The Best Friends Animal Society of Los Angeles (Best Friends) is celebrating National Specially-Abled Pets Day this upcoming Monday to raise awareness about pets with disabilities.
Celebrating National Specially-Abled Pets Day on May 3, Best Friends is raising awareness by recognizing two-legged tuxedo cat Rexie Roo and his miraculous recovery.
National Specially-Abled Pets Day was created to encourage people who are looking to foster or adopt a pet to consider taking in a dog or cat with special needs, ranging from pets who are blind or deaf, missing limbs, who use a wheelchair or cart, or who have neurological issues or chronic medical conditions, officials said.
“Opening your home to a special-needs animal can be doubly rewarding, not just because you know you’re saving the life of an animal that might otherwise be overlooked,” reads a statement by Best Friends. “But also because you know you can give the pet the extra tender love and care they need to live their best life. Special needs pets give a lot back to their people too.”
Bringing awareness to the national holiday, Best Friends decided to highlight the story of Rexie Roo, a two-legged cat adopted by a group member.
Rexie Roo’s story began in January of 2020 when he was brought into a rural Utah shelter with two badly broken front legs. The shelter posted online that unless he could get immediate emergency medical treatment, he was at risk of being humanely euthanized.
As soon as the Best Friends team in Utah heard about him, they picked him up and brought him to the lifesaving center in Salt Lake City, where veterinarians determined that his front legs were too injured to be saved.
In order to save his life, Rexie Roo had both legs amputated. Throughout his surgeries, Rexie Roo was a sweet boy and everyone who met him was rooting for him, according to the Best Friends team in Utah.
After healing from his surgery and transitioning through two foster homes, Rexie Roo was adopted by Cairistiona Flatley who saw him on Instagram and became “Insta-smitten.”
“Just because a pet looks a little different, moves a little different or has unique needs does not make them any less deserving of love,” Flatley said. “He’s the just sweetest cat ever.”
Rexie just passed his one-year anniversary with Cairistiona a couple weeks ago, and is doing great, according to Flatley.
“He has also made me an advocate for animals with special needs. All animals are deserving of love regardless of appearance or needs,” said Flatley. “I hope his story inspires others to adopt animals that may look or move a little differently. I wouldn’t change a thing about him.”
Best Friends aims to advocate for animals who were once considered “unadoptable” due to their special needs and has dedicated themselves to helping these animals in the process.
Their sanctuary is a “home-between-homes” where around 1,600 pets are housed on any given day, taking in all pets regardless of their needs.
Twenty-seven percent of the sanctuary’s pets in 2020 had special needs. Some have medical issues, some have been injured and need therapy, and others simply need love and understanding, according to Best Friends.
“No matter what, the sanctuary offers a healing place like no other — one where they’re given care and all the time they need to find families,” reads a statement by Best Friends. “Whether they have a wiggle in their walk, a tilt to their head, or an extra hip in their hop, they’re accepted and loved.”
Best Friends runs lifesaving programs all across the country and is the largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the nation.
A leading animal welfare organization, Best Friends is working to end the killing of dogs and cats in American shelters by 2025. Founded in 1984, Best Friends is a pioneer in the no-kill movement and has aided in the reduction of animals killed in American shelters by an estimated 17 million pets per year to around 625,000.
Working collaboratively with a network of more than 3,200 animal welfare and shelter partners, and community members nationwide, Best Friends is working to Save Them All.
For more information, visit the website.
For more information on caring for special needs pets, visit Best Friends’ library of resources.
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