Adopting a cat is a true act of love—especially if the cat in question has special needs and no hope for a better future. That was the case with tubby kitty Aoife, who was born with severe disability, but that didn’t stop her owners from giving her a loving home that she deserves.
Aoife was just two weeks old when Sabrina and James de Matteo rescued her, and they always knew that taking care of her wouldn’t be easy. She was paralyzed from the get-go and had to wear diapers because she was unable to use the litterbox due to a long list of health problems, including a mangled pelvis and severe hip dysplasia.
Despite her health problems, her personality shined through, and she immediately won Sabrina’s heart. She had no prior experience with special needs cats, but still decided to welcome Aoife into her home and give her the good life that she deserved.
“It’s a miracle she’d survived that long without help… We put in a lot of work to make sure we were fully capable of taking good care of her. We just fell in love with that little kitten and were willing to do what it took to bring her home with us,” she told the New York Post.
Aoife is now a huge social media sensation with over 60,000 Instagram followers under her belt, and she shares her home with five other cats—Pebbles, Kevin, Sofia, Ellie Mae, and Peter.
