Deuce, a Two-Legged Stray Cat, Learns to Walk

There had to be a special kitty angel watching over Deuce, the homeless one year-old black and white shorthair feline, whose sweet and loving disposition recently captured the hearts of cat lovers around the country. But Deuce is no ordinary stray cat. He is a very special little kitty with only two legs and three-quarters of a tail. His back legs are missing from the knees down.

This amazing feline managed to survive for more than a month in the wild without any food or water.  However, miraculously, even though he was malnourished, with the exception of his injuries, Dr. Beth Ruby, the veterinarian at the Quail Creek Veterinary Clinic in Oklahoma City who is tending him, said he is basically OK. The people who discovered him first thought that Deuce was the victim of animal abuse, but Dr. Ruby suspects he was injured in a farm accident based on the appearance of his injuries.

According to a news item published on Newson6.com, Oklahoma’s Own, Dr. Ruby, when talking about Deuce said, "He's a total miracle. To think a cat could survive an injury to that degree and then be able to live out in the environment without any kind of food or protection or any kind of health care for four to six weeks." 

Clinic staff considered having special prosthetics fashioned for Deuce, but since he doesn't like having his injured legs touched, it would be very difficult for him to tolerate them. But Deuce can actually get around rather well, using his healthy front legs to compensate for his missing hind legs. After all, he has been managing to ambulate through the environment.

Of course I was compelled to call the Quail Creek Veterinary Clinic to find out about Deuce’s progress.  Since the clinic staff was in a meeting, I left a message. My call was shortly returned by a very charming gal who referred me to the local humane society for further information about his status. She added that Deuce was one of the sweetest kitties she has ever met, and how much the clinic staff adores him.

Christie at the humane society suspects that Deuce was injured several months ago in an accident on a cow farm, then perhaps cared for by an elderly couple from the area. However Deuce became homeless since either someone died, or financial constraints made it impossible to continue caring for him.

Fortunately for Deuce, one of the vet techs at Quail Creek is fostering him until the humane society is certain he is suitable for adoption into a forever loving home. Since he will always be a special needs kitty he will require a home that can provide all the necessary extra medical care and handling.

And just to rule out that no animal abuse was involved in this case, sheriff’s investigators are thoroughly checking it out. If it turns out that Deuce’s injuries resulted from criminal action, the Humane Society of the United States is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest.

Meet Deuce up close and purrsonal by watching a short video.

Quite an amazing story, don’t you think? Share your reactions with a comment.