Calico cats are some of the coolest cats out there, right? Whether you’re a pedigree cat type of person or a black-and-white, tuxedo cat enthusiast, you gotta admit that calico’s bright, eye-catching colors make them pretty calicool. We’re cringing at that pun, too.
Orange, black, white, and awesome – that’s how we’d describe them. Orange cats have taken the world by storm because they’re rumored to be “out of the box,” entertaining, and exciting.
But we’d go as far as to argue that a combination of an orange cat’s energy, a black cat’s bad luck, and a white cat’s wits makes for the purrfect pet.
Before you turn your head away from a calico cat because you prefer the stunning Siamese or the beautiful Bengal, know that calico cats aren’t a breed. Calico refers to a cat’s coat color – to be a calico cat, a cat’s coat needs to be comprised of orange, black, and white spots.
No two calico cats are alike, and that’s what makes these curious creatures better than average tabby cats. Not to mention that calico cats are almost always female which might be something you’re searching for.
With their interesting tricolor patterns to their well-known sweet personalities, calico cats should be sought-after. Unfortunately, they’re not.
Pudge the Cat, one of the most popular Internet cats, is a calico. Calico cats were seen as a symbol of good fortune and that’s why the famous Beckoning Cat was based on a calico. Calicos are even the official State Cat of Maryland.
However nowadays, calicos get abandoned on the streets on a regular. Whether there are bad, bad people out there who don’t care about what happens to cats or there’s a reason why people don’t want to care for calico cats, we don’t know.
We do, however, know that you’re going to appreciate the tale of the cute little calico we’re bringing you today. Meet Phoebe, a two-faced calico cat that was abandoned on the streets of Philly, severely hurt, and nursed back to health by the sweetest veterinary technician.
Starting from the beginning of the story, somebody spotted a wounded calico kitten on the street and rushed her to ACCT Philly. Now, whoever did that might have saved the calico’s life because she was weak and beaten down when she arrived at the center.
ACCT Philly happens to be the biggest (and best) animal care center in Philly, with the mission to provide shelter, care, efforts for homeless, abandoned, and abused animals. When the veterinary technician named Erica took a look at the calico, she noticed her hind legs were severely injured.
Erica was told that the kitten was found abandoned in a box in North Philadelphia and that nobody knew what happened to her hind legs. She cleaned the kitten’s wounds, treated them with antibiotics, and hoped for the best.
She knew that the kitten was too young to know how to take care of wounds, though, and that she needed to do something more to ensure that the kitten recovers. She named the kitten Pheobe and decided to foster her.
When Phoebe arrived at Erica’s home, she needed a few days to settle down. She started getting better, growing stronger, and eating more.
She started demanding attention from Erica, her foster mom, the moment she figured out what was going on. She adored the soft, snug nest Erica prepared for her and the bedding that begged to be kneaded on. She made many, many muffins on that bedding.
Every time Erica approached her, Phoebe begged for affection. Since Erica knew that Phoebe didn’t experience attention and affection on the streets of Philly, she decided to provide her with everything she needed to ensure she was happy and healthy.
Phoebe’s wounds were getting better and she was starting to show off her energetic, easy-going purrsonality more and more.
She was limping around the apartment, playing with Erica’s toys, and rolling on the floor. She was munching on everything Erica provided her with and even munching on her meds.
She was showing awesome progress and Erica couldn’t be happier for her. Erica started posting about Phoebe’s progress on her Instagram page (@phillykittylady_fosters) and the world applauded her.
She made sure to post photos of Phoebe escaping her pen, climbing on the sofa, and chilling inside Erica’s cereal bowl.
Phoebe was determined to climb every surface of Erica’s apartment and Erica didn’t shy away from poking fun at Phoebe online. The two were a perfect match. Erica even gifted her a plush sloth to keep her company – and Phoebe was obsessed.
Within the first few weeks, Phoebe hit several milestones. She became stronger, and bigger, and even figured out how to use the litterbox. She recovered from her health problems and became a skilled climber. She became best buddies with Forest, Erica’s black tomcat.
Forest adores taking care of kittens, watching over them, and making sure they’re staying out of trouble. Forest was smitten with Phoebe from the get-go and he made sure she knew she was the queen of the apartment.
The two spend every moment of the waking hour together, cuddling, napping, and grooming each other. That means something because Forest gets grumpy when tackled by kittens – but Phoebe knows how to handle that. Erica ended up adopting Phoebe and Forest couldn’t be happier about that.
Erica and Phoebe (and Forest, of course), we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the three of you make many, many abandoned kittens happy for years to come!
