One cold night in October 2017, a pregnant three-legged feral cat got stuck in a trap. Luckily, someone found her and brought her to a rural shelter. The cat gave birth to a litter of healthy kittens, but the shelter didn’t have a good heating system and they worried that the kittens would get sick.
The shelter contacted an animal rescue group in Florida, Ana’s Angels. The group quickly said they would take in the little family.
Soon, the kittens arrived in Florida, and they went to live with their new foster mom Tracy Pitisci. When the cats got to Tracy’s house, Tracy noticed something unusual about one of the kittens, who she named Aries.
Aries’ legs were completely twisted up.
“They were completely bent up against his stomach. You could tell the joints were not facing the correct direction. We knew he would have a long road ahead if he made it, but we believed he could,” Tracy told The Dodo.
Since Aries’ legs were so twisted, he had trouble walking, and he scooted around his playpen on his backside. Tracy took Aries to the vet, and the vet said that she should try binding his back legs with medical tape to help strengthen them. This helped a little bit—it stopped his legs from splaying out as much.
As Aries got older, it became clear that he was always going to look a bit different. With his black fur, he looked a bit like a spider!
Once the kittens were big enough, Tracy began looking for forever homes for them. At first, she planned to adopt out Aries too. But then she realized she had fallen in love with him, and she decided to adopt him herself.
Tracy and her family also decided to adopt Aries’ mom, Diana. The two cats were so happy to be together!
“We knew that we loved Aries and that we were always going to do everything to make sure he had what he needed,” Tracy said. “Then we realized that he had already found his forever home with us. Adopting Aries has brought tremendous joy to our family.”
As Aries has gotten older, he’s faced many different challenges because of his legs. He has trouble jumping, and his walk is a bit awkward and slow. But his family is there every step of the way, encouraging him and looking out for him.
Still, Aries doesn’t let his legs stop him from doing what he wants. The cat is curious about everything, and he loves trying new challenges.
Aries is a huge fan of going down slides. He also loves playing at the beach.
“He will always try to do something he wants to do,” Tracy said. “If he sees something he wants to climb, he will give it his best attempt.”
Aries is a brave cat who doesn’t let anything stop from living his best life. If you want to see more cute photos of Aries, check out his Instagram page.
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