Imagine waking up one day and finding a mysterious cardboard box on your front porch. It would be quite a surprise, not knowing where the box came from and all.
Or, if you’re anything like me (a passionate online shopaholic), then a mysterious box would not be surprising at all. Sure, you’d probably still wonder what’s inside, but you’d guess its contents are a result of one of your many late-night online sprees.
Anyway, back to the point. Imagine opening that box and finding a kitten inside! Now, that would be a surprise, even for me! Because I would definitely remember ordering a feline online.
You might be wondering now, “Why is she telling me these hypothetical things?” Well, it’s because this is something that actually happened to a nice lady from Chicago.
Yes, it’s true! One day she did in fact find a mysterious box on her porch with a kitten inside. The poor furbaby had obviously been abandoned by his previous owner and left at the doorstep for someone else to worry about.
The woman who found the kitten was shocked. She quickly discovered that the kitten had a big wound on his neck, and immediately rushed him to the local vet clinic.
Upon arrival, the doctors took the kitten to the emergency room where his wound was medically treated and stitched. His surgery went well, and he stayed at the clinic to rest and recuperate.
The next morning, a woman named Elise Hall, another veterinarian, came to see the poor kitty and give him a complete and thorough examination. According to Elise, the kitty was shy and timid and first, but soon opened up to her and showed his playful side.
It’s safe to say that it was love at first sight. Elise was completely enchanted by the poor little fella. She adored how tiny yet feisty he was, and described him as “1.3 pounds of eyeballs and sass.”
You may be wondering why she used the word “eyeballs” to describe him. Well, this tiny kitten had a very prominent facial feature – huge, simply adorable, glassy eyes.
And the kitten was sneaky and canny! He wasted no time weaseling his way into Elise’s heart. She couldn’t keep him off her mind. Every free moment she got, she would go to check up on her new favorite little bundle of joy.
At the clinic, they were meant to find a foster home for the poor thing. But by the end of the day, it was obvious to everyone who would be the kitten’s next foster momma.
Everyone suggested that Elise took him since his condition was still not that great. So, she was the perfect person because she could keep an eye on him.
Elise named her sweet boy Porg, after a creature from Star Wars, who also happened to have big round eyes.
People at the shelter, including Elise, at first thought that Porg had just been a very unique-looking feline and nothing more. However, upon further examination, they determined that Porg suffered from Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
EDS is a special genetic condition in felines in which collagen is not formed correctly. That collagen defect causes the skin to be more elastic and extremely delicate.
That syndrome explained why Porg came that day to the clinic with a bad wound on his neck, and why he was generally prone to skin tears.
The realization that Porg was suffering from a very rare syndrome made one thing clear: Elise was not going to be his foster mom; she would permanently adopt him.
Neither Elise nor the kitto protested. By the time they determined they would become family, they had already gotten used to each other. They enjoyed each other’s presence and formed an exceptionally strong bond.
When it comes to managing his skin condition, Elise and her family did struggle a bit. They had to learn the hard way what works for him and what simply does not. But once they figured everything out and set up a routine, everything somehow fell into place.
Elise said that finding appropriate clothes was crucial in protecting Porg’s skin. They need something that offers enough coverage and is also comfortable for him to wear.
EDS had also caused Porg to have some minor eye-related problems, but that is easily managed with some feline-friendly eye drops.
All in all, the mysterious kitten from the porch box grew up to be a very happy and energetic feline. Despite his syndrome and other medical issues, his purrsonality is always the star of the show.
He is playful, fearless, and highly active. He loves snacks and is never picky when it comes to his food. He is also very affectionate and cuddly, and he never declines a snuggle session with his mom. He loves to curl up in her lap and purr the hours away.
According to Elise, her family loves Porg so much, and they are so beyond happy he came into their lives. She says that they all hope he brings as much happiness to others as he does to them.
And I think we can all agree on one thing: Reading the story about this very special feline has brought us a lot of happiness!