Woman Adopts Kangaroo Cat Before Understanding Its Puzzling Identity

Warning Bells

Jennifer had adopted the cat less than a month before it started. The odd warning from before rang loud in her head when her cat started its drastic physical change. 

It was like something she had never seen before, and as an avid animal lover, she thought she was prepared to deal with anything thrown her way.

Thinking Back To The Adoption

Just a month prior, Jennifer felt more alone than ever. That changed when she adopted a cat from a local shelter. But it definitely didn’t feel like a regular adoption.

She was over the moon with excitement. The shelter seemed equally excited to have one of its felines adopted. But Jennifer didn’t know the real reason why they were so anxious to get rid of him.

A Warning

After filling out the necessary paperwork, Jennifer was ready to take her cat back to her forever home. But when she got there, the strangest thing happened.

The shelter gave her a strange warning that she’d never forget. They warned her about the “kangaroo cat” that she adopted, but she had no idea what they meant until she saw the signs.

Things Would Change

The animal would be completely fine for a month or so, but after that, things would begin to change drastically after she noticed the signs. 

Why was it changing so much in such a short amount of time? Jennifer would try her best to give her new adoptee the love he needed, but things would go downhill very quickly.

An Entirely Different Cat

By the end of the story, the cat would be something entirely different from what Jennifer thought he was.

He would be unrecognizable and leave Jennifer questioning what she could do to help him. But things would end in the most incredible way once she found the answers she was looking for.

Jennifer Wilde

Jennifer Wilde was your typical student studying abroad. She sacrificed a lot to study away from her family, which left her feeling lonely more often than not.

But Jennifer decided that she’d do something about it. After a lot of thought, she decided that adoption was the best option for her.

Animal Lover

Jennifer was an animal lover and missed her pets back home. But since she knew she wouldn’t see them for the entirety of her degree, she had to find a solution that would help her in her loneliness.

With adoption in mind, she arranged to visit the closest animal shelter. She loved the idea of giving an animal a second chance. But she had no idea what kind of animal she was going to end up adopting.

The Nearest Shelter

Jennifer went to her nearest shelter and couldn’t believe what she had found. It was the cutest black cat she’d ever seen. They looked young and their info only backed that up.

Their chart told Jennifer that he was only a year old and found next to a highway overpass. She couldn’t believe that the poor guy had been all alone his whole life and decided to adopt him on the spot. But she was way in over her head. She just didn’t know it.

Filling Out The Forms

Jennifer went home and filled out the necessary paperwork. The shelter made her wait a day to make sure she had time to think about it. But she didn’t need any more incentives, she was adopting this cat as soon as she could.

She filled out everything and couldn’t contain her excitement. She could barely get a wink of sleep, knowing that the next day she would have a brand new companion.

The Shelter

The next day, Jennifer drove straight to the shelter with blankets and a carrier for her soon-to-be-new pet. But when she got there, the vibe in the shelter felt off.

The volunteers seemed eager to get the cat off of their hands. And when they told her the reason why she wished that she could ignore it.

Submitting The Paperwork

She submitted her paperwork to the front desk of the shelter with a wide smile on her face. The woman behind the counter looked surprised when she saw what cat she wanted to adopt.

But the woman still happily led her to the kennels, where she grabbed her new cat. He looked a little skinny but otherwise the perfect little animal. She even saw a white stop on his side that she hadn’t noticed before. But she had no idea that it would be a foreshadowing of things to come.

A Warning

On her way out, one of the shelter volunteers pulled her to the side and said something in a low, serious voice. It was a warning that would give Jennifer shivers. “That cat you’ve taken, I feel obligated to tell you that most people have wanted it gone from this place for a while.”

She further went on, “It’s a deranged kangaroo cat.” Jennifer took offense to the notion that the poor cat was anything but sweet. But she’d learn soon enough that she should have heeded their warning.

Settling In

Jennifer took the cat home regardless of what the shelter had to say about him. He didn’t even have any known alias at the shelter, so she took the liberty of naming the cat herself.

She named the little guy Titan because she knew he would grow into a great cat under her care. But when he started undergoing a drastic transformation, she had no idea what to do.

The White Spot

The white spot that Jennifer remarked as a cute contrast to his otherwise black fur seemed bigger than before after having him for a week. Jennifer thought that maybe she was just paranoid.

But after another two weeks, things seemed very different. This little cat had a lot more surprises in store for her than she didn’t expect.

Turning Into Something Different

After a month, Titan was a very different animal from when Jennifer had first adopted him. His fur had changed completely. His sleek black fur was replaced with mottled grey hair. 

She remembered the warning from the shelter. What kind of animal had she adopted? And what did kangaroo cat mean? She knew she’d get answers from a veterinarian. But before she could take him there, something unbelievable happened.

A Big Day Planned

Jennifer had arranged to take her new cat to the vet to get him checked out. She was worried about his drastic transformation and wanted to know if it was serious and what was really going on.

But she would do that the next day and go to bed with a big day in mind. But Titan had other plans for her.

Bothering Her

Jennifer slept soundly all through the night. But while she was dreaming, she kept feeling something, trying to tug her back to reality. As with most people, she didn’t want to wake up earlier than she had to.

She kept trying to ignore whatever was bothering her. Then she started hearing meowing as well. Titan was bothering her, but for a very good reason.

Finally, Waking Up

After trying her best to stay in her pleasant dreams, Jennifer finally woke up. What did the strange-looking cat want from her? She noticed that he was pawing at her shoulder and meowing in her face.

She thought that maybe he wanted to be let out to go to the bathroom or maybe even wanted food. But she was so wrong.

Smoke

She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. She looked at the cat in frustration, why would he want her up at 5:32 AM? It was three hours until she planned on waking up and getting him ready for the vet.

She looked around, tired and confused. But then she realized something was wrong. She smelled smoke.

A Fire

Jennifer rushed to her feet and ran into the kitchen. There was a small fire behind her fridge, but she couldn’t understand how it had happened. Luckily, the fire hadn’t spread very far yet. 

She sprang into action and called 911. They told her they’d get the fire department there as soon as possible before hanging up. She wasn’t going to wait around and rushed outside of her apartment with Titan and waited.

Could Have Been Worse

Fire marshals came through and extinguished the fire. They explained that it must have been a fault with her fridge. Jennifer was just glad that things ended as well as they did. 

The fire could have easily spread if she hadn’t acted so fast. But then she remembered that it wasn’t actually her that saved the day.

Titan The Hero

She told the fire marshal that it was actually Titan that had saved the day. “He must have smelled the smoke and knew that it was a hazard.” She explained to him.

“Well, that cat should get a medal for his efforts. You could have suffocated from the smoke before you even woke up if he wasn’t there.” The marshal told her.

Doing Right By Him

Jennifer felt a lot closer to Titan now that he showed her how much he cared. But that also meant that she had to do right by him and figure out what was going on with him.

She decided to still go through with taking him to the vet despite her feeling a little rattled. She needed to understand everything to do with the feline, even if the truth would be too much to bear.

Remembering The Warning

The entire way to the vet, Jennifer still thought back to the warning she had gotten over a month prior to adopting the once sleek black cat. “Kangaroo cat,” what did that mean?

She still pondered the message as she looked to the passenger seat where her strange-looking animal was sitting in his carrier. Soon the vet would spill everything, and her life would change forever.

Getting To The Vet

She drove to her nearest vet and waited in reception. There were a few animals ahead of her crying and barking. No animal liked the vet, but Titan sat patiently in the carrier. He didn’t seem to mind at all.

But when an experienced older vet walked past them and noticed Titan, his eyes went wide. He immediately told her to get up and wait in his examination room down the hall. What did he notice?

Waiting Nervously

Jennifer had no idea what to expect from the vet. He seemed concerned but now was nowhere to be found. He waited nervously as five minutes passed. She looked at Titan and reassured him with some pats through the carrier.

The vet finally came back in and immediately got to work examining the unique-looking cat. But Jennifer would never be ready for the news he was about to tell her.

A Rare Case

The vet informed Jennifer that Titan had a rare skin condition called Vitiligo. Her heart dropped. She asked if he was in any danger, but the vet immediately started reassuring her.

He explained that despite the strange appearance her cat had undertaken. It wasn’t dangerous at all. He would just change in pigment, causing the blotchy spots of white where black was.

Another Burning Question On Her Mind

But Jennifer wasn’t entirely satisfied. She asked the vet about the other burning question on her mind. “What about him being a kangaroo cat? Do you have any idea what that means?”

“Where did you hear that from?” He snapped before thinking for a moment. Then he seemed to understand what she was asking.

A Deformity

The vet examined Titan’s legs and then explained exactly what the phrase meant. “It’s a deformity that some animals have that makes their back legs longer, allowing them to hop like a kangaroo.”

Jennifer couldn’t believe it. Her shelter cat had not one but two rare genetic abnormalities. She asked if it was something to worry about.

Reassurance

The vet reassured Jennifer that there was nothing to worry about concerning her cat’s condition. And now that she finally understood the message from the shelter, she was glad that she had adopted Titan.

“He may have some strange conditions, but he’s expected to live a long and happy life. If that shelter thought his deformities made him undesirable, then I guess they were very wrong.” Jennifer posted on a special Facebook page dedicated to Titan’s life.

In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events, places, or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.