Kitten whose life hung in the balance now the life of the party

A days-old kitten arrived at Best Friends with injuries, but in a foster home he received around-the-clock care to heal and thrive.

By Nicole Hamilton

April 18, 2022

Like most young kittens, Scar wakes up every morning fully committed to having the time of his life — no coffee required. Each day is a chance to get into a little mischief and a lot of fun. He can leap tall counters in a single bound, and he chases toys (and his tail) like nobody’s business — that is, until he’s ready to unwind in the arms of his adopter, Jacey Weber.

Watching Scar, it’s hard to believe that not too long ago his life was at risk, even before he opened his eyes for the first time. Back when he was just a few days old, he was found outside with wounds on his little body. After a brief stay at a nearby shelter, he was brought to Best Friends in Salt Lake City, where he received treatment for his injuries.

From there, he went to stay with Lauren Dunfield, an experienced foster volunteer who loves caring for neonatal kittens like Scar who need a little extra TLC. Needless to say, Lauren made Scar her No. 1 priority. She crafted tiny shirts out of socks for him to wear to protect wounds that were still healing. And when Scar wasn’t eating, she bottle-fed him until he could eat on his own.

After a few weeks helping young Scar, Lauren decided that he needed a friend, so she started fostering a kitten named Mr. Smiley, figuring Scar could have lots of fun with a new buddy. They had fun, all right. In fact, Scar turned some corners with Mr. Smiley by his side. Eventually, his injuries healed completely and he was ready to be adopted.

This was the easy part. Turns out, Lauren’s friend, Jacey, had been following Scar’s journey. Along the way, Jacey became a big fan and decided to adopt him. Today, she’s over the moon having Scar by her side. Lauren is happy, too, because now she gets to watch the kitten she helped save grow into the happy, healthy cat he was always meant to be.