A health plagued kitten has found fame on the internet after having a rough start to life. She was fighting for her life, and while the people at the animal shelter almost gave up on her, she was able to pull through and find the perfect family.
"When she was a tiny kitten she wasn't eating on her own so she had to be syringe fed every four hours or she would have been euthanized," Shannon Jackson, the kitten's owner, said of her pet. "She had a terrible case of ringworm and was on a bunch of medications and had a lot of lyme baths. She also had an upper respiratory infection."
While it all sounds like a lot, the shelter was able to get her healthy before she went out to her foster home and waited for someone to adopt her. Jackson works with the rescue who was taking care of the tiny kitten as a photographer so when she saw kitten posted online she became obsessed.
She knew that she was completely in love with this kitten, but what she didn't know was if she had already found a home.
Finally, after deliberating for a while, Jackson gave in and realized she had to have the little kitten. She asked her wife, Sarah, about the kitten, and realized that they had both been keeping up with her progress. They decided then that it was time to bring her home and see if she was a good fit.
After a week-long foster trial, they knew she was meant to be a part of the family forever. They didn't care that she had genetic abnormalities and a cleft lip! They gave her the name Smush and she immediately was part of the family.
Smush has become a star in her own right, with an Instagram account with more than 165,000 followers that helps her get her message out to others.
"I hope that people can see the value of pet rescue and go and adopt their own friend from the shelter instead of the store," Jackson said. "I also hope to put a little love and light into the world with her daily antics."
If you are looking to add a pet to your family, make sure you check out your local rescue groups and shelters! There are a lot of really great animals out there just waiting for a second chance.
Ever since Smush found her new home, she's been inspiring her moms to help raise awareness for other animals in need. Now they've actually started a non profit organization called the Smush Foundation to raise money for other animal welfare organizations like the shelter that saved her.
They consult with them to help their media presence improve, as well as help raise money for the animals in their care.
Smush is obviously doing great things now that she has her second chance at life!
Source - Facebook - Smush
