Meet Roux, an adorable “lil bunny T-Rex kitty”!
When Roux was surrendered by her original family, she was confused and scared.
She was born without her two front arms, making her a unique kitten with unique needs.
Her family wanted to take care of her, but they had to accept they weren’t prepared to give her everything she needed.
They decided to surrender her to a local shelter outside of New Orleans.
That was when Roux’s life changed for the better.
Helping Hands
After learning that the two-legged kitten was surrendered to the shelter, Animal Helpers New Orleans immediately jumped into action.
They didn’t want the poor kitten to suffer from the stress of being in a crowded and noisy facility, so they arranged for her to go to a foster home.
Roux was brought to the foster family’s vet clinic for what they thought would be a standard health check.
They never expected what happened next!
Love at First Sight
As soon as Roux arrived at the vet, Jackie, one of the clinic’s staff members, immediately fell in love with her.
“I saw her, and it was just love at first sight,” Jackie told Tail Talez.
The more Jackie looked at Roux, the more she knew she wanted to take this special kitten home with her.
As fortune would have it, Roux’s foster family agreed that Jackie would be a great fit for her.
Jackie officially adopted Roux and the two were off to start a new life together!
However, this was only the beginning.
New Home, New Adventure
Jackie was a little nervous about introducing Roux to her two resident cats.
“I was nervous about doing introductions just because I wanted to get to know her first,” she shared.
Jackie prepared a separate space for Roux where the “lil T-Rex bunny kitten” could relax and get comfortable in her new home.
“We put her in a bedroom where we padded all the surfaces with blankets and pillows,” she recalled.
Then Jackie closely observed Roux to better understand her mobility needs.
Until then, Jackie had only known Roux in a clinical setting.
She’d never witnessed Roux in her own element.
Jackie needed to know how Roux navigated her home and whether she could jump on or off of things with only her back legs.
She soon realized how smart and adaptive the two-legged tabby actually was.
“She’s very impressive in what she does. She can move very fast and she can jump up on things,” Jackie shared.
Roux bounced, tumbled, and hopped from place to place like a true T-Rex bunny cat!
“She’s just the cutest little two-legged peanut,” Jackie mused.
Seeing how they were off to a great start, it was time for Roux to meet her new cat siblings.
It was then that Roux’s personality really started to shine through.
Starting to Warm Up
Though a little shy at first, it didn’t take long for Roux to warm up to her fur family.
After only a couple days, Roux was fully integrated into the household, making Jackie’s heart burst with joy.
“I think it really does help her to have her four-legged sisters, to just keep up with them and do what they do,” Jackie commented.
Roux and her sisters quickly became three peas in a pod.
Jackie was delighted to see how accepting her two cats were of Roux.
The three of them love to play, nap, and curl up together in a warm embrace.
“For the most part, they get along really well,” she recalled.
Jackie also learned that Roux is very motivated by food.
This sweet girl works up a big appetite from hopping all over the house.
Whenever she isn’t sleeping or playing with her sisters, she’s munching on her favorite snacks.
“She is a voracious eater…she never misses a meal,” Jackie said.
Unlikely Friends
Roux even made a special friend…a bunny named Panda!
It was adorable to see the little bunny cat befriend a real bunny pal.
The unlikely pair shared a thing or two in common!
“Roux and her older bunny brother Panda had a special relationship,” Jackie shared.
Roux met Panda when she was a kitten and similar in size to her bunny brother.
She soon grew bigger than her older bunny brother over the years, but their bond remained just as strong.
“Sweet Panda boy has been gone for a few years now, leaving us with a bunny-shaped hole in our hearts,” said Jackie.
Though Panda has crossed the rainbow bridge, Jackie will always cherish the memories they shared.
As for Roux, she’s hopping along in her bunny brother’s honor.
Happily Ever After
It has already been 7 years since the two-legged tabby stole Jackie’s heart.
Jackie feels as if it were just yesterday, but time flies when you’re having fun!
Roux is vibrant and bursting with personality!
“Roux is loud! What she lacks in legs she makes up for with volume!” said Jackie.
“We’ve been calling Roux some variation of ‘Tootie’ for years now,” Jackie shared.
“I think it was originally because of her two legs (‘Two-ee’). Sometimes it’s ‘Toots’ and other times it’s ‘Toots-ma-goots’,” said Jackie.
Roux has been living her best life and Jackie falls even more in love with her each day.
These days, you can find Roux playing with her sisters, snuggling, or getting into whatever mischief she may find around the house.
Fate brought Jackie and Roux together, uniting the unique kitten with her perfect forever family.
Want to see more of Roux? Follow her on Instagram to see this sweet girl in action!
spectrekitty
Monday 13th of June 2022
I had to LOL when I read about her nicknames, 'Toots' & 'Toots-ma-goots.' I thought *I* was the only one to make up such silly names! Now I know better.
One of my silly names is 'Snoot'; oh, but it gets better! From that, I got 'Snooter Pie.' Yeah, embarrassing.
I loved the bunny element in the story, too—I always wondered if cats & bunnies could get along...
I have a question: How does Roux eat?
It takes a really special purrson to take on a Special Needs cat. Bless Jackie, & Roux & her sisters! And bless bunny Panda at the Rainbow Bridge.