LA Kitten Arrived Dragging Her Back Legs, But Endless Love And A Custom Wardrobe Changed Everything
Elphie had a rough start to life, but with an incubator, custom clothes, and a dedicated foster mom, this special needs Sphynx is proving that nothing can slow her down.
A Heartbreaking Video Message
The plea for help came in the form of a short, devastating video.
A girl in Grace’s neighborhood, who also works in animal rescue, reached out about a tiny kitten in desperate need. This rescuer didn’t normally deal with younger kittens, but she knew she had to find someone who could.
In the video, the little Sphynx kitten was visibly sick and dragging her back legs. According to Grace, the look on the tiny cat’s face seemed to say, "Help me, please."
Suspecting the kitten was the product of a backyard breeder situation, Grace knew she had to act fast to give her a fighting chance.
Stepping Up To Save Her
Grace immediately reached out to the founder of Baby Kitten Rescue, the organization she fosters for.
She asked if they could take the fragile kitten in, and the founder didn’t hesitate to say yes.
When the kitten, later named Elphie, finally arrived at Grace’s home, her condition was even more alarming in person.
It was clear she was suffering from an incredibly severe upper respiratory infection, which was taking a massive toll on her tiny body.
The Fight To Breathe And Eat
Elphie’s illness had created a dangerous domino effect on her health.
Because she couldn’t breathe properly, she couldn’t smell her food. Without her sense of smell, she had completely lost her appetite.
It was painfully obvious that the kitten hadn’t eaten in quite some time, leaving her dangerously emaciated.
Combined with her paralyzed back legs, Elphie had a lot working against her, but Grace could tell this little cat was a fighter.
A Crash Course In Care
To help Elphie breathe, Grace immediately placed her in an incubator equipped with a nebulizer.
But the kitten’s mobility issues meant she needed even more specialized care around the clock.
Many people in the rescue community stepped up to help Grace learn how to manually express Elphie’s bladder and bowels.
It was a rapid crash course for the dedicated foster mom, who had to quickly learn everything required to keep the special needs kitten comfortable and clean.
Craving Comfort And Snuggles
Once Elphie graduated from the incubator, Grace set up a cozy little playpen right in her office.
Despite her rough start, the kitten didn’t want to be isolated. She desperately wanted to be loved, snuggled, and surrounded by company.
Grace quickly noticed that Elphie had an incredibly unique, almost human-like personality.
She was fearless, hilarious, and silly, making her foster mom laugh every single day.
Like Warm Play-Doh
As a Sphynx, Elphie has a very regal look and a completely unique feel.
Grace recalls a day they were out and a child asked to pet the hairless cat. After stroking her skin, the child announced, "She feels like warm Play-Doh."
Grace realized the child was absolutely right. Because Sphynx cats lack fur, their body temperature is generally one to three degrees warmer than average cats.
That extra body heat makes her the perfect, warm companion for endless cuddle sessions.
A Custom Wardrobe For A Warrior
Because Elphie drags her back legs, being hairless presents a unique challenge for her skin.
Running around without protection would cause painful rug burns on her legs, so she requires a special wardrobe.
She is pretty much always fully clothed, wearing a diaper and protective pants to keep her skin safe as she scoots around.
She also wears cozy sweaters to help regulate her body temperature, since she gets cold without a fur coat.
An Unstoppable Spirit
Elphie has no idea she is any different from the other cats in the house.
She can climb up the stairs on her own, go down them very quickly, and she even plays fetch for hours on end.
Now a year old, she chases the resident cats, plays hard, and holds her own at dinner time.
While it has been a 10-month roller coaster to get her medically stable, Grace hopes Elphie’s journey shows the world that special needs cats can live incredibly long, full, and loving lives.
