Awwdorable Kitten With Huge Paws Runs Around For The First Time

Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor

Sep 17, 2021 3:00 PM EDT

Last month, a tiny polydactyl kitten with curled ears and a bobtail was brought into an animal rescue in Los Angeles - Friends for Life Rescue Network. The kitten was only 4 weeks old, and she was clearly unwell, her ankle bent at an unnatural angle.

"She was born with the bent front leg," explained Jacqueline DeAmor, the founder of Friends for Life Rescue Network, to Love Meow. "Polydactyl cats' paws are too big in utero and can result in the arm being bent at an abnormal angle when there isn't enough room. In her case, she came from a bigger litter so there wasn't enough room to accommodate her paw size. This caused the tendons to be stuck over constricted."

Alone, the kitten would not have been able to learn to walk properly again, but with the help of some amazing people, she is now running.

Check out some more pawdorable pictures of the kitten and read more of the story below!

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via Friends for Life Rescue Network

The tiny kitten was named Indira (Indy for short). When she came in, she was walking around with limited mobility. Thankfully, she was young enough that there was still time to make tremendous improvements in her condition through physical therapy.
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

"Usually this can be corrected with massaging and stretching as a newborn for the first few weeks of life if noticed early. Four weeks was prime age to splint and correct the leg before her bones calcified and before the tendons became too short to be stretched," Jacqueline said.
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

It took just one week of leg wraps, and Indy was already able to stand on her four paws, and she was walking a lot more steadily. After that, it was just a matter of time and building up strength, and once she did that, she turned into a whole ball of energy.
via @keystonekitties

She loves people, and people love her back. Adam and Margaux, foster liaisons of the rescue, fed her using a syringe during the day and were completely in love with her. "Every time I sat down to feed her, Indy would jump right into my lap and wait for food. It melted my heart," the couple told Love Meow.
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

"I was also very impressed at how much she adapted to having her leg wrapped — it didn't slow her down at all! And her leg straightened out so quickly that she only needed wraps for a week," Adam and Margaux added. "Now, she gets 10 minutes of leg massaging and stretching after each meal."
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

Now, at seven weeks old, Indy can stand up on her paws easily, and she is running around just like any other kitten. "Now that she's gotten so steady on her feet, you can really see her playful side coming out. She loves to jump around, chase things, and wrestle with toys. Once she's good and tired, she comes right up for cuddles."
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

She absolutely loves running around at full speed while trying to pounce on all the resident cats, who are, of course, all bigger than her. And after all that running, when she needs to recharge, she goes and puts her lovely self to bed. "She goes here every time she feels tired," Jacqueline said.
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

We hope this little girl keeps running around and enjoying life every single day of her life and, more than anything, we hope she finds the most purrfect forever home in the world when she's ready for it.
via Friends for Life Rescue Network
via @keystonekitties
via Friends for Life Rescue Network

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