Cat with short, misshapen forelegs proves how different is good

As a beloved member of the Brink family, Beazley the cat lives a charmed life. His days are spent basking in the attention of his people, and at night he snuggles up beside them. There’s no doubt Beazley deserves his wonderful home, but he needed a little help finding it.

Born with shorter-than-normal and misshapen forelegs, the young, fun-loving cat was overlooked in a shelter in New Jersey. So, with his sister Dina*, he came to the Sanctuary, where being different is embraced. In mere months, Beazley charmed everyone — Cat World caregivers, volunteers and his soon-to-be forever family.

Little boy falls in love with cat

Lindsay Brink was visiting the Sanctuary with her parents and her young son, Brady. During a tour of Cat World, the family stopped at Morgaine’s, the building where Beazley lived, and they immediately noticed the friendly, outgoing cat. Beazley noticed them, too. Like magnets, he and seven-year-old Brady were drawn together.

Lindsay and Brady volunteered at Morgaine’s so they could spend time with their new friend. As it turns out, Brady had been begging for a cat. Lindsay’s husband, however, wasn’t sold on the idea. Before she and Brady left for the trip, he’d joked, “Don’t come back with a cat.” Lindsay had jokingly replied that she’d only adopt a cat who couldn’t jump on their counters.

A family's perfect cat

Now there he was, their perfect cat, head-butting Brady and eating treats out of his hand. While Beazley’s back legs are very strong, and he’s excellent at scaling cat trees, his twisted front legs make it difficult for him to jump up on human furniture or counters. The very thing that prevented him from finding a home in the shelter was part of what the Brink family was looking for in a cat.

Knowing it was meant to be, Lindsay completed an adoption application and made arrangements to have Beazley flown home to Detroit. In anticipation of his arrival, Brady and his siblings — Connor, age five, and Mallory, age three — made a “countdown to Beazley” calendar, ticking off the days until he joined their family.

A Valentine's Day kitty

Beazley arrived on Valentine’s Day weekend and he has turned out to be a very fitting gift. He took to Connor and Mallory as quickly and completely as he did to Brady. “I couldn't ever have thought that it could go this well,” Lindsay says. “The way he’s meshed with our family has been unbelievable.”

The Brinks’ home is filled with laughter, love and fun, and Beazley loves to be in the center of it all. If anyone is sitting down, he’ll run right over and jump into his or her lap. When the family plays games on the carpet in the family room, he’ll lie down right next to them. He likes to play games, too, especially if they involve cat toys he can chase. And, in the afternoons, Beazley gets to go for a stroller ride to and from Brady’s school when it’s time to pick him up.

Unique cat is perfect

Once an overlooked cat in a shelter and now a beloved family member, Beazley has made an incredible journey in his young life. Best of all, he didn’t end up where he is today despite the fact that he's a little bit different; he landed in just the right home as a consequence of it.

Because Beazley got a leg up and a love match with his perfect family at the Sanctuary, Lindsay hopes his story will encourage others to visit the Sanctuary and adopt a pet. “Go with your heart and do it,” she says. “It’s such an awesome experience! Go volunteer … and fall in love.”

*We’re happy to report that Beazley’s sister, Dina, found her forever home, too.

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Photos courtesy of Lindsay Brink