Staff at Katz 4 Keeps, a Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida feline rescue facility, were sad to see a very special kitty go when she was adopted yesterday, but are thrilled that she has found the perfect home.
Katz 4 Keeps wrote about Itty Bitty’s adoption at Facebook yesterday, saying:
Itty Bitty is the amazing story of an injured kitten brought to Katz 4 Keeps with an uncertain future.
While waiting to grow big enough to be spayed and have her injured leg amputated, Itty Bitty met Brian. Brian, an amputee himself and a huge part of Camp No Limits (camp for amputee children), was brought to Katz 4 Keeps by a friend to meet Itty Bitty. Brian immediately felt a connection and put a hold on Itty Bitty for adoption. Today, Brian returned to Katz 4 Keeps to take Itty Bitty home.
It will not be the same at Katz 4 Keeps with Itty Bitty no longer there. While we are sad because we will miss her, we could not be happier for how this little baby’s broken life has turned full circle.
The world is a beautiful place. All you have to do is believe. (Special thanks to Susan Roche for finding Itty Bitty and bringing her to Katz 4 Keeps, and for taking these amazing pictures [from the adoption]. Thank you to Heather Crawford for telling Itty Bitty and Brian’s story. And of course, to Brian, for being a part of now all of our lives.)
Brain Gentilotti is Itty Bitty’s adopter. Brian is a Massachusetts resident and an amputee who works with campers at Camp No Limits, which is based in Maine but holds camp in several states, including Florida, where Brian was volunteering when he met Itty Bitty and decided to adopt her. Brian traveled back to Florida to adopt Itty Bitty after she was healed from a leg amputation surgery and ready to go to her new home. The adoption took place on Wednesday, with much celebration and fanfare.
Itty Bitty was brought to Katz 4 Keeps after a woman found her with a badly injured front leg, which has since been amputated.
“I was volunteering for a camp for kids called Camp No Limits for kids with limb loss,” Brain Gentilotti told First Coast News. “We have a camp in Ellenton, Florida and other locations throughout the country. I was down here visiting two campers and we were going to go to camp the following week. They said we found a really great cat for you to adopt so I came down and checked her out and that was it.”
Tim Houston and his brother are the two boys who thought Brian would be the perfect adopter for Itty Bitty. Tim is a 10 year old amputee who lost a leg when he was a baby. The boys introduced Brian and Itty Bitty in December.
“She’s a very inspirational kitty,” said Tim.
Brian told First Coast News about his experience as an amputee: “I also had an amputation due to a traumatic injury. I was in a motorcycle accident back in 2006 and due to complications I elected to have an amputation… After I had the amputation I was able to go back to doing the things I used to do like snow mobile and ski so it was definitely a positive thing.”
“[Itty Bitty]’s not limited… She climbs. She hops up on things. She plays. She walks,” said Brian.
The playful little cat exemplifies the message Brian shares with his campers:
“You can do anything. Don’t sit home and feel sorry for yourself because you have one limb missing, a hand or are missing both legs. There are a lot of amputees there that are missing all four limbs, and it’s amazing what they can do. They can throw a football better than I can, and this cat is an example of that. She’s able to do anything.”
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See the heartwarming story here:
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Itty Bitty plays, post-surgery:
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View the full album of photos from Itty Bitty’s Adoption at Katz 4 Keeps’ Facebook page.
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