fun – just like any other feline!
She loved to hang out with other foster kitties and was incredibly sweet with humans, too.
Because of her lovely personality, Chloe eventually found her forever home with a loving family in San Francisco!
When asked about Chloe’s adoption, Hannah said:
“It was emotional to say goodbye to Chloe, but I wasn’t sad. I was so happy for this little kitten who I had fallen in love with, that now she would get to start her first day of the rest of her life.”
Chloe and Hannah were undeniably a good match! They helped one another a lot and definitely changed each other’s lives for the better.
Inspired by this foster experience and her beloved feline friend, Hannah wrote an article titled Five Lessons I Learned from Chloe, a Paralyzed Kitten.
In short, those lessons are:
1. Hope keeps us alive
2. Acceptance is good medicine
3. Fun comes in many forms
4. Empathy is a gift
5. We’re braver when we’re brave together
I hope that we, inspired by Chloe’s resilience and courage, continue to live by these lessons in our everyday lives.
I also hope we all go and follow Chloe on Instagram. Such an amazing kitty deserves our support, right?
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