This Kitten Was Quadriplegic When He Was Rescued – But Thanks to Caretakers, He’s Thriving!

Lincoln the kitten was just four weeks old when he came to Tenth Life Cat Rescue in St. Louis, Missouri, back in 2012. He was picked up by the rescuers after a kind woman found him lying on the sidewalk between her house and an abandoned building. At that point, Lincoln was completely immobile – but now, five years later, he is proving that miracles do happen.

When he was found, the kitten was not moving at all and did not react to the rescuer touching his stiff legs. All Lincoln could do was lie on his side, curled up in a ball. But when he moved his tiny head towards the rescuer, it was clear that there was hope for him yet – and he had to get his second chance.

Right away, Lincoln went for a visit at the vet’s office. The x-rays showed that none of his bones were broken. Surprisingly, when the doctors performed a pinch test on his toes, they saw reaction proving that the baby still had feeling in his paws.

According to the diagnosis, Lincoln has suffered an unknown spinal or neurological injury. It was impossible to tell if he would ever improve…

But it was clear from the kitten’s eyes and his ability to follow the movements in front of him that he wanted to reach out and play but couldn’t. “In that moment, I saw a fight, a spirit and a determination in him that I would never forget,” said his rescuer, Bobbi, as quoted by Love Meow.

Lincoln’s care proved to be very demanding. He needed therapy five to six times a day and help with eating and going to the bathroom. But no matter what, Bobbi was determined to do whatever it took to help the kitty get better.

After the first week of therapy and care, Lincoln flexed his little paw for the first time when Bobbi was stroking his back. “It would have been such a small thing for any other cat to do, but such a huge accomplishment for him.”

As the time went on, Linky was making more and more progress. Slowly, he gathered enough strength to inch forward propped in his bed and, finally, was able to hold himself up on his own.

“With each passing day, he went from being a limp little pile of fluff to flexing his paws for the first time to wobbly sitting up on his own to wobbly standing and taking his first steps to batting at a toy to now the running/bouncing/climbing kitty that he is today.”

Today, Lincoln is a beautiful grown-up cat who is fully able to walk on his own!

When he was rescued, no one could say if he would ever make any progress, let alone walk completely on his own. Now, thanks to years of the most loving care, Lincoln not only walks – but runs, jumps, and plays as much as he fancies. He has his own Facebook page, Lincoln, The Formerly Quadriplegic Miracle Kitty – and he shows that love and determination can sometimes bring to life a true miracle.

To learn more about Tenth Life Cat Rescue, click here.

All image source: Lincoln, The Formerly Quadriplegic Miracle Kitty/Facebook