For Frankenkitten, he didn’t have an easy start at life. A life on the streets is no life for a kitten, especially one with special needs. He and his cat sibling were discovered underneath a home at around two months of age. The homeowners couldn’t care for the kittens, so they surrendered the two of them to the Geelong Animal Welfare Society in Victoria, Australia.
Born with four ears and one normal eye, Frankenkitten caused quite a buzz at the shelter.
One volunteer named Georgia Anderson immediately took notice of this special needs cat. Not long after, the rare kitten would find himself a human who appreciated him for who he was—four ears and all.
The kitten needed surgery to remove his infected and deformed right eye. Anderson stepped in to foster him, naming him Frankenkitten post surgery. The scar and stitches seemed like a suitable name, obviously. And despite having never known love or kindness in his short and stressful life, the kitten simply loved Anderson:
He would have been in a lot of pain. But the first thing he did when I picked him up was purr and rub his face on mine. I told the girls in the vet clinic that I would foster him for recovery after his eye removal.
But, as we know, cats have a way of finding their humans in life. So, how long did it take for little Frankenkitten to become a foster fail?
When I got him home, he was very dopey and in pain, but still had so much love and affection for me, the kids and other animals. By the next morning, I’d decided that I wanted to keep him.
Per Geelong’s animal adoption requirements, there was an eight day waiting period required before an official adoption could take place.
So, Anderson waited before officially making her latest addition an honorary member of her four-legged family.
I’ve probably fostered around 80 cats and kittens in the last year, and he was the first one that I knew I would regret giving back.
Little Frank joined her other pets at the home, including three cat siblings named Lucius Malfoy, Mina, and Toothless, and even a Beagle named Dudley, too.
Aside from the eye issue mentioned above, Frank was also born with a major overbite which will require extensive dental surgery once he matures. Frank’s rare genetic abnormality has its limitations and associated health concerns, but for the most part he’s a happy little fellow that is as sweet as he is adorable.
Not long after his surgery wounds healed, Anderson figured she’d start sharing this little guy with the world via social media. And let me tell you, I’m sure glad that she did because his images are just too darn cute!
Frankenkitten came to Geelong Animal Welfare Society after being found as a stray living with his littermate under a house. He was found to be suffering from a very painful eye infection that resulted in the almost immediate removal of his right eye. It was at GAWS that it was discovered that Frankie had a few other surprises – most interestingly – FOUR ears.
Two ears are normal and include everything needed for hearing. His additional two ears are pinna only (no internal parts), and are located in front of his normal ears, facing inwards. There was no medical reason to remove these ears, so they stayed and became part of Frankie’s unique features.
More of a medical concern was discovering his large overbite, and how it would affect his ability to feed himself. And affect the development of his adult teeth. Thankfully he can eat just fine. But when his adult teeth grow in, he will need the lower canines removed to prevent them from growing up into the roof of his mouth.