South Haven, Mich. (the wood) — A rescue cat in Michigan who had to have both front legs amputated has a new prosthetic device
Tyrannosaurus Rex, or T-Rex for short, got its wheels for an anonymous maker in California. Custom made wheels replaced his two missing limbs.
Staff at the Al-Van Humane Society in South Haven, Michigan have been recovering for more than two weeks after the cat was found under a boat in Covert Township.
“We’ve had a lot of people call to see how he’s doing. So many people have donated for her care, which is amazing, even to our emergency medical fund that helps animals like her,” said Madison Steffens, the shelter’s intake coordinator.
after Listening to the T-Rex storyThe director of the Big Lake Humane Society in Muskegon, Michigan, reached out to an engineer from California who was connected through TikTok, someone who could help.
“They offered to make prosthetics for the T-Rex, so they made him a little wheeler. We had to make certain measurements. It was pretty cool,” said lead kennel attendant Jessica Forrest.
Employees were amazed at how quickly the custom device was built. It was shipped in less than a week.
“He just did it out of the kindness of his heart. That’s what he does,” Forrest said of the engineer.
The creator created the device for free and does not ask for any credit.
“We wanted to do a Facebook post and tell everybody, ‘Hey, this is who made them,’ and he’s like, ‘No, I don’t need recognition,'” Forrest said.
The team is beginning the slow process of getting the T-Rex used to the device and teaching it how to use it.
“He was walking on his stubs at first, so now if we have a wheeled cart and we get him used to it, he can go back to being mobile,” Forrest said.
Stephens is raising the cat and says she is recovering from her surgery.
“We’re letting him heal and obviously that takes time,” Stephens said. “He wears his short sleeve to lick (his surgical scar) and not open any problems, because that’s not a good idea. But he’s doing really well leaving it alone, it’s healing very nicely.”
The shelter is grateful for the support from West Michigan and across the country.
“The support we’ve gotten has been incredible,” Steffens said. “We all know him, and we know he deserves it.”
If you want to make a donation to help the shelter care for the T-Rex and other animals, you can go here Al-Van Humane Society website.
