Cat who loses a leg gains a lot of love

Many of us have a special pet from childhood who will always stick with us. For Matt Wilhite, that pet is his grandmother’s cat, Smokey. So when Matt saw a photo online of Lowe — a fluffy brown tabby with hints of gold who could have been Smokey’s doppelgänger — he knew he had to meet him.

“My grandma had a cat for 21 years whose name was Smokey. He was the first cat that I was ever familiar with, the first cat I met,” says Matt. “He passed away a few years ago.”

Matt went to the Best Friends Lifesaving Center in Salt Lake City to meet Lowe. One look into Lowe’s wide, curious eyes was all it took. Matt felt an instant connection and adopted him on the spot.

Although Lowe got his happy ending, his life wasn’t a fairy tale. In fact, it’s a story of survival. 

Lowe’s journey began when a kindhearted person found him in desperate need of help. He was sick, injured, and struggling to survive. That person brought him to an Idaho animal shelter. As luck would have it, the shelter is one that often works with Best Friends and had a group of animals who would be heading to Salt Lake City that very day. At the last minute, they arranged for Lowe to join the trip.

When the van arrived in Salt Lake City, the Best Friends vet team went right to work examining Lowe. It was clear this 1-year-old kitty had been through a lot. Severely underweight, he was little more than fur and bones. He also had an eye infection, ear mites, and, most concerning, a badly broken leg.

[Kitten healing from broken legs helps her new family feel whole]

“His left hind limb had a very old, very traumatic injury, and it was very infected,” says Dr. Megan McCarthy, the veterinarian at Best Friends who treated Lowe.

Lowe is a pet who could have easily been at risk of being killed in a shelter, especially if that shelter were already full and struggling to save healthy cats and dogs. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters to reach no-kill in 2025, and that means giving every pet what they need to move out of shelters and into homes. In Lowe’s case, he needed emergency surgery and a foster home where he could recover. So that’s what he got.

The veterinary team operated on Lowe the night he arrived. His leg had to be amputated, but Lowe wasn’t about to let that slow him down.

In foster care, he spent the next three weeks recovering and letting his playful spirit shine. He delved into fun activities: batting around toys (especially ones with catnip), making friends with the resident dog and cat, and soaking up affection from his foster caregiver. With each passing day, Lowe grew stronger, gained weight, and learned how to navigate the world on three legs.

[Three-legged cat is full of surprises]

Soon, he was ready for his next chapter. And as you now know, someone special was waiting in the wings — Matt. On adoption day, Lowe nestled right into his pink pet carrier, as if he knew he was going home.

Some pets stay with us long after they’re gone. In a way, Smokey’s memory led Matt to Lowe so they could start their own story together.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.