Toddler With Amputated Arm Adopts 3-Legged Kitten

Two-year-old Scarlette Tipton is taking little Holly to her furever home.

An adorable kitten who survived a traumatic injury that led to the amputation of one of her front legs earlier this month is being adopted by a kindred spirit.

Born with a rare form of cancer, 2-year-old Scarlette Tipton also had to have an arm amputated when she was just 10 months old.

Wednesday afternoon, Scarlette will get to take little Holly, as the kitten was named, to her furever home.

Matt and Simone Tipton of Orange County, California, had sought out a kitten for Scarlette, who is now cancer-free, and went searching specifically for one that had an amputation to be paired with their daughter, according to the Riverside County Department of Animal Services.

When Scarlette first met 3-month-old Holly she told her mother "Owie," and pointed at the kitten's missing limb, according to a statement from the agency.

"Yes, an owie. Just like you. But she's OK -- just like you are, too," her mother said.

Holly was found Dec. 17 by two women in Perris. She was bleeding next to some shrubbery, and they rushed her to the county's San Jacinto Valley Animal Campus. While it's not exactly clear what happened to her, the agency said it is possible that she was caught up in the fan belt of a car engine, as it's common for strays to cuddle up inside car engines during cold nights.

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The Tiptons learned about Holly when her story was featured in several news articles last week, and the family went to meet her and schedule the adoption for as soon as she was recovered from her surgery, according to Animal Services.

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