When TJ adopted little Pip, an adorable gray and white kitten, she had no idea just how special he was.
Credit: YouTube
Pip was rescued as a tiny newborn kitten and, from a loving foster home, he came to TJ, his forever mom. She was already a loving cat mom to a ginger boy named Murphy.
Once Pip joined the family, everything seemed normal. He was a playful kitten, always jumping around with his brother Murphy. However, his mom TJ soon noticed the poor boy started losing balance. As she shared in her video:
“We started noticing that he was just kind of unsteady on his feet and he started bumping into walls.”
Credit: YouTube
TJ immediately rushed him to the vet, but sadly they couldn’t diagnose him at first. Pip went through several treatments and after a full MRI with the vet team at UC Davis, he was diagnosed with cerebellar abiotrophy.
Credit: YouTube
Sadly, Pip’s health declined in a short time and the poor boy had trouble walking and playing around. To his mom’s surprise, he still managed to climb up on her bed or sometimes even on top of his cat tree.
Credit: YouTube
In the meantime, the family decided to adopt another rescue, a kitten named Indy. Little did TJ know, this kitten would play a huge role in Pip’s life.
This sweet boy fell in love with his brother Pip, and the two became inseparable. As their mom mentioned:
“It just turned into the bromance between Indy and Pip. It’s just unbelievable the way they both love each other.”
Credit: YouTube
Indy would always come to Pip, snuggle next to him, and the two would fall asleep in each other’s paws. Indy became his best buddy, but most importantly, he supported Pip whenever he was feeling down.
Whenever Indy was playing with their ginger brother Murphy, he made sure Pip felt included.
Credit: YouTube
He would always bring the toys close to Pip, making sure he had as much fun as his two brothers. Although Pip couldn’t run around with them, he knew his brothers would come to him and find a way to include him in their adventures.
However, Pip’s condition suddenly started to decline. The biggest issue was his balance, and poor Pip couldn’t even eat without his mom’s support.
Credit: YouTube
Sadly, Pip became so sick in just a matter of days that he couldn’t even use his litter box. TJ rushed him to the emergency vet and just a few hours later, received some devastating news. As TJ said in a post on Instagram:
“I woke in the middle of the night to a message that he had passed away around 11:00 p.m.”
Although TJ knew his time with her was not going to be as long as she wished for, she never thought she would lose him overnight. As she shared:
“As I’m sure you can imagine, I’m in complete shock. Although I knew his time with me would never be as long as I wanted, never did I think that he would pass so suddenly. I hope Pip’s life has inspired people to adopt and care for animals with special needs and to not pass judgment on animals who are ‘different’.”
Credit: Instagram
I’m grateful for the amount of love and support Pip received from his mom TJ and his sweet cat brother Indy. They were there for him whenever he needed it, and I’m sure Pip never felt like he was any different from his brothers.
