Two-legged amputee kitten Cassidy gets his wheels!

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By Karen Harrison Binette

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A kitten who lost his back legs has captured hearts via a live kittencam and has received 3 wheeled mobility carts.

Cassidy was nearly starved and was in a bad way due to an accident and consequent infection when he was found in the woods as a tiny kitten in Langley, BC – a part of Vancouver –  over the summer.

He is in the care of TinyKittens and has gained many friends and supporters through social media and his appearance on a live kittencam.

Cassidy had to have both back legs amputated as a result of his accident and infection, but he has received such an outpouring of support he has had three wheeled mobility carts provided for him this week.

Handicapped Pets Canada has fitted him for a custom made wheelchair cart, and two students designed and created a cart for him using their school’s 3D printer. He received a third wheelchair cart from a private supporter.

TinyKittens tells Cassidy’s backstory:

Tiny Cassidy lost his back legs shortly after birth, but he never lost his remarkable will to survive. Born to a feral mom and a dad that is someone’s pet, Cassidy spent his first nine weeks fighting to survive. By the time he was rescued, he had nearly starved to death and his depleted body had stopped fighting a horrific E. Coli infection in both stumps.

Despite a grim prognosis, we knew this little survivor wanted to live, and we were determined to fight to give him that chance. With each passing day, our Cassidy is showing the world just how remarkable he is, and that even the most broken “throwaway” feral kitten still deserves a chance to know happiness and love.

Cassidy got his special cart from the students after a secretary at Walnut Grove Secondary School saw him at TinyKittens’ Facebook page and told a teacher at the school about the special needs kitten’s situation. From there, Grade 12 students Josh Messmer and Isaiah Walker got to work designing a wheelchair that they created using modeling software and their school’s 3D printer.  The device can be modified as Cassidy grows.

“They really are giving Cassidy a second chance to have a really great life,” Shelly Roche of TinyKittens told CTV News, adding “Having a wheelchair is going to give him independence and be great for his spirit.”

A kittencam viewer named Gerritt also built a wheelchair for Cassidy.

Andrew from HandicappedPetsCanada.com built Cassidy’s third cart.

Handicapped Pets Canada.com wrote at Facebook Thursday: We absolutely loved having Cassidy the bi pawed #MiracleKitten from Tinykittens here with us today to be fitted for his #TinyWheelchair! It will take some practice and getting used to but we’ve got high hopes! He looked adorable playing with his carrot. Stay tuned for videos to follow!

TinyKittens has expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support for Cassidy and plans to pass on the wheeled carts when the time comes. They wrote at Facebook, saying: All three devices will be made available to other tiny animals in need in the future, so all three will be put to good use! We know how blessed we are to have such a generous and supportive community behind Cassidy, and we would love to help other little ones that might not otherwise get their chance for a happy life

You can watch Cassidy and his pal Topper at the the Cassidy + Topper, Feral Rescues live kittencam. There are also videos of Cassidy at the page.

 

Watch the CTV News Vancouver report on Cassidy’s wheelchair cart made by the students:

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Video of Cassidy made just after his rescue:

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Cassidy in a video from September 10:


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