Meet The Cat With An Extra Chromosome Put On Death Row Because She Looked A Little Different
Meet Maya, a year-old tabby cat with a chromosomal abnormality. She was found behind a Chinese food restaurant and brought to a kill shelter, where she was put on death row because she looked and acted a little differently.
Nobody thought anyone would want her.
Then, the Odd Cat Sanctuary found out and brought her to a foster home. They posted her photo on their Facebook page, and that’s how her furrever family found her.
More info: Instagram
This is our adopted cat Maya
Maya is a year-old tabby cat with an extra chromosome
She was found behind a Chinese food restaurant and brought to a kill shelter
She was put on death row because of her looks and slightly different behaviour
Nobody thought anyone would ever want her
The Odd Cat Sanctuary then found out and brought her to a foster home where we found her
Maya usually looks sad or confused (we promise she’s not)
She does have some vision issues
And a flattened nose that makes her sneeze a lot
With her wonky eyes she’s super adorable though
But she’s just like any other cat
She’s super curious
Super silly
A fierce predator
And loves chin scratches
She even has a favorite toy
She’s super happy in her new home
Maya’s becoming an ambassador for special pets everywhere
Please help us spread awareness of shelter animals, especially the ones with special needs, to help more of them get adopted!
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Share on FacebookMy vet once asked me if I was aware that "normal" (he even did air quotes), healthy pets existed. I told him someone had to love the odd and sick pets. He responded that he loved us for it, but his heart broke every time he saw me cry over a sick pet, and he thought just once I deserved a healthy pet. Thank you to all who experience the overwhelming love that is caring for an unusual, sick, or behaviorally challenged furbaby.
As part of my vet tech training we had to go to our local shelter every Friday and practice taking temps, heart rate, etc. on the dogs that were being put down that day (heart breaking to say the least). I fell in love with a Redbone Coonhound with a back leg that had been dislocated and never set, he basically only had 3 legs, and a mix that had a fractured pelvis that had started to heal. When I asked to adopt them I was asked why I wanted them when there were "perfectly good" dogs I could be adopting instead. I didn't let that stop me!
Load More Replies...Blessings to you and your lovely furball....I am glad you found one another....
I was really shocked when I learned that shelters in the US still kill so many healthy animals. Here in the Netherlands shelters don't do that any more. I work as a volunteer at an animal shelter. For some animals it takes time to find a new home, but we keep looking and don't kill them. And after some time, we do find an owner for almost every pet! Most times this takes a few weeks or months, but in some cases, it can take a year or so. In very rare cases we can't find an owner and the pet goes to a special shelter where it can stay for the rest of its life. We also have sterilisation programmes for stray cats, to minimize the number of homeless cats. It breaks my heart that in the US still so many pets get euthanized. That should not happen in a civilized, prosperous country. If finding the pets a new owner is possible in the Netherlands, it must be possible in the US as well! I really hope US shelters will stop this barbaric practice soon:(
It is awful, but the amount of unwanted pets in the US is staggering. Absolutely unreal. There is literally not enough money, food, and resources to care for them. There are approximately 6.5 million animals that are dropped off at shelters every year, I don't think that counts those picked up as strays. Only 3.2 million are adopted. There's nowhere for the other 3.3 million to go and no money to house and feed them. I am absolutely NOT a proponent of euthanasia but sadly this is our reality. There has to be a better way, and thankfully the number of animals being euthanized is dropping every year.
Load More Replies...I am so happy reading this. Thank you for adopting Maya . She is a special cat indeed . I adopted my cat Mushka last year from a shelter and i am very happy with her.
Ahhh she is adorable! We had a no ears, 3 legged cat for 10 years and she was just the sweetest little thing! All animals deserve a chance of a loving home xxxx Abbie-59c4...72ce5b.jpg
I am so glad she is happy, she is different but beautiful, she is special
I LOVE THIS KITTY!!! I would adopt her in a half a second! It's sad some think that looks are what matters when adopting a pet. I really love animals, I even think blowfish are kinda cute in a way. You are just great to adopt this cutie.I hope Maya lives a long and happy life with you awesome people! ❤️❤️❤️
The cat is awesome, and the comments are lovely. I'd love to see the world treat humans with extra chromosomes (and other disabilities) as well.
I don't know why people wouldn't want a cat like this. As long as she has good litter-box manners and isn't destructive (or otherwise an a*****e) I would take her home if she seemed to like me :) That's how I ended up with my cat who's missing half of one of his paws and most of his tail.
Awwww!!! <3 You're a good person for adopting this kitty cat!!! She's just so adorable!!! <3
That is so sad and wrong,I dont think those vets where thinking clearly i mean like if they where different i dont think they would like it
Glad she has a forever home. I would adopt a special kitty such as her. They all need love no matter how they look or whatever challenges they have.
maya is just way too adorable for words!!! blessings to u for giving her a furever home!!!
Thank you for adopting Maya.. one of the things I love about animals, is that they love us NO MATTER what we look like, warts and all. You could be the "ugliest" person in the world and society will most likely shun that you.. but an animal, will ALWAYS love you. They love us unconditionally! It's so sad that not only is society harsh on the looks of everyone else but on the looks of innocent, big-hearted animals that just want love and affection. Not every person is that way and I truly thank those who love and cherish animals, however, the other part of humanity completely disgust me. Again, thank you fellow animals lovers! #animalsoverhumans #ALLanimalsdeservelove #mayaisbeautiful
This is precious Maya who´s previously been named Sugarplum, Love Meow posted her story too lately, so happy The Odd Cat Sanctuary MA adopted her and gives her a furever loving home, she may look a little different, but she´s not that different at all, on Love Meow there´s been a video of her playing like any other kitty, and if you follow Monty, Fugly, The Baby Bug and angel Quasi aka UglyKitty on FB you know that cats with such a chromosome abnormality can lead normal lives, Quasi had a loving home for 14 wonderpurr years, the other 3 furriends have furever loving homes!!! 💖💖💖 They´re all pawsome and purrfect, just the way they are (or Quasi was)....
doesnt matter if they are special needs animals or have a lil disability they are animals regardless and shouldnt be judged because of it my cat oreo was a great cat he was attacked by a dog had his leg broken and his hip is outta place but just because he will never be 100% doesnt mean anything he's still a loveable cat that picks on his brother and still my love bug kitty i raised since he was a kitten he has a disability now because of a dog attacked him and i love him all the same :)
I love my special needs fur baby. My cat Sally is missing almost all of her teeth after being beaten and has seizures from the head trauma she suffered. She's so loved here and I'll never let anyone hurt her ever again!
I love her!!!! Bless you for seeing her as a normal cat, A cat that is special needs means it is a Special love bug!!
this made me shed a tear of gratefulness for people with such a beautiful heart! and for adorable pets like Maya, may they all find sweet homes.
Owwww she is super cute! Just makes you want to cuddle even more.
I would so take this sweetie, special needs or not, it’s all about heart
I'm Sure This Precious Kitty is Wonderful, If I Ever Come Across One Of These I Wouldn't Hesitate To Give Them A Loving Home!!!!
Sweet darling kitty.....SHE has no concept of *looks*. As long as she can enjoy life, that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!!! 💙
I am curious to know what is her behaviour like and how she behaves differently than most cats! She has a funny face but she looks happy :-)
Remember Sloth from The Gooines? They're back, in cat form.
An extra chromosome? Doesn't that make her a mutant? Perhaps she has super powers!
May I ask about the "different" behavior due to her chromosome abundance? We have a cat that has the exact same eyes, although her nose appears normal. I am wondering about her chromosomes now...
Thank you Lauren for reminding us all that's it's alright to be different, especially in such a charming way.
not just humans have down syndrome. Was this cat featured on one of those articles that showed other animals with down syndrome too?
How does she act differently from normal cats? That's probably a dumb question to ask but I never really thought about how a special pet would act.
She is so lovely. She reminds me of our cat and it really makes me happy that she found a loving home.
"No one would want her"?!???!!!! HAVE YOU SEEN HER SHE IS THE CUTEST LIL BEAN I guess there are some obnoxious people that want "perfect" cats but in my opinion Maya is perfect
Well, Maya is one really adorable and unique cat, why would someone even bring her to a high-kill shelter?
Well, I'm crying. You are clearly Maya's soulmate, I'm glad you found each other!
Omg i nearly cried. People who hurt animals or do horrible things to them need to be punished. Killing animals needs to be along the same lines as killing people. They're creatures with feelings too. If i ever meet the person who put this cat in a kill shelter, i swear i'll kill them with my bare hands.
What a sweet little girl. My cat has an anomaly (extra toes) that we love him even more for.
The only reason this cat is alive today is because it is not "normal." It was found behind a Chinese restaurant; you know what they do to cats and dogs in China, right? This cat was probably deemed unfit for human consumption.
Matter of fact, I just looked up the Odd Cat Sanctuary (where she ended up) - and it's in Salem, Massachusetts. Maybe if you'd looked that up first, you wouldn't have made such a stupid comment.
Load More Replies...The Kitty looks different, but It's still deserves love! There's no argument there. But if I can be honest Your Photos do not help!
Maya means illusion in Sanskrit. Considering that it was an illusion that no one would want her, and she's anything less than perfect just the way she is, I think it's a great name. :)
Load More Replies...My vet once asked me if I was aware that "normal" (he even did air quotes), healthy pets existed. I told him someone had to love the odd and sick pets. He responded that he loved us for it, but his heart broke every time he saw me cry over a sick pet, and he thought just once I deserved a healthy pet. Thank you to all who experience the overwhelming love that is caring for an unusual, sick, or behaviorally challenged furbaby.
As part of my vet tech training we had to go to our local shelter every Friday and practice taking temps, heart rate, etc. on the dogs that were being put down that day (heart breaking to say the least). I fell in love with a Redbone Coonhound with a back leg that had been dislocated and never set, he basically only had 3 legs, and a mix that had a fractured pelvis that had started to heal. When I asked to adopt them I was asked why I wanted them when there were "perfectly good" dogs I could be adopting instead. I didn't let that stop me!
Load More Replies...Blessings to you and your lovely furball....I am glad you found one another....
I was really shocked when I learned that shelters in the US still kill so many healthy animals. Here in the Netherlands shelters don't do that any more. I work as a volunteer at an animal shelter. For some animals it takes time to find a new home, but we keep looking and don't kill them. And after some time, we do find an owner for almost every pet! Most times this takes a few weeks or months, but in some cases, it can take a year or so. In very rare cases we can't find an owner and the pet goes to a special shelter where it can stay for the rest of its life. We also have sterilisation programmes for stray cats, to minimize the number of homeless cats. It breaks my heart that in the US still so many pets get euthanized. That should not happen in a civilized, prosperous country. If finding the pets a new owner is possible in the Netherlands, it must be possible in the US as well! I really hope US shelters will stop this barbaric practice soon:(
It is awful, but the amount of unwanted pets in the US is staggering. Absolutely unreal. There is literally not enough money, food, and resources to care for them. There are approximately 6.5 million animals that are dropped off at shelters every year, I don't think that counts those picked up as strays. Only 3.2 million are adopted. There's nowhere for the other 3.3 million to go and no money to house and feed them. I am absolutely NOT a proponent of euthanasia but sadly this is our reality. There has to be a better way, and thankfully the number of animals being euthanized is dropping every year.
Load More Replies...I am so happy reading this. Thank you for adopting Maya . She is a special cat indeed . I adopted my cat Mushka last year from a shelter and i am very happy with her.
Ahhh she is adorable! We had a no ears, 3 legged cat for 10 years and she was just the sweetest little thing! All animals deserve a chance of a loving home xxxx Abbie-59c4...72ce5b.jpg
I am so glad she is happy, she is different but beautiful, she is special
I LOVE THIS KITTY!!! I would adopt her in a half a second! It's sad some think that looks are what matters when adopting a pet. I really love animals, I even think blowfish are kinda cute in a way. You are just great to adopt this cutie.I hope Maya lives a long and happy life with you awesome people! ❤️❤️❤️
The cat is awesome, and the comments are lovely. I'd love to see the world treat humans with extra chromosomes (and other disabilities) as well.
I don't know why people wouldn't want a cat like this. As long as she has good litter-box manners and isn't destructive (or otherwise an a*****e) I would take her home if she seemed to like me :) That's how I ended up with my cat who's missing half of one of his paws and most of his tail.
Awwww!!! <3 You're a good person for adopting this kitty cat!!! She's just so adorable!!! <3
That is so sad and wrong,I dont think those vets where thinking clearly i mean like if they where different i dont think they would like it
Glad she has a forever home. I would adopt a special kitty such as her. They all need love no matter how they look or whatever challenges they have.
maya is just way too adorable for words!!! blessings to u for giving her a furever home!!!
Thank you for adopting Maya.. one of the things I love about animals, is that they love us NO MATTER what we look like, warts and all. You could be the "ugliest" person in the world and society will most likely shun that you.. but an animal, will ALWAYS love you. They love us unconditionally! It's so sad that not only is society harsh on the looks of everyone else but on the looks of innocent, big-hearted animals that just want love and affection. Not every person is that way and I truly thank those who love and cherish animals, however, the other part of humanity completely disgust me. Again, thank you fellow animals lovers! #animalsoverhumans #ALLanimalsdeservelove #mayaisbeautiful
This is precious Maya who´s previously been named Sugarplum, Love Meow posted her story too lately, so happy The Odd Cat Sanctuary MA adopted her and gives her a furever loving home, she may look a little different, but she´s not that different at all, on Love Meow there´s been a video of her playing like any other kitty, and if you follow Monty, Fugly, The Baby Bug and angel Quasi aka UglyKitty on FB you know that cats with such a chromosome abnormality can lead normal lives, Quasi had a loving home for 14 wonderpurr years, the other 3 furriends have furever loving homes!!! 💖💖💖 They´re all pawsome and purrfect, just the way they are (or Quasi was)....
doesnt matter if they are special needs animals or have a lil disability they are animals regardless and shouldnt be judged because of it my cat oreo was a great cat he was attacked by a dog had his leg broken and his hip is outta place but just because he will never be 100% doesnt mean anything he's still a loveable cat that picks on his brother and still my love bug kitty i raised since he was a kitten he has a disability now because of a dog attacked him and i love him all the same :)
I love my special needs fur baby. My cat Sally is missing almost all of her teeth after being beaten and has seizures from the head trauma she suffered. She's so loved here and I'll never let anyone hurt her ever again!
I love her!!!! Bless you for seeing her as a normal cat, A cat that is special needs means it is a Special love bug!!
this made me shed a tear of gratefulness for people with such a beautiful heart! and for adorable pets like Maya, may they all find sweet homes.
Owwww she is super cute! Just makes you want to cuddle even more.
I would so take this sweetie, special needs or not, it’s all about heart
I'm Sure This Precious Kitty is Wonderful, If I Ever Come Across One Of These I Wouldn't Hesitate To Give Them A Loving Home!!!!
Sweet darling kitty.....SHE has no concept of *looks*. As long as she can enjoy life, that is ALL THAT MATTERS!!!! 💙
I am curious to know what is her behaviour like and how she behaves differently than most cats! She has a funny face but she looks happy :-)
Remember Sloth from The Gooines? They're back, in cat form.
An extra chromosome? Doesn't that make her a mutant? Perhaps she has super powers!
May I ask about the "different" behavior due to her chromosome abundance? We have a cat that has the exact same eyes, although her nose appears normal. I am wondering about her chromosomes now...
Thank you Lauren for reminding us all that's it's alright to be different, especially in such a charming way.
not just humans have down syndrome. Was this cat featured on one of those articles that showed other animals with down syndrome too?
How does she act differently from normal cats? That's probably a dumb question to ask but I never really thought about how a special pet would act.
She is so lovely. She reminds me of our cat and it really makes me happy that she found a loving home.
"No one would want her"?!???!!!! HAVE YOU SEEN HER SHE IS THE CUTEST LIL BEAN I guess there are some obnoxious people that want "perfect" cats but in my opinion Maya is perfect
Well, Maya is one really adorable and unique cat, why would someone even bring her to a high-kill shelter?
Well, I'm crying. You are clearly Maya's soulmate, I'm glad you found each other!
Omg i nearly cried. People who hurt animals or do horrible things to them need to be punished. Killing animals needs to be along the same lines as killing people. They're creatures with feelings too. If i ever meet the person who put this cat in a kill shelter, i swear i'll kill them with my bare hands.
What a sweet little girl. My cat has an anomaly (extra toes) that we love him even more for.
The only reason this cat is alive today is because it is not "normal." It was found behind a Chinese restaurant; you know what they do to cats and dogs in China, right? This cat was probably deemed unfit for human consumption.
Matter of fact, I just looked up the Odd Cat Sanctuary (where she ended up) - and it's in Salem, Massachusetts. Maybe if you'd looked that up first, you wouldn't have made such a stupid comment.
Load More Replies...The Kitty looks different, but It's still deserves love! There's no argument there. But if I can be honest Your Photos do not help!
Maya means illusion in Sanskrit. Considering that it was an illusion that no one would want her, and she's anything less than perfect just the way she is, I think it's a great name. :)
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