Marvelous Marci

With her striking tabby markings and her black-and-white whiskers, it’s hard to imagine a kitten more adorable than little Marci. And the young tabby cat has a personality to match. She’s all about making new friends. Just take a seat in her room, and within minutes she’ll leap into your lap or climb up on your shoulders. Then she’ll rub her face right into your neck or hair and purr loudly in your ear. She’s loving, sweet and absolutely irresistible. Still, the rescue organization she was living with had difficulty finding her a home.

That may be because Marci was born without her right front leg. Being a three-legged kitten isn’t such a big deal. She can get around just fine. But it seemed she might need surgery to remove a small bone that was causing a painful open wound in her shoulder. So Marci came to Best Friends for the medical treatment that would make her feel better and help her find a forever family.

“A sweet doll”

Within days of her arrival at the Sanctuary, the little gray-and-black kitten, only a few months old at the time, won over staff and volunteers. Local volunteer Connie Ball fondly remembers Marci’s first day at the Sanctuary: “She was in one of the back rooms, but she didn’t want to stay there.” Marci wanted to be right in the center of the action, and she meowed loudly to let her caregivers know she preferred to be with them.

So Connie put a pet sling carrier over her shoulder and tucked Marci into it, like a baby kangaroo in a pouch. “Then I just went around and worked with her like that,” Connie says. “She is a sweet doll and was so happy just to be with me.” And Marci delighted everyone who saw the tips of her little ears and her tail peeking out of the sling. When she wasn’t assisting Connie with chores, Marci was making herself at home behind the front desk at Hope House, the medical building in Cat World. She was totally in her element while snuggling with people and greeting staff and visitors as they came through the door.

Feeling much better

And there’s good news for Marci: So far she’s been able to avoid surgery. The Best Friends veterinary team performed a simple procedure to help close her wound. She’s already left her colorful bandages behind, moved from the clinic to Cat World Headquarters, and is feeling much better these days. Once she finishes healing and is cleared by the medical team, she’ll be ready to go to her forever home. Until then, marvelous Marci is spending her days with a one-eyed kitten named Wilson and all the human friends she’s made.

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Photos by Molly Wald