A tiny 5-week-old kitten was found on the highway unable to walk. When Carmen Bernard of Florida spotted her, the kitten's legs were twisted like a pretzel.
Carmen thought she had been hit by a car but when she took her to the vet the next morning, she found out that the kitten wasn't hurt.
It turned out that the little seal-point kitty was not run over. The vet concluded that she was most likely born that way. Another thing they discovered was that the kitten, around 5 weeks, was completely blind and probably would never be able to see.
Her right leg was partially formed but it was almost put on "backwards", but her front legs worked just fine.
When the vet gave Carmen two options to either put the kitty to sleep or take care of her for the rest of her life since chances of a kitten like her to be adopted are slim, Carmen didn't hesitate and chose to take her home and love her forever.
She named the kitten Pretzel.
When Pretzel came to her new home, she was very fearful. She would hiss, spit and swat at anything that came near her. The little kitten never had much human contact and was very frightened.
Not being able to see had added a bit of stress on the little kitten. Then one day, with a lot of patience and the constant supply of love, she started purring and gave Carmen a head butt. It was then she began coming out of her shell.
A few days after her rescue, she learned to eat solid food, and no longer needed her human mom to hand feed her.
Nothing can stop this brave little kitty from being happy and playful just like other cats. To Pretzel, she's perfectly normal.
The wonderful doctors at the University of Florida gave the little brave kitty reconstructive surgery for her legs.
They were unable to save the right leg but was able to straightened the left leg so little Pretzel could keep walking on her own.
What a sweetheart!
It's been nearly four years since Pretzel was found on the highway.
She's grown into a beautiful lady cat.
Pretzel loves to offer a helping paw whenever mom is doing something.
She's a curious kitty with a big heart.
Pretzel's human mom took her off the highway and never gave up on her.
The beautiful kitty now can walk on her own, and is very loved by her big family. She couldn't be happier.
Updates:
She's become the guardian of the tiniest member of the family :)
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Related story: Neighborhood Cat Brought Her Kitten with Broken Leg to Couple She Befriended