Pawrent gets Christmas Day call with grim news about their sick cat, but their orange kitty continues to defy the odds and makes a meowraculous recovery: 'He's been home for three days and still improving'

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Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Jan 5, 2026 11:00 AM EST

All orange cats share one common brain cell, and it does not understand concepts like "the odds".

There's no worse feeling than getting a call from your vet with bad news. It's something every pawrent dreads. You always hope for the best, but you can't get lucky every single time. Over the holidays, this feline family took their cat in to the vet and were met with the worst. The doctors only gave him a 10% chance of making it through. With little to no options left, his pawrents decided to take a chance - they brought him home and hoped for the best. 

When you have such a small chance of success, it's easy to give up hope. But their little guy kept on fighting. He didn't give up. Three days later, and he keeps improving! This is what we meant in the beginning by orange cats not understanding concepts like "the odds". They're built to understand three things: food, love, and chaos. Anything other than those just goes in one ear and out the other. So, it makes sense to us that this clementine-colored cutie improved on his own. He literally had no other choice but to do so, or else he would never get to taste his favorite chimken snack again. 

The feline's future isn't 100% clear, but for now, he's doing his best to claw his way back to healthy. He has his pawrents, his doggo and cat siblings, and all of us rooting for him!

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    OF GERMS leaves hands feeling sol REFRESHING GEL 50.7 FL OZ (1.5 L) 2:56-> 948 a Chat All Groups Stories Calls Unreplied
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    We took him in to our local vet and found out his kidney values were way high. We transfered him to an animal hospital in Idaho Falls and the prognosis was not good. They called us on Christmas and said he wasn't getting better. So we took him to a hospital in SLC with critical
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    care specialists. The doctor there layed out our options and said the best case he had about a 10 percent chance of living. We rolled the dice to give him a chance and he fought and started improving. After a week in two different hospitals he's been home for three days and
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  • We're not exaggerating when we say we would go to any lengths necessary to save our cats. You know how moms have been known to gain “superhuman” strength in life-threatening situations where their babies are at risk? Yeah, that's us. But when it comes to being sick, there's no amount of endorphins that will make a difference. You have to take the advice from the purrfessionals, listen to your own judgment, and then make the best decision you can. Sometimes it works in your favor, and sometimes, it doesn't.

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    still improving! Reunited with his brother, he's eating and drinking well and being more himself every day. Shout out to MedVet in SLC and Viking Animal Hospital in IF for going above and beyond to try and save our little lad.
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    Life-Committee-4592 I'm so happy he's home & getting better! We had the same thing happen to our orange baby a few months ago and he came through it and has been doing great!!!
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    Longjumping_Bag5914 We have had a cat living with kidney failure for 5 years now. Make sure you have a water source he wants to drink. That's been key for us keeping ours healthy. She went from Stage 4 levels to stage 2 levels at her last checkup.
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    IntentionCertain171 Send positive thoughts for all of you. I hope he continues improving.
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    SignatureRich8087 He is lucky to having such a loving owner
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    ajb5476 We had a cat that was deemed to be at D th's Door, at every vet appointment for the last 12 years of his 15 year life. He was on and off insulin, had a heart murmur, liver and kidney issues, and an autoimmune disorder that caused "burn" like spots on his pads. Yet, he lived a very active, happy life.
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    It's important to seek help for our furry friends and to take medical advice seriously. But, their behavior will often be a better indicator than test numbers. Keep your baby hydrated, monitor behavior, and keep giving the love and care you've been giving.
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  • This is actually purrfectly important. It's also very important to get a second opinion when faced with a serious issue. Vets, like all hoomans, can make mistakes, and one might see something the other didn't. It's also true that a pet's behavior is a very good indicator - our pets can't lie to us about how they feel. If they feel good, they will act like it.

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    brokencog25 Oranges use their brain cell for three things....mischief,...love,...and food. Nothing of the brain cell left to consider quitting...monitor his quality if life...these three things, and your baby will be OK. Serve him well
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    LiveMotivation Yes. You can make it big boy. Keep improving
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    spoonsurfer Seconding the shoutout to Med Vet SLC! My guy was in critical care there for a couple nights before Christmas. I hope your boy pulls through!
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    DeepDayze Even the dog's rooting for this orange guy!
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    Vegetable-Dare-4529 what a strong lad! he was destined to live a long life with you :) what a sweet boy
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    BrightEyEz703 Omg! First I'm so happy for you. Second, your cats are doppelgängers for my old cats!!!
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    JRS1986 The beauty of the Orange Cat sharing a brain cell is that they don't understand the concept of 'chance of making it' or 'the odds', they just stubbornly don't care. They just know love, care & cuddles & you're doing amazingly at those three. May you guys have many more years together! Give him a cuddle for me please & tell him I say 'atta boy!
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christmas cat parents orange cats pawrents sick Cats recovery animals
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