Special Needs Cat Is Given A Second Chance Thanks To Your Purchases!

Part of each sale through the iHeartCats store is donated to Greater Good, which helps support various charities. Thanks to customers like you, happy endings, like the one below, are made possible.

Ivar was born in an alleyway and affected by Cerebellar Hypoplasia (CH). By the time he was discovered this past June, he was already 6-7 months old. Handicapped in his ability to forage on his own and defend what meals he could find from other cats taking it away, Ivar was weak with dehydration and malnourishment, and his CH seemed extreme.

His only defense when he saw people was to act feral, so a humane trap was set up but not activated. He took to napping in his very own “tunnel” and began to trust the feeder. Finally, the day came when he allowed himself to be brought to safety. His first stop was the hospital, where he stayed for three days to receive fluid therapy and additional support before heading into his current foster home.

Ivar’s progress in private foster care has been remarkable. His feral act was just that – an act. He is a loving, social, and brave little boy. Filled with curiosity, Ivar seeks adventures and challenges, from climbing a full flight of stairs to wrestling playfully with his more able-bodied feline friends in the home.

Thanks to high-quality pet food donated by Greater Good’s Rescue Bank program, he has gained over a pound in the last month, and his newfound strength is allowing him to defeat his initial coordination setbacks. While still “floppy,” he will become less so just like his CH predecessor did in the same foster home. There is a niche in the adoption world for CH kitties, and Ivar will certainly find his forever home soon enough.

“Ivar exemplifies the far-reaching effect that local food distributions can have on rescues located 1,700 miles away. The American Street Cat has not been able to take full advantage of Rescue Bank donations in New York due to the small number of fosters located there, coupled with the lack of space to store the large quantities distributed. However, we’ve seen significant savings on food for our higher number of fosters in Houston. Since those savings are shared between both chapters, it assists in the veterinary needs of the New York cats in foster.” – The American Street Cat

The American Street Cat is just one of the many groups that benefit from Greater Good’s Rescue Bank program. Every time you make a purchase from the iHeartCats shop, you’re helping fund projects just like this!