T-Rex the 2-legged cat given new wheels
SOUTH HAVEN, Mich. (WOOD) — A rescue cat in Michigan that had to have both front legs amputated has a new prosthetic.
Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex for short, got his wheels this week thanks to an anonymous builder in California. The custom-made wheels replace his two missing limbs.
The staff at the Al-Van Humane Society in South Haven, Michigan, has been nursing the cat back to health for more than two weeks after he was found under a boat in Covert Township.
“We’ve had a lot of people just call and check up on him see how he’s doing. A lot of people have donated towards his care, which is amazing, and even to our emergency medical fund which helps animals like him,” said Madison Steffens, the intake coordinator at the shelter.
After hearing T-Rex’s story, the director of Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon, Michigan, reached out about someone who could help, an engineer from California who connected through TikTok.
“They offered to make prosthetics for T-Rex, so they made him a little wheeler cart. We had to do specific measurements. It was pretty cool," lead kennel attendant Jessica Forrest said.
The staff was surprised at how quickly the custom device was made. It was shipped out in less than a week.
“He just did it out of the kindness of his heart. That’s what he does,” Forrest said of the engineer.
The builder made the device for free and did not want any credit.
“We wanted to make a Facebook post and tell everybody, 'Hey, this is who made them,' and he’s like, 'No, I don’t need recognition,'” Forrest said.
The team is starting the slow process of getting T-Rex used to the device and teaching him how to use it.
“He was walking on his stubs at first, so now if we have a wheel cart and we get him used to it, he can go right back to being as mobile as he was before,” Forrest said.
Steffens is fostering the cat and says he has been recovering well from his surgery.
“We’re just kind of letting him heal and obviously that takes time,” Steffens said. “(He wears) his little sleeve to keep him from licking at (his surgery scars) and opening up any issue, because that’s not a good idea. But he’s been doing really well leaving it alone, healing it up very nicely.”
The shelter is grateful for the support from West Michigan and across the country.
“The support we’ve received is just incredible,” Steffens said. “We all know him, and we know he deserves it.”
If you want to donate to help care for T-Rex and the other animals at the shelter, you can visit the Al-Van Humane Society website.