Piglet was just one of a litter of orphaned kittens when she first arrived at the emergency vet clinic in Los Angeles, CA. Born on September 15, 2015, they were so young that their eyes hadn't opened yet and they had to be bottle fed until they could be weaned. Such babies are very delicate at that age.
At first, it appeared that Piglet faced even more of a hurdle than her siblings. She had a cleft lip. This also usually means a cleft palate (a hole in the roof of the mouth). This makes it very difficult for a kitten to nurse. They need tube-feeding, or bottle feeding with a very long nipple, and then surgery when they're old enough, or they won't survive.
Advertisement
It's possible to nurse such kittens to a successful adulthood, but it's difficult and many such kittens end up euthanized right away.
Fortunately, Piglet only had a cleft lip. Her palate was fine. So, while she had a unique look, she had no trouble nursing. In fact, she took to it right away like a little trooper.
One of the vet techs who worked at the clinic ended up adopting Piglet. It turned out that her lip didn't require correction. She could live an entirely normal life, which she proceeded to do.
It just goes to show that you shouldn't make assumptions based on appearance.
Her human mama created a social media account for her called Piglet the Super Cat. Now Piglet is an internet star.
Advertisement
Share this with your friends.