We here at The Best Cat Page recently stumbled upon this exceptional kitty named, Rosavell.
This is Rosavell!
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Rosavell’s human, Morgan, told us here at The Best Cat Page, “I came across Rosavell’s Facebook page while browsing on some other cat pages on Facebook. Kitten Rescue had set it up for him to try to gain additional exposure since he had been waiting 3 years for a home.”
I liked his page to follow his journey and left encouraging comments for him over the period of a few weeks. I couldn’t get him out of my head so I finally contacted the rescue to see if they would consider a long distance adoption (he was in California, and I live in Kentucky). I filled out an application and was approved for his adoption and we turned to his Facebook page to try to raise the money for his flight home. His generous Facebook fans donated enough for his transportation in just 5 short days! Rosavell made the trip home in December 2015 with his foster mom and adoption coordinator. They stayed the whole weekend with him to make sure he transitioned okay.”
Being a special needs kitty, we asked Morgan how Rosavell has adapted to his new life …
“He plays like any other kitty with his favorite activities being chasing the red dot from the laser point and chasing his baby sister(a fellow black cat named Olive.) When he was in foster care they said he never wanted to be on the furniture. After a few weeks of him crying to get into my bed constantly we got him a ramp for the bed and a staircase for the couch. I enticed him a couple of times with a toy until he got the hang of it, now he is snoozing on the couch almost every day when I get home from work. The ramp took a little more work as it required more strength, but once he realized he could get cuddles on demand he put in the effort and now goes up and down the ramp as well.”
When asked what makes Rosavell Rosavell, Morgan told us, :He loves to snuggle and often paws or headbutts to indicate you are not done petting him yet. He is totally a mommy’s boy and loves to follow me all over the house. He has a bed in every room of the house to make sure he can always be near me but still comfortable. Eating time is his favorite and the moment he hears the cat food container he comes running as fast as he can from wherever in the house he happens to be.”
Rosavell’s biggest challenge to date was mastering the use of the litter box.
Cynthia McKeag who is the adoption coordinator at Kitten Rescue, speaks of Rosavell’s amazing rescue story, “Rosavell was discovered in an alley in Long Beach, CA when he was approximately 5-6 weeks old. It was abundantly clear that something was very wrong with him, as his back legs did little more than twitch, were tucked up under him, and twisted around so his paw pads faced the sky.”
“Rosavell was taken to see a neurologist who also consulted with an orthopedic surgeon. She determined that he had no neurological problems, no reason to believe he would ever loose continence, and seemed to be getting around relatively well. She also ruled out injury as the source and confirmed that theory with an orthopedic surgeon. The orthopedic surgeon determined that the extent of malformations were not repairable and also noted he had mild spina bifida which would have caused weakness in his hind legs. Because of the severe deformities in his rear legs, it would not affect him since his legs were near useless anyway.”
“When he was older and stronger, Rosavell went to California Animal Rehabilitation, known as CARE, for physical therapy to improve his overall health. He was given several exercises to increase his range of motion and support his front legs and back which bore the brunt of carrying his weight around.”
“X-rays had revealed the extend of his malformations and every vet he saw all agreed his mother was likely poisoned. 3 different vets all stated that skeletal deformities to this extend are nearly guaranteed to be caused by a toxin. Especially since his internal organs were all exactly as they should be and functioning perfectly. It is very likely he was the only kitten to survive.”
“Rosavell’s skeletal structure was severely compromised in utero. On his rear legs, the outside toes on each foot are missing the bone that would connect them to his foot. His ankle joints are completely fused with no articulation, making it them non functional joint. The tibia bone in each rear leg is smaller than in most cats his age and general size, but the fibia is where the real problem lies. Both Fibia bones are dramatically undersized, one is even curved, and only connected at the knee joint instead of at both the knee and ankle.”
“Rosavell’s knee joints are close to disjointed and also virtually useless. There is no chance they could ever be weight bearing due to the malformed Fibia bones and misalignment of the knee itself. His knee caps are floating in the wrong place and the socket is not properly formed either.”
“The muscles, ligament, tendons, and nerves running through the hip area to his knee are extremely tight and short due to the lack of motion and use in his back legs. This is what causes his legs to be tucked up against his tummy. Some basic stretches have helps him gain some range of motion from his hips – he can even scratch his ears now!”
“Rosavell’s spine in his lower back to mid tail is a mess of fused vertebrae, making his tail a huge z shaped zig-zag and causing it to appear to be short and stumpy. Despite the shortened spine, it has not affected his ability to use the litter box on his own and he’s even learned how to hop in and out without getting too much of a mess on himself!”
“For 3 years, Rosi lived in foster care while Kitten Rescue in Los Angeles searched for a loving adoptive home. His biggest challenges were learning to use a litterbox without requiring a bath every day – for the first year and a half, Rosavell used weeweepads to potty. He was never slowed down by obstacles, figuring out how to climb up and down part of the cat tree, wrestling with the chihuahuas in his foster home, and playing with any kitty who could handle him. We affectionately called him the Schwarzenegger of the cat world because of his muscled neck and front legs.”
“Through his Facebook page, his adoptive mom discovered him. With the support of donors and friends, we were able to fly him out to his new home in Kentucky just in time for Christmas!”
Watch this adorable video of Rosavell playing with some of his kitty friends:
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Here is another video of Rosavell. In this one he is trying to catch the elusive red dot!
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Be sure to follow Rosavell on Facebook:
Rosavell: peek into a unique kitty’s life
What an inspiring story! We here at The Best Cat Page wish Rosavell this best with his human mom, Morgan!
By Ken Hazza, The Best Cat Page
