In the fall of 2015, Pippin and several other kittens were born in an abandoned farmhouse in a horrific hoarding scenario. The lady who owned every cat was previously accused of animal hoarding and mistreatment, but she still managed to commit the same offenses.
All the kittens and cats, several of which were in heat, were saved by Humane Society International (HSI) Canada. The humane society had 91 animals in its care by the time everyone was saved and all the pregnant cats had given birth.
Little Pippin was one of the unfortunate kittens who, at the time of their rescue, were gravely ill and barely holding on to life.
“Pippin was among those considered too weak to pull through,” Liam McConnell, Pippin’s new dad, told The Dodo. “His condition was terrible. He was severely underweight, weak, filthy and his fur was matted. HSI Canada had to be very gentle with him because of his fragility.”
Despite how sick he was, Pippin’s rescuers still had hope that he would pull through, and he was placed with one of the rescue’s foster moms, Sayara Thurston. She cared for Pippin around the clock, and as time passed, little Pippin somehow pulled through. He grew stronger and stronger until he was finally out of the woods and ready to go and find his forever family.
Not long after he was put up for adoption, McConnell and his girlfriend, Ani Unrau, found out about Pippin through a friend, and immediately knew he was meant to be the newest addition to their family.
“We were considering adding another cat to our family — we already have a gorgeous older cat named Gabi — and when we saw Pippin’s picture we fell in love with him,” McConnell said. “We started the adoption process that very day. When we heard his story, and heard that HSI Canada was putting out an urgent adoption call for these … cats, we knew we had to help.”
The couple was quickly approved to adopt Pippin, and they were over the moon. They were so excited on the day they finally got to bring him home — but after all he had been through, Pippin was a little apprehensive about joining his new family.
The first few weeks of his existence “were chaotic between the farmhouse, the emergency shelter, the foster family, and then our home,” McConnell said. “When we opened the cat carrier, he emerged after a few moments and went straight under the couch. For the remainder of the day, he hid there.
The couple placed Pippin’s food and water bowls beneath the sofa with him in order to give him time and space to acclimate, and then placed Gabi in their bedroom. After everyone had fallen asleep, they thought he would emerge and start to explore a little bit, becoming comfortable with his new surroundings.
From that moment on, Pippin felt completely safe and comfortable with his new home and family. It’s now been almost three years since Pippin arrived, and he still runs around the house like an excited kitten, knocking into things and chasing everything he can find.
After barely surviving his first few months of life, Pippin is now full of energy and love, and he isn’t taking a moment of his life for granted.
As McConnell looked at Pippin dozing down on the couch across the room, she said, “It tears my heart to think of what those poor animals went through, and I’m so filled with respect for his resilience.
He was born into the worst possible circumstances, and for the rest of his life, he deserves nothing but pleasure and happiness.
