The shelter felt Bunny would not be adoptable because of her condition, and so they sent her to a facility that could provide her with the care she needed.

No rescue was able to take her in, and because of this, the shelter decided they needed to euthanize her…

Before the shelter was able to do this, a woman decided to step in and change things for Bunny forever.

Nikki Martinez had experience working with foster animals, and wanted to make sure Bunny had a fair chance of living. She worried Bunny could be too sick to survive, but she was willing to try anything she could.

“She was underweight, missing hair and urinating blood,” Martinez told The Dodo. “At one point she was so frail, I was scared to check in on her the following morning because I didn’t know if she would still be alive.”

By miracle, Bunny made it through her first few days in foster care…

And then a few more days.

While Bunny began to recover, she still needed to be monitored. Martinez always worked to find a way to be with her.

“She had to be isolated from my resident pets and other fosters so she was with me the majority of the time,” Martinez said. “I had shirts with giant pockets in the front and she would hang out in the pocket/pouch. I’d take her everywhere I went so she wouldn’t be alone. Doing household chores, walking the dogs, going to the store — she went everywhere with me.”

As time went on, Bunny grew stronger, and her ringworm infection slowly improved.

Bunny’s personality began to rise to the surface more each day, until she was nearly ready to find her forever home. Martinez knew, however, that Bunny would need a very specific family to care for her.

Fortunately, the perfect family came into the picture to adopt Bunny. They understood that despite her health problems, this was a kitten deserving of love.

“Bunny appeared on my Instagram … during the holiday of 2016-17,” Marija Jennings, Bunny’s new mom, told The Dodo. “I started following Nikki and immediately unfollowed because I didn’t think Bunny was going to make it and it was too painful to watch her suffer. But photos of her kept coming up … and at that point Jack [my partner] and I fell in love with her and became emotionally invested in her recovery.”

The couple that wanted to adopt Bunny had two cats. The two were clearly ready for a new addition to the family!

“Not only did they adopt her, but they agreed to take over her fungal treatment,” Martinez said. “I couldn’t have found a more loving, dedicated family to adopt her.”

The couple brought Bunny into their home and gladly took over her needed treatments. While Bunny’s ringworm was believed to be nearly gone, the case turned out to be far worse than anyone expected.

“At that point, she had contaminated us and our other cats, and pretty much everyone we know,” Jennings said. “As Bunny got older, the treatments became more and more traumatizing and uncomfortable, but Bunny was able to take it in stride.”

Since Bunny’s hair began to come back, as well as her personality, it was hard to tell just how severe her condition was. Luckily, her parents never once regretted taking in Bunny. All they cared about was helping her heal and live a full life.

 

“It took biweekly baths, antifungal medication and decontaminating our apartment from floor to ceiling every week; even then the progress that we made was not very encouraging,” Jennings said. “After a few months of no progress, our ringworm case had become so legendary that our vet enlisted the help of specialists, and they held weekly meetings to discuss how to proceed.”

After trying almost everything, the vet decided to try a new medicine for Bunny–and it finally worked! Come September of 2017, Bunny was finally healed!

Once everything was said and done, you might think Bunny would end up a bit nervous or anxious…

But Bunny is an active, happy cat that climbs around all over!

Bunny’s personality brings joy to everyone in her life, and reminds her family that the challenging journey to recovery was well worth it.

“She has been bathed so much that she has developed an obsession for towels,” Jennings said. “When I come out of the shower, she cries until I wrap her in one, hold her like a baby and kiss her on her forehead over and over while she sleeps in my arms. If I stop kissing her forehead, she bites my nose. She also likes to be carried around the house inside of an Ikea bag and comes running as soon as she hears one crinkle.”

 

While Bunny’s life began with great challenges, and nearly ended quickly, she has ended up as a loving kitty full of kindness and compassion. Her fighting spirit has allowed her to become a healthy and ringworm-free cat.

“Not all ringworm infections are as bad as Bunny’s was,” Jennings said. “These cats deserve a chance that they don’t get in shelters — it just takes someone that is willing to spend the time and have the commitment that is required to make them healthy again.”

Want to know more about Bunny’s life? Check out her Instagram!

Source: The Dodo

The post Kitten With Severe Ringworm Saved By Rescuer appeared first on PawSoCute.

Patricia Vazquez is a shelter volunteer and a board member that noticed Millie and knew she had to help.

“She was in an extreme amount of pain but was so grateful,” Vazquez told The Dodo. “I could tell from the first time I met her that she was the most lovely dog.

At 3-years-old, Millie was finally without her matted fur. Without the extra fluff, it was clear Millie had been deprived of food for a while. She had injuries on her legs, likely caused by the knotted fur pulling at her skin.

Within days of coming home with Vazquez, Millie became a new dog. She could walk without feeling weighed down, and she was growing stronger by the day.

Of course, Millie also loved having a caring family.

“Everywhere I go, she follows me,” Vazquez said.

Image Credit: Patricia VazquezVazquez has a small animal rescue about three miles from her home. Millie always joins in head there to help care for neglected animals–from bunnies to goats to dogs and more.

While Millie is a rather tiny dog, she doesn’t let that stop her from making new friends at the Finca Nati Animal Sanctuary.

“All of the animals just love Millie,” Vazquez said. “She loves spending time at the sanctuary.”

One of Millie’s favorite activities? Cruising around in the golf cart with Maggie, her mastiff sister.

“Going on golf cart rides is one of her favorite things,” Vazquez said.

“She has so much fun. I show people the photos of her from before and they can’t believe it’s her. She loves life now.”

Source: The Dodo

The post Adorable Dog’s Horribly Matted Fur Makes It Hard to Walk appeared first on PawSoCute.

Yogi, the family’s Maltese-Yorkshire terrier-Shih Tzu mix, has always had a strong bond with his sisters Pamela and Olivia Defresne.

“We adore him and, even if he is not a human, we consider him a full member of our family,” Pamela Dufresne told The Dodo. “He is our little prince, our little treasure.”

He’s such a valuable part of the family, everyone nearly forgets Yogi isn’t human.

“He’s very intelligent, and he understands a lot of words that many dogs wouldn’t,” Dufresne said. “Talking to him is like talking to a human.”

Yogi and his sisters play games together and support each other.

“When we cry, he tries to make us laugh by licking our tears,” Dufresne added. “When we have an argument, he puts himself between us.”

While Yogi has some limitations as a dog, his sisters make sure he feels like one of the humans.

“Since we were young, my sister and I love to imagine different scenarios in which our dog acts like a human: going to school, playing soccer, crossing the border illegally, playing video games, getting arrested,” Dufresne said. “In our imagination, he did all those things!”

This year, Olivia decided to give Yogi the ultimate dream come true–graduation!

“As a surprise, my sister Olivia decided to secretly make a graduation picture,” Dufresne added. “Then, while nobody was at home, she replaced an old baby picture that was hanging between me and my sister’s graduation pictures with our dog’s graduation picture.”

Crafting the perfect image took some hard work with Photoshop, but it paid off! The picture seemed so accurate, Olivia’s family didn’t realize the image on the mantel for a little while.

“When we did, we laughed for a good 10 minutes, then we cried a little out of proudness,” Dufresne said. “To this day, Yogi’s graduation picture is the main attraction of the living room.”

What’s even better? The family has decided to keep Yogi’s picture front and center in the living room.

Thankfully, the whole family is in agreement that Yogi’s picture deserves a place of honor. “It will probably stand there ‘til our death,” Dufresne added. “We love him so much!”

On March 31st, Yogi will be turning 13. Stay tuned to see what’s to come for the next big milestone–becoming a teenager!

Source: The Dodo

The post Adorable Dog Has Graduation Picture of His Own appeared first on PawSoCute.

In 2003, Zupko rescued Squinty after he was surrendered by his previous owners.

“His family had surrendered him to be put down at a vet hospital where my then-boyfriend worked, because they couldn’t afford surgery he needed on his hip,” Zupko said. “My boyfriend said ‘Mango’ was the coolest cat he’d ever met, and that was something coming from a professional veterinary technician who interacted with cats every day. We agreed to pay for the surgery in installments taken out of my [boyfriend’s] paycheck to save Mango from being put down, and he moved in with me.”

Once his hip healed, Squinty was a fully functioning cat!

“He’s fully mobile, but he has to take stairs one at a time,” Zupko said. “You’d hardly know he has anything wrong. We also realized a few years ago that he is deaf. It’s difficult to figure out a cat is deaf! For a long time, we just thought he was aloof and a deep sleeper. Turns out he couldn’t hear us.”

Zupko changed Mango’s name to Steve but then began calling him Squinty, as he would sweetly squint at people.

The name Squinty became permanent, just as his presence became permanent in Zupko’s life.

“Squinty has been in my life for almost 15 years,” Zupko said. “He’s been with me through six moves. Over that time, he’s been roommates at various times with seven different humans, five other cats [and] two dogs. He now lives with my husband and me, our other cat Trova and our dog Fibber.”

When Zupko had a baby, Willow, many people were concerned about Squinty or Trova being near the baby.

“Plenty of superstitious family friends and relatives warned me that I had to be careful not to let the cats near the baby because they would ‘steal her breath,’” Zupko said. “I never worried about that myth, but I had typical new-mom worries that the cats would get into the baby’s bassinet and disturb her sleeping, or accidentally scratch her. After all, a bassinet is basically a big soft box and everyone knows what cats do with boxes. Squinty actually really liked to get into the crib, because he could look out through the slats and watch the dog, while feeling safe.”

When Squinty met Willow, Zupko realized there would be no cause for concern.

“I held Willow and let the cats come up and sniff her at their own pace,” Zupko said. “My other cat Trova had no interest in her whatsoever, and still doesn’t. I think he’s jealous, because he used to be the ‘baby’ of the family. Squinty immediately wanted to be near her.”

Zupko was a bit surprised, as she had anticipated Squinty to be jealous like Trova.

“He’s actually kind of a bully to our other cat and our dog,” Zupko said. “I assumed he would see a baby as another ‘pet’ because she is small. I assumed he would probably be aloof or indifferent toward her. But he seems to have recognized her as a human.”

Squinty loves to cuddle with Willow whenever she can.

“Squinty started lying next to Willow from the first time I laid her next to me in my bed,” Zupko said. “But he really started truly spooning with her when I began breastfeeding her during the night in a side-lying position in bed, when she was about 10 days old. Squinty usually slept at the foot of my bed, but when he realized I had brought Willow into bed with me, he would immediately come up and spoon her as she nursed. It absolutely melted my heart.”

As a matter of fact, Squinty can’t go a day without snuggling up against Willow.

“When Willow wakes up in the mornings, I usually move her into bed with me to have some snuggle time before we start our day,” Zupko said. “Squinty almost always joins us. She’s dropped most of her night feedings at this point, but during growth spurts when I nurse her at night, Squinty almost always comes and spoons her.”

Sometimes, Squinty will sleep in the same position as Willow. It is too cute!

“It happens once in a while, but mostly he likes to be right up against her, often with his head laying on her,” Zupko said.

When Willow became curious and began getting grabby with Squinty, Zupko was concerned about aggression building. Fortunately, things were better than anyone could have expected.

“Squinty is so patient with her,” Zupko said. “She’s accidentally hit him when flailing her arms about, but he just quietly accepts it. He continues to sit calmly with her, whether he’s being bumped or grabbed. If she grabs too hard, sometimes he will use his paw to gently push her hand away. But I’ve never ever seen him get upset with her.”

Zupko is happy to say that she expects Squinty and Willow to continue their friendship. All the same, Zupko knows Squinty is an older cat.

“I love that he is close to her, and not jealous of the creature taking up my attention,” Zupko said. “But he’s an older cat, so it makes me sad to think that he may not be around when Willow is older and can more fully appreciate him and make memories with him.”

“Squinty was one of my first pets as an adult, and he will always be one of my greatest animal loves,” she added. “I love that Willow is able to be a part of his life.”

Source: The Dodo

The post Loving Tabby Cat Won’t Stop Cuddling with Newborn Baby appeared first on PawSoCute.

Henry was a stray as a puppy,and was picked up by Animal Ark Rescue in Georgia after being placed on the kill list at a county shelter.

With the use of Tinder, Morrison began finding ideal matches for Henry.

“We have a doggie dates program at the shelter where potential adopters can take a dog out on a little playdate to the park or wherever to help see their true personality,” Morrison told The Dodo. “The dates show people who the dog really is outside of the shelter, so I wanted to encourage local people to go on a date with Henry.”

Morrison’s profile for Henry even showed his “job” and education…

Once people began swiping right, Henry (with the help of Morrison) would send a message to the match asking for a date.

“He’s an amazing dog — super friendly, loves playing and cuddling,” Morrison said. “I would bring him on lunch breaks with me a lot and we’d just hang out together eating chicken nuggets. I fostered him for a while, too. Anyone would have been lucky to have him.”

As is the case for many humans, Henry could not get the dates he was looking for. His story, fortunately, went viral–drawing in many interested families!

Alexander Ognibene, a graduate student in Virgina, heard about Henry on the radio and just had to meet him!

“My older dog passed away last August,” Ognibene told The Dodo. “So when I heard about Henry, I just knew he was the dog for me. By his description alone, I knew.”

While the shelter was 11 hours away, Ognibene was prepared to make the trek. The pair bonded right from the start. Henry finally had a dad after three years without a family!

“I volunteer at animal shelters a lot, but Henry is my first official rescue dog,” Ognibene said. “I almost started crying when I saw him. His personality is just like my old dog who passed away.”

Henry has only been home for a matter of days, but he is fitting right in with the family–which includes a 12-year-old Shih Tzu and a 9-month-old Corgi.

“He’s getting along with them greatly,” Ognibene added. “He’s playing very well with them and is really happy.”

While Morrison will miss having Henry at the shelter, she is thrilled he finally found a permanent home.

“He was my favorite dog at the shelter,” Morrison added. “I was a little upset to see him go, but I know he’s off to an amazing life.”

Source: The Dodo

The post Shelter Tries Using Tinder to Help Loving Dog Get Adopted appeared first on PawSoCute.

Once Clark’s family moved into a new home last summer, they finally had a bathtub. Unfortunately, this meant plenty of opportunities for bath time.

“The bathtub is the bane of his existence,” Rebecca told The Dodo.

After Clark’s first bath in the new home, he realized how scary a bath can be–and he assumes everyone feels the same way. Now, whenever Rebecca or her fiance hop into the bath, Clark comes to the rescue!

“He wants to save us from the bath,” Rebecca said. “He stays for a good five minutes. This is the torture part for him and he’s super upset and sad.”

While feeling distressed about his family being in the tub, Clark remembers what helps him when he is feeling nervous…

His green toy!

“He wanders off and returns after a few seconds with his green toy and plops it in the tub, to which he immediately cheers up!” Rebecca said. “It’s all he has to give and he does it every time. He is so sweet.”

Rebecca and her fiance had believed Clark wanted to play but realized quickly that was not the case at all.

“After he drops his toy in we offer it back and he won’t take it, ever (but we still try),” Rebecca said. “We always tell him what a good boy he is and give him a pet.”

This is the only time Clark shares his beloved toy, making this even more special than it already was!

While Clark’s fear of bathtime is a bit dramatic, Rebecca and her Fiance are thrilled to know their dog cares so much about them.

“He’s always been the sweetest dog. He’s literally the nicest dog I’ve ever met,” Rebecca said. “I’m not just saying that because he’s our dog either. He’s literally never growled at anyone.”

Can’t get enough of Clark? Check out his Instagram!

Source: The Dodo

The post Dog Gives Family His Toy to Make Their Showers Less Scary appeared first on PawSoCute.

There was a small explosion in the living room, which cause the fire to spread through his single-story, wooden house.

Thanks to neighbors calling emergency services,  Ali Meşe, his wide, and his beautiful cat were rescued. The house, however, collapsed into a heap of wood and metal.

Meşe can be seen in the image below hugging his cat after the traumatizing event. The two clearly love each other dearly, and never want to let go.

Ali Meşe was slightly injured in the fire. After his recovery. the tale of his situation spread. The Turkish Red Crescent. a part of the International Red Cross, provided Meşe with gifts as he sat in the hospital.

But the gifts weren’t for  Ali Meşe…

They were for his cat!

Red Crescent president tweeted, “Let’s keep him and his cat warm,” with a photograph of officials presenting Meşe with a cat bed and cat carrier.

Very quickly Meşe was reunited with his kitty. Someone brought the cat to the hospital to see Meşe, knowing it was important to him.

Source: The Dodo  

The post Man Hugs Cat After Tragic House Fire appeared first on PawSoCute.

“They urged me multiple times that she would be a lot of work due to malnourishment and a mystery skin condition on her back legs,” Kreisler told The Dodo.

Kreisler followed her gut and adopted the dog anyway.

“We had an immediate connection,” she said. “She was so sad and quiet in her cage all alone. The second we took her out for her ‘test walk,’ she started wagging and kissing and jumping.”

Kreisler left her new loving pup, Lady.

“I took her straight to the vet and they did some tests and found that she had ringworm that was causing her loss of hair and oozing skin,” Kreisler stated.

Lady was also struggling with diarrhea and low weight.

On top of her physical woes, she also battled with anxiety.

“I saw from an early age that she had anxiety whenever I left her alone,” Kreisler said. “She would literally get physically sick whenever I left her.”

When Kreisler had adopted Lady, she was a student at the University of Miami. Because of this, she needed to be away from home quite often.

“With the approval of my really chill marine science teachers, I took her to every single class for the rest of my college career,” Kreisler said. “She was always so well-behaved and just loved being around people.”

When Kreisler began her master’s degree, her professors were not as easygoing. With Lady stuck at home, Kreisler needed to come up with a new idea.

“I noticed that she had an affinity for my neighbor’s cat, Bruce,” Kreisler said. “He was an indoor-outdoor cat in Florida, and she would constantly go over and lick him. So I decided to get a kitten for Lady.”

Kreisler decided to head back to the shelter. This time for a kitten!

While at the shelter, Kreisler was drawn to a little, one pound kitten.

“I found this one little thing sitting all alone in a cage by herself,” Kreisler said. “I went in a room to hold her and she immediately fell asleep on my chest. I loved her immediately.”

Lady was instantly in love with her new kitten sibling!

Kreisler decided to call the kitten Kitty, as she was not responding to Roo.

“Kitty was unsure at first,” she added. “I mean, Lady fell in love at first sight so she came on a bit strong, but once Kitty fell asleep on Lady’s warm tummy, she was in love.”

“Lady brought Kitty her favorite toys,” Kreisler said. “And once even brought her doggy bed over. My heart melted.”

Now the pair can’t get enough of each other!

“Every morning they wake up and groom each other,” Kreisler said. “They eat together. In the summer they love, love, love to sit on the porch together. Lady likes to watch the cars and the people, while Kitty focuses on squirrels and birds. They’re an inseparable duo.”

The two are always playing – and to great surprise, Kitty is usually the instigator!

“Kitty will surprise attack Lady all the time,” Kreisler said. “And Lady and Kitty love to play chase. Kitty will come out and surprise Lady and then she will sprint down the hall with Lady running after her.”

Lady loves to play, even to be chased, by her cat sister. Kitty makes Lady’s anxiety disappear, and has helped her illness!

“They are sisters and best friends,” Kreisler said. “They are there for each other.”

Need another dose of cute? Follow the dynamic duo’s Instagram!

Source: The Dodo 

The post Anxious Dog Lives Better Life with Best Cat Friend appeared first on PawSoCute.

In Auckland, New Zealand, police received a car about a “small orange and white ball of fluff” nearly causing accidents on the Southwestern Motorway.

Police got to the scene quickly, and realized the cause of chaos was a tiny kitten!

“Unfortunately she was spooked by the approaching officer and quickly bolted across three lanes of live traffic,” police said on Facebook. “She narrowly avoided the worst.”

Once the kitten was in the center of the freeway, the police were obligated to shut down the highway for a temporary period of time.

This ended up being the best decision for the situation, as it allowed police the chance to get the kitten and bring her to safety.

“In all, it took a little over a half an hour for them to get her,” Shelley Nahr, media coordinator for the department, told The Dodo.

Of course, this little kitten was not done causing a little trouble.

As the police officer was making a call in the patrol car with the kitten, he noticed the kitty had fallen out of sight.

“He searched high and low and found nothing,” police said. “Until he heard the faintest meow coming from the dashboard.”

While no one knew how, the kitten had managed to make her way into the dashboard. A local mechanic was contacted to help rescue the kitten for the second time!

Once the dashboard was removed, the kitten was safely pulled away. She had been huddled against the heating fan.

Fortunately for the kitten, she had a forever home already looking to take her just a week after her rescue. The dispatcher that had taken the 911 call about the cat, Glenda, decided she wanted to bring the kitten into her family.

“She now lives with her new owner and her three daughters,” Nahr explained. “They have a bulldog named Dobby, so they named her Winky as that is the elf’s best friend’s name in the ‘Harry Potter’ novels.”

The kitten, now known as Winky, was on the mend. She has been taking antibiotics for her fleas, but she is on her way to being a healthy kitty.

To no surprise, Winky and Dobby have grown quite close.

Source: The Dodo

The post Police Close Down Freeway to Rescue Adorable Kitten appeared first on PawSoCute.

Puppies!

“I immediately braked and stopped the car, and started going backward,” Matei explained to The Dodo. “I went out of the car and there were three puppies, jumping on my leg and very happy. They did not have any idea that they were one inch close to death.”

Matei was uncertain what to do at first, but since the puppies were so sweet, he knew he could not leave them alone. He gathered the puppies into his car and headed home – a three-hour drive.

During his ride, Matei put photos of the puppies on Facebook and contacted his neighbor – an experienced rescuer.

Matei’s neighbor met him at local vet office to help get the puppies cleaned and examined.

After getting a checkup, the dogs were determined to be about 4-5 weeks old! The three puppies had fleas but had no other notable issues. Someone just dumped the puppies on the side of the highway.

The challenges faced by these puppies did not break their spirits. No matter who they met, they were friendly and excited.

Matei left the puppies with the experienced rescuer, who agreed to take and rehome the dogs. Matei had to say goodbye and hoped for the best.

“I left after with her promise that all the pups will be fine and that she will take care finding them new homes,” Matei said. “I checked after one week on her Facebook page and all the pups were with their new families, safe and happy.”

The post Man Finds Three Puppies on the Side of the Highway appeared first on PawSoCute.