When a beautiful tabby and white cat showed up on the doorstep of Alex’s home in Fayetteville, Georgia, in early 2016, she decided to adopt the homeless female feline, naming her Plop. Not long after Plop’s arrival, Alex realized there was something special about her new kitty companion. “I decided to keep her before realizing she was pregnant,” says Alex. “A few weeks later, she had four beautiful kittens.”
Plop gave birth on April 17, 2016, and shortly after the kittens were born, Alex realized that the runt of the litter — a female torbie kitten she named Peanut, aka P — seemed to be having difficulty nursing from her mom. “I realized about a day after they were born that P was not able to feed from Plop like the other kittens,” explains Alex. “She was just not getting the suction with her mouth.”
At the time, P was so tiny, that it wasn’t obvious to Alex that she was anatomically different from her siblings, but she knew she had to figure out a way for the young kitten to get the nutrients she desperately needed. Alex rushed to her local pet supply store and returned home just in time with a bottle and kitten milk formula for P. “I think if I had realized even a couple hours later that she wasn’t eating, she wouldn’t have made it,” says Alex.
Alex continued to bottle feed P, and as the young kitten developed, she realized that the small feline only had one eye and was missing part of her nose. “The vet told us that she was a kitten that just wouldn’t have survived on her own or if Plop had the kittens before she found a home,” says Alex.
The veterinarian also determined that P was unable to see out of her eye, which was a surprise to Alex because aside from occasionally bumping into walls, the tiny kitten was able to get around just fine. “Her eye had a white film over it and just looked cloudy when she was blind,” says Alex, “but at about two months or so, the eye cleared up and she has had perfect vision in that eye since. What a blessing.”
While Alex found homes for three of Plop’s kittens, she decided to keep P and her mom, having formed strong bonds with both of them. “The decision to keep P was an easy one for me,” says Alex. “We became very attached because of the bottle feeding.”
Eventually, P learned to eat on her own, and when she was a few months old, Alex knew it was time to get the special kitten spayed, not realizing how challenging it would be for her to find a vet who would be willing to perform the surgery. “We could not find anyone to spay her for a long time,” remembers Alex. “Everyone we talked to that examined her said she was high risk.”
Thankfully, Alex found a cat specialist who was willing to do the operation, a veterinarian who is now P’s primary doctor. “She has been going to the vet specialist every two weeks right now because of a bad sinus infection/cold she cannot get rid of,” says Alex. As a result of P’s unique nasal structure, she is prone to sinus problems and she often gets bits of food stuck in her nose which Alex has to remove.
While P’s infections are treated with antibiotics, Alex uses a nasal syringe for babies to keep the young cat’s nose free from debris and mucus. “We are aware that her sinus problems will likely be life-long and we will just have to be on top of managing it for her,” says Alex.
While P may need a bit more care than the average cat, this beautiful girl — who recently celebrated her second birthday — is extremely happy and active, and she loves playing with her mom and her adopted sister Phoebe. “They just have a little clique and do their own thing all day making mischief,” says Alex.
When P isn’t getting into trouble with Plop and Phoebe, this cute kitty loves playing with ping pong balls and pipe cleaners, drinking water with her paw, watching birds, chasing after the laser pointer, and of course, cuddling with her mom Alex.
“It is very rewarding to take a helpless animal and give them a life,” says Alex. “I watch her play and sleep and climb things and just do her cute quirky daily routines and live such a happy life now.” Thanks to Alex, P — who almost certainly would have passed away if Plop hadn’t found a home for herself and her unborn kittens — is doing great, and for the past two years, this special cat has received the love, care, and understanding she needs to thrive.
“I have had people tell me she is ugly or say ‘ew’ or something similar when I showed her picture,” says Alex, and while P may not look like every other cat, her mom is certain that she is perfect just as she is. “She is beautiful inside and out and anyone that judges her looks must be very superficial,” says Alex. “Different is beautiful!”
While P is only two years old, she’s had a lot of challenges over the course of her short life, none of which have negatively impacted her positive and happy-go-lucky outlook. “P probably has the most outgoing and loving personality of all my cats and of all cats I have ever met,” says Alex.
When Alex decided to open her home to Plop more than two years ago, there’s no way she could have known that she was just weeks away from meeting P, a truly one of a kind kitten. “P has brought more happiness to my life than most people could ever imagine,” says Alex. “She’s my tiny best friend and she just needed a chance!”
To learn more about this beautiful cat, you can follow P on Instagram.
