Sheldon is a sweet kitten who just happens to have feline herpes, a manageable condition that causes a cat to have occasional outbreaks of pink eye and other symptoms. Unfortunately for Sheldon, his first family neglected a flare-up of pink eye and it turned into a raging infection before he was surrendered to their local animal shelter. When it ruptured shortly after, his eye had to be removed.
All photos: mandapanda1218 via imgur.com
He had been at the shelter for about a month when Imgur user manapanda1218 and her boyfriend met him. They fell in love with him immediately and he went home with them that day. Sheldon was a bit scared and timid at first. “On the way home he wouldn’t stop meowing”, manadapanda1218 says, “I had to take him out of the kennel and hold him so he’d calm down.” Once home, he found a good hiding spot until he was ready to start trusting again.
It didn’t take long for Sheldon to recognize his luck and he was purring on his new mama’s lap the next day. It probably didn’t hurt that mandapanda1218 and her boyfriend spent around $200 on cat supplies. “We were aware we were spoiling him,” she admitted, “but we wanted him to have the very best so he knew he was loved.”
Sheldon isn’t the only critter living in his new home. In fact, he has two rat siblings, Loonette and Debbie. Sometimes he plays a bit too rough with them (he’s a kitten, after all), but “Loonette is quick to kick his butt when he needs it.”
These days, Sheldon loves to follow his parents around the home, mewing to be picked up. He also loves to hang out in the bathroom sink (which he thinks is a great place to chase his tail).
His favorite place to hang out, though, is next to his new mama or on her chest. Sometimes that means less sleep for her, but she’s okay with that “as long as the fur baby is comfortable.”
Congrats on your new family and life, Sheldon! We can’t wait to watch you grow into a big, beautiful boy!