I've never fostered a kitten with a known disability or birth defect before ... until now.
One of my foster kittens from this batch was born with defective hind legs.
His front paws are fine, but as you can see from the above picture his hind legs should not be facing towards the sky.
When I observe Phoenix dragging himself across the floor to get back to his litter mates or Mom, it simply breaks my heart.
I don't know if his Mom senses that he has a defect, but there's been a couple of times now that I've found Phoenix outside of the box and crying all alone. There was another time when Mom moved all her kittens from one side of the bathroom to another and left poor Phoenix behind. Is she doing this on purpose? Is it preferential treatment? Either way it's so sad that it could make others, without a strong resolve, absolutely break down into tears.
Mom has not shown any harm towards Phoenix, but if she does I will return Phoenix back to the original foster for future care. As for his back legs, he's too young to get any type of corrective surgery. I'm also wondering if surgery can even be done to correct this kind of deformity or whether amputation will have to be the ultimate reality. Whatever way VOKRA decides to deal with this, I do hope that euthanasia is not ever considered. There are plenty of loving people out there that would take full on the care of a disabled kitty.
I named him Phoenix in the hopes that he will "Rise From the Ashes" to become a majestic, thriving creature.
I hope this little worrior will have a beautiful life, a life with people who love him and help him to thrive despite his limitations. I will pray for him!
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