Specialized clothing for a special-needs cat

Montana gets a little help
from caregiver Barbara.

Pet clothes serve a variety of purposes. Whether you want your cat to look like a superhero for Halloween, or you need to help your dog feel safe with a shirt that gives a constant reassuring "hug" around her chest, there’s an outfit available.

For Montana the cat, he has the best of both worlds. He’s got a highly functional piece of clothing that also leaves him looking like one of the most fashionable cats on the block.

Cat chewing on his back leg

Perhaps you remember Montana. He used to be followed on the Guardian Angel section of the Best Friends website. Among other health issues, Montana can’t use his back legs. One leg in particular was really tripping him up, and amputation proved to be the best treatment. After recovering quickly from the successful surgery, Montana retired from Guardian Angel program. His level of care, though, remains as top-notch as ever.

Montana wears a protective legging now.

Despite all his health improvements, Montana had one persistent challenging habit that stumped his caregivers as well as the medical team. He kept chewing on his remaining back leg, a habit he’d started well before the surgery. "We didn’t know what to do," explains caregiver Barbara Sanderson. Staffers tried everything they could think of to help, including using ointments on the leg to heal the wound, but Montana wouldn’t leave it alone despite their best efforts.

Specialized leggings for special-needs cat

The eventual solution ended up coming from a creative and skillful volunteer who learned about Montana on the Internet. Wendy Michelle Matthews, who started Leggings for Life, shipped two pairs of leggings to Best Friends, free of charge. The leggings are designed for cats who drag their legs behind them.

Staffers tried them on Montana, with fabulous results. "It works really well," says caregiver Jen Corsun. Adds Barbara, "This is actually amazing."

Montana doesn't think about the leg anymore.

Montana wears his stylish pink and purple leggings every day, and leaves the leg alone when he’s wearing them. It’s as if he doesn’t think about the leg any more. "He looks very fashionable," Jen says.

Wendy is thrilled to know her donations have helped. She plans to donate to Best Friends as many of these leggings as necessary, for Montana or any other cats who can benefit from them. Hey, if there’s a way to make this stunningly handsome boy look even better and help him medically at the same time, that’s one heck of a knockout combination.

More info about Leggings for Life

According to Leggings for Life’s Facebook page, they make "crocheted leggings for animals who suffer from limb deformity/paralysis to protect from ulcerations and assist with walking."