I am particularly excited about this month’s special kitty. I have been a longtime fan of Peanut, AKA, “P” AKA, “Peany Todd” and her Instagram, and I am so excited that I had the chance to talk to her human, Alex, to get to know a little bit more about her. When I first saw P’s Instagram I was immediately obsessed with her little tooth and from then on, I was hooked.
Kitten Troubles
Peany’s story is a little different than some of the other kitties we’ve covered in the past few months. Peany’s mom, Plop, was a stray cat that showed up at Alex’s house one day after work. Little did Alex know, the stray was pregnant:
“[Plop] was a light grey calico, very skinny, and sweet as could be. She had been hurt on her paw and seemed desperate to come inside. After fixing her up and letting her sleep in the garage for a few nights, I knew she was there to stay and let her come in and start her cushy house cat life as “Plop”. After a few more days I noticed her belly getting bigger… I took her to the vet and she was pregnant! I realized then that Plop knew she needed a safe place to have her kittens, and she had chosen me to help.”
Soon, a litter of four kittens was born. Right away, Alex noticed that something wasn’t quite right with one of the kittens. The runt of the litter, Peany, was shaking and unable to properly feed from her mom.
“She was trying her hardest [to nurse] but her mouth would not close enough to give suction. I rushed out and got everything to bottle feed her until she was big enough to eat wet and dry food on her own. As she got bigger, it became obvious she was missing one eye and a large part of her lip/nose, leaving an open hole.”
Poor little Peany struggled a ton in her first few days of life. In fact, the doctors actually told Alex her best bet was to put the kitten down, but Alex was not about to give up on her. After ‘round the clock care by Alex, Peany ended up gaining weight and eating completely on her own. Before Alex knew it, she had a new best friend.
Life At Home
Although she is thriving in her cozy, loving home, Peany still faces some day to day limitations. Since P only has one eye, and doesn’t have part of her lip and nose, her open hole causes her some issues.
“The hole in her nose has caused many issues, mainly sinus infections, and she has had many rounds of antibiotics in her short life so far. I use a baby nose suction tool to clean her nose out and saline drops for babies when it is irritated. I keep a close eye on her all the time, especially when she is eating, and other than those obstacles she lives a happy normal life!”
It also warms my heart that Peany and her mom, Plop, live and thrive together, and Alex tells us that they are so happy to be together.
P’s Special Bond
“Today she follows me around everywhere and sleeps right by me every night, which none of the other cats we have do. She is so special to me and she shows more love than any animal I have ever seen. I love her so much its insane! I could go on forever! She is perfection!”
P’s loyalty to her human is something every animal parent strives for, and Alex loves every minute of it.
“The bond is so unique and so special. When I get home, P is waiting at the door all by herself. No other cats really care too much, they’ll come say hi (maybe) and be gone off doing cat things. P will literally follow me around everywhere!”
Besides being Alex’s right hand woman, Peany is usually busy absolutely loving life. She loves sharing gravy cans with her adopted furry sister, Phoebe. When she takes a break from being an Instagram icon, Peany likes to drink water from both her human’s cup and the faucet in the bathroom sink. In her free time she enjoys playing with pipe cleaners and a laser pointer. But Peany has one huge dislike:
“She dislikes going to the vet VERY much. It stresses her so badly that I can hardly stand it! I know it’s for the best, but she has not been sick in a very long time! So fingers crossed for limited vet visits.”
Adopt Don’t Shop
We always urge our readers to choose adoption when searching for a furry friend. There are so many kitties like Peany who face disabilities, but aren’t as lucky to have found a loving home like Peany has with Alex. Many cats with disabilities struggle to be adopted. Alex encourages others to adopt with this amazing piece of advice:
“[All my cats] have a backstory. They all needed a home. They all needed love and they give that back to me tenfold. Pet adoption doesn’t just change their life. Even the scared, old, seemingly not nice, or special needs cats in shelters deserve the chance to be loved and give love. I say this all the time- I know P VERY well. If she was in a shelter for even a day, let alone a month, 6 months, or years, she would be so incredible unhappy and mean to everyone that looked her way.
But given the chance, she has truly thrived and is the worlds sweetest cutest kitty. Every cat/dog/animal deserves a happy life so we shouldn’t overlook those who aren’t just adorable kittens or puppies.”
