A kitten in Tigard, Oregon has a fresh set of wheels, and he's not afraid to show them off.
"Turbo Joe" was discovered last fall dragging himself by his front legs. Joe had fallen victim to an accident in which he was paralyzed from the waist down. He was taken to a nonprofit called Meow Village, which specializes in treating and rehoming feral cats. Joe was then placed with a first-time cat foster parent, Sheila Burdick.
Burdick already has two one-eyed cats, so another special needs kitty wasn't daunting to her. Joe was then outfitted with a custom wheelchair from Back on Track Veterinary Rehabilitation Center in Southwest Portland.
"He definitely needs practice because he needs a lot of core strength," says Burdick. She added that the wheels help him keep up with his foster siblings.
"Except when they jump on something," she continued. "He's like, 'Oh man. How dare you.'"
Joe had been fondly dubbed a "village warrior" and went up for adoption this past week. He's been so popular with the residents at Meow Village that he even got his own Instagram page.
"You see them succeed and then you place them in a home … it’s truly rewarding," said longtime volunteer Pam Cyr.