Woman stops at PetSmart for cat litter, instantly falls in love with a three-legged mama cat who desperately deserves a second chance

Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager

Jun 9, 2026 3:30 PM EDT

How many times have you gone out for a routine errand and come back with a new cat?

The great thing about cat lovers is that they'll always find a place for another cat if they really need to. There are so many cats in need out there that "No more" turns into "What's one more?" pretty easily. The emotional reward you get from giving a cat a second chance at life is far worth the extra work of adding one more cat to your household. It's another litter box, a few weeks of gentle introductions to the other cats in the household, and then you just have an extra cuddle buddy for life that might have spent years in a shelter, or in this case, a PetSmart without you.

This is where we introduce "Bernadette", the three-legged mama cat who met her hooman on a casual trip to PetSmart for cat litter. Bernadette was too scared to come out from her hiding spot underneath her bed. The employees told the woman that she was adopted, and then returned after only 3 days. That's not all Bernadette went through. In addition to the injury that left her legless, she also birthed four kittens (thankfully, all of them got adopted) and went through a rough time before she was turned in to PetSmart. With all the goodness in her heart, the woman couldn't resist taking Bernadette home to give her the second chance she so desperately deserved.

We love all cats, but cats like Bernadette pull at our heartstrings a little more than others. She didn't deserve to live the life she had to. Being thrown around from family, to outside, to a shelter, back to a family, then back to a shelter. All the while, with a painful injury and being pregnant, it must have been incredibly confusing for her. All because some people view cats as objects.

Well, Bernadette is about to expurrience the high life of a spoiled indoor cat. Just her and her hooman, lots of tuna treats, and love. At the very least, that's what she deserves.

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Now, you may be saying to yourself, “Oh, this poor cat with only three legs! She probably won't manage very well and nobody wanted to adopt her!” and that's where you'd be wrong. Actually, cats with three legs manage quite well physically, and their adoption rate is almost as high as healthy cats. People feel pity for these kinds of cats, and their “specialness” actually makes them more appealing sometimes.
We get it, who doesn't want an awwdorable three-legged cat?
What might surprise you is that more three-legged cats get adopted than senior cats… by a lot. Go get a senior cat! They're the best!!
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"She's watching TV with me right now"

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"I HAVE A TRIPAWD TOO! They’re the best!"

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