Canelo is a furry cat who arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary when he was six-weeks-old.
When he arrived at the sanctuary, the veterinarians conducted a checkup. They found that his back legs were not working properly. They could not support his weight, which caused veterinarians to come to the conclusion that Canelo couldn’t feel much in that area. However, that had not stopped Canelo from running around and playing.
To help him out, veterinarians gave him therapy sessions that consisted of weekly acupuncture treatments. The goal of the sessions were to stimulate his nervous system and hope that he would regain feeling in his back legs.
Amy Brown, supervisor of Bunny House at Best Friends, found that aside from his back legs not working well he was incontinent.
Get top local stories in Southern California delivered to you every morning. >Sign up for NBC LA's News Headlines newsletter.
An incontinent cat is when they can’t control their bladder or bowel movements. There are cats who struggle with this issue and Canelo was one of them.
According to the Best Friends Animal Society website, there are many things that can be the reason for why a cat becomes incontinent. It could be because of a spinal injury, a birth defect, deformation of the spinal, or other reasons.
On their website they have more details on how people can take care of incontinent cats properly.
In this case, Brown decided to bring Canelo to the Bunny House with her to be able to treat him everyday. The veterinarians and her had agreed to implement laser therapy to help reduce inflammation. It was at the Bunny House that he met with the bunnies and became friends.
The bunnies were helping Canelo by keeping him company and sometimes playing with him. Although they are two different animals, they would get along.
The bunnies kept Canelo company and when it was time for their nap, Canelo would have the company of the veterinarians, volunteers and visitors.
The combination of the therapies and his play time with the bunnies helped Canelo become stronger. He soon was able to stand up on all his four paws and even climb a scratching post without having too much trouble.
As time passed by, veterinarians found it best to change him from the Bunny House to Cat World where he would be able to meet and play with other cats. They wanted him to be able to get along with other cats and learn from them. Luckily, the transition was smooth and Canelo is now settled with other cats.
He has found a home for now, but the sanctuary hopes that one day he will be adopted by a loving family who will be patient with his needs.
For more information on Canelo be sure to check out their website. The website will also have information on how these animals can be adopted and given a new home.
For more information on Best Friends Animal Sanctuary make sure to check out their website.
