From rescued to rehomed: The Amazing Maurice

The Amazing Maurice and his three siblings had a tough start to life, landing at a Dunedin emergency veterinary clinic after being found by a member of the public at just a few weeks old. We aren’t sure what their life looked like before that day, but they’d certainly all become little fighters!

Community Support Officer Eric, upon arrival at the clinic, noticed that one kitten was doing noticeably worse than the others. While his siblings had all reached a healthy weight of 400g each, he was only 310g. But that wasn’t his only affliction – he was also, noticeably, missing half of his hind leg.

Underweight and in need of immediate surgery to combat any infection risk, Maurice was facing a tough battle.Our Dunedin Centre’s veterinary team performed a leg amputation the next day. Maurice did well in the surgery, but controlling his post-op pain was tricky because of his size; worried for him, a member of the Customer Service team took him home that night to keep a close eye on him.

It didn’t take long for Maurice to become a staff favourite. His sweet nature shone through immediately, despite any pain and discomfort he may have felt; he adores people, and took to all the attention well!

After a few more days in our Centre’s care, he was sent out to a foster parent for some longer-term TLC. And he quickly became a favourite there too – so much so that he progressed from “foster” to “foster fail,” and will be staying with his new parents permanently!

His new mum Sarah tells us that Maurice is fitting in with her whānau perfectly. He settled right into life in a home, growing quickly and never letting life on three legs slow him down. “He races around happy like any kitten, and still manages to get into the usual kitten mischief. The only difference is he just climbs to places he shouldn’t be rather than jumping,” Sarah says.

Maurice has quickly become a huge fan of his new parents: “One day, not long after he came to us, I returned home and called out to my partner. Maurice heard my voice and came racing over, meowing loudly to greet me. It was the sweetest thing.”

He also has a foster sister named Mabel – another former SPCA kitten – who was a bit unsure at first, but who has now embraced the role and always keeps a watchful eye on him. “Mabel grew up with two dogs and was always involving herself with dog activities, including lying on the deck in the sun with them. I swear she actually thought she was a dog,” says Sarah. “Sadly they were both older, and we lost them last year, just a few months apart. And just like that, Mabel went from two furry friends to none. Seeing her lying on the deck alone always felt a bit heartbreaking, so having a new furry friend – this time an actual feline – feels like a win-win for them both.”

We aren’t sure of exactly what Maurice went through before he came to us, or what could have caused such a severe injury. Whatever he experienced, we’re glad he made his way to us, so we could help him heal and connect with the amazing forever family he’s found.