A kitten found as a stray with many strikes against him lives as though he believes he’s the luckiest cat on earth.
Before Fortune Cookie, an orange tabby, found his safe haven, he was picked up as a stray with his eyes stuck shut and lungs aching to inflate. Despite the odds against him, his spirit was unshakable.
Fortune Cookie was no stranger to challenges, having survived the outdoors at a tender age. Tabby’s Place, a cat sanctuary, took him into their care from a public shelter, tended to his gummy eyes, and provided a comfortable place surrounded by company.
“Even in his fragile days, Fortune Cookie was joy on four legs,” Angela Townsend of Tabby’s Place told Love Meow.
The little tabby had run out of luck elsewhere due to having FeLV. By the time he came to Tabby’s Place, he was battling a severe upper respiratory infection. “He would need something far greater than ‘fortune’ to survive.”
Through the tireless efforts of the vet team, Fortune Cookie was able to join his foster family to continue his recovery. They nurtured the brave kitten day and night and watched him regain his strength and zest for life.
“His will to live was as bright and brilliant as his tangerine fur. It was moving to witness a kitten, born with so many strikes against him, living as though he believed he was the luckiest cat on earth.”
Fortune Cookie leaned into every hug and melted with every kiss, always ready for a refill of affection. “It’s like he knew the best was yet to come, and he started celebrating in advance.”
As his body filled out, eyes brightened, and fur became soft and gleaming, his playful side emerged. “This zesty little angel is as snuggly as he is exuberant, and he’s just as giddy to be lavished with love as to chase a wand toy. He is all heart.”
The little cookie commandeered the big chair in the office in the blink of an eye, perhaps trying to keep it warm until his human returned.
He was curious about the world beyond the glass, with little critters flying by and tree branches dancing in the wind. He was perfectly content with his cushy indoor life, where love and cuddles were bountiful.
Fortune Cookie befriended other FeLV+ cats from the rescue and was truly a social butterfly.
They scampered around the place like they owned it, creating all sorts of mischief.
“FeLV strikes fear in many hearts, closing doors to hope before they even open. But ‘hopeless’ is missing from the Tabby’s Place dictionary, and Fortune Cookie thrived in our Quinn’s Corner wing for FeLV+ cats.”
When he was ready to seek his forever home, a lovely family came upon his story and fell head over heels for the little marmalade.
“When [the adopter] came in to meet him, she was utterly smitten, and the feeling was mutual.”
The tabby boy, now Cookie, is living the best life with his forever family. He supervises them in the kitchen and dining room with keen eyes.
He cuddles them on the couch along with his trusty teddy. Every day is an exciting adventure.
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