‘His hands look like mittens’: Orange polydactyl stray cat, Cheese, heals a grieving cat owner's heart 2 weeks after her cat passes, filling the cat-sized hole in their family from the hospital parking lot

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Jesse Kessenheimer • Writer and Editor
Nov 24, 2025 11:00 AM EST

Cheese can mend all wounds. Unless you're lactose intolerant, a delicious handful of shredded cheese straight from the fridge at 3 AM is sometimes the simplest solution to all of our problems. For this cat lover grieving the loss of her devoted feline, cheese in another form came to save the day. Except this time, Cheese was a polydactyl orange cat with a sweet disposition and a need for a new home.

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  • With paws that look more like a lost woolen mitten, polydactyl cats have a strange way of warming our hearts. While they're usually also semi-feral, cattos with a thumb are, funnily enough, the sweetest kitties out there, begging for the humans to recognize their specialness. Cheese, the orange polydactyl cat in this next story, is no different. Using his super powers of cuteness and pawsitivity, Cheese managed to secure himself a new home, a loving family, and a legacy of curing a couple's grief following the loss of their first pet. 

  • "Meet Cheese! 🧀 polydactyl stray found at a hospital"

    Cheezburger Image 10578654208
    via catbarista
  • My cat had to be euthanized two weeks ago. My husband & I have been broken. We were not planning on getting another cat anytime soon. My mother (who doesn't care for cats) randomly
    via catbarista
  • texted me and told me there was a cat dumped at the hospital she worked at. Immediately I drove there and found a sweet polydactyl baby. His hands look
    via catbarista
  • like mittens lol. He was sitting on the cold concrete and my heart broke, so we scooped him up. The cat distribution system worked overtime to help us with
    via catbarista
  • our grief. I truly believe our previous cat sent him to us. He is settling in wonderfully and has a vet appt this week :-)
    via catbarista
  • Cheezburger Image 10578653952
    via catbarista
  • goochmoney69 Kitten mittens! You'll be smitten!
    via goochmoney69
  • PurringtonVonFurry SO THRILLED FOR YOU love it when magic happens
    via PurringtonVonFurry
  • No_Voice4964 i also got another cat shortly after my late cat's passing. the house felt really lonely without a cat in it, so i had just been kind of browsing shelter websites for odd looking cats (my late cat was polydactyl).
    via No_Voice4964
  • well my grandma mentions at her work that we had to put our cat to sleep, and one of her coworkers asked if she was looking for another because she had to move and couldn't take her daughter's
    via No_Voice4964
  • cat with her. she got a pic of it and showed it to me and told me about her conversation, and i immediately said i would take her. she has heterochromia! the CDS really works in strange ways
    via No_Voice4964
  • frolicndetour Cheese will help heal your broken heart
    via frolicndetour
  • AltruisticExit2366 Oh what a sweet thing to happen. I'm so glad you were there at the right time and place! Sounds like he's in for a very nice life. I had a polydactyl once and she was extra special. Lots of personality. Congrats on your new family member!
    via AltruisticExit2366
  • Jesse James2000 Congratulations friend, good time for your new kitten, he will have a beautiful life.
    via Jesse James2000

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adopt cuddly wholesome cat adorable adoption snuggles cuteness foster fail foster kitten cute adopted snuggly cuddles feline cat rescue Cat distribution system Cats
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