When employees at Lake County Animal Shelter in Florida welcomed a brand new rescue via their doorways, nobody might have guessed the story this little tabby was carrying along with her.
She was quiet. Calm. And clearly a survivor.
Volunteers rapidly gave her a reputation: Petunia.
She had arrived with a litter of kittens after being rescued off the streets by a form stranger.
Petunia seemed like she had seen her share of onerous days, however nobody knew simply how a lot till the vets took a better look.
At first, they thought the scarring on her face was on account of a cleft palate. However that idea didn’t maintain up.
The reality that ultimately got here to mild was way more disturbing.
Petunia had truly been shot within the face as a kitten.
Her former house owners had mistaken her for a rat and pulled the set off. The bullet tore via the left facet of her face, damaging her higher lip and nostril.
She survived the ordeal, one way or the other, nevertheless it left her completely disfigured.
Her face healed in a manner that made her look just a little totally different, sufficient that folks may stroll previous her in a shelter with out giving her a second look.
However not everybody did.
Emily Blythe, a volunteer on the shelter, met Petunia not lengthy after she arrived.
Emily had supplied to foster her, not realizing she’d be strolling into one of the vital rewarding relationships of her life.
“She simply wanted someplace to land,” Emily mentioned. “She was candy and really easy to look after, regardless of every little thing she’d been via.”
It wasn’t a simple begin. Petunia had hassle respiratory.
She struggled to eat correctly and will solely handle meals from one facet of her mouth.
The pores and skin round her chin was overly delicate, and touching it might make her wince.
However she by no means lashed out. By no means hid. She simply tried to maintain going.
Emily and her household slowly started making changes for her. They monitored her meals. They saved an eye fixed on her respiratory.
They visited the vet twice a 12 months. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than they realised they didn’t simply need to foster Petunia.
They needed to maintain her.
By the point Emily signed the adoption papers, Petunia had already claimed her place in the home.
She spent hours curled up in her favorite bean bag chair, usually present in the very same spot day or evening.
Her look could have seemed uncommon to others, however for the Blythe household, she was excellent.
“She’s essentially the most loving cat I’ve ever recognized,” Emily mentioned.
“She likes to rub her face towards yours, and she or he’s obsessive about cuddles.”
Even guests who have been bowled over by her face rapidly warmed as much as her.
She had a manner of leaning into affection that was onerous to disregard. She purred loudly. She adopted individuals round. She appeared to need nothing greater than to be shut.
Her solely problem? The stream of foster kittens that sometimes stuffed the home.
Emily, who continued working with the shelter, usually introduced rescues residence for short-term care.
Petunia wasn’t at all times thrilled with the corporate, however she tolerated them.
Maybe she noticed one thing acquainted of their eyes, the uncertainty, the worry, the hope.
“Animals like Petunia get missed on a regular basis,” Emily mentioned.
“Too outdated, too sick, not fairly sufficient. However they’re those with essentially the most love to offer.”
Petunia, now a number of years into her new life, continues to thrive.
The trauma she endured as a kitten didn’t outline her, it formed her into one thing stronger. One thing softer, too.
Emily calls her “completely imperfect,” a phrase she makes use of usually when speaking in regards to the animals that come via her door. And in Petunia’s case, it suits completely.
She could have been mistaken for one thing else. She could have been damage and scarred and handed over greater than as soon as.
However in the present day, she’s a part of a household that sees her for precisely who she is.
“She has gone via a lot in her quick life,” Emily mentioned.
Emily calls her “completely imperfect,” a phrase she makes use of usually when speaking in regards to the animals that come via her door. And in Petunia’s case, it suits completely.
She could have been mistaken for one thing else. She could have been damage and scarred and handed over greater than as soon as.
However in the present day, she’s a part of a household that sees her for precisely who she is.
“She has gone via a lot in her quick life,” Emily mentioned.
“However she nonetheless loves fearlessly. She’s only a joyful cat. And we love her so.”
