When rescuers from Wonky Hearts Animal Haven first met a tiny kitten named Moo, they couldn’t believe what they were seeing — his entire body was coated in thick, bright paint.
The moment he arrived, the shelter filled with emotion.
“Everyone was in tears when I got there,” the rescue wrote on Moo’s adoption profile. “But I was just SO excited to see people that I popped right out of the back and ran to give anyone and everyone kisses.”
Despite being abandoned and in obvious distress, Moo wasn’t scared or shy. He greeted everyone with happy purrs and affection — desperate for love, not pity.
But rescuers quickly realized his strange coloring might be a heartbreaking clue to his past.
“This cat could have likely come from a fighting ring,” said Megan Mannarelli-Martin, founder of Wonky Hearts Animal Haven, in a video for The Dodo. “Bait kittens are sometimes painted or dyed bright colors so dogs can spot them more easily during training. It’s far more common than people realize.”
Along with the paint, Moo was severely underweight, little more than skin and bones. Yet even as his body struggled, his spirit never wavered.
“He looked scruffy — like a little teddy bear,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “He reminded me of the stuffed animal I had as a kid.”
The team immediately began the long process of removing the paint. But it turned out to be much harder than expected.
“We soaked him, and we tried cat-safe oils,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “After day three, we accepted defeat. Nothing worked.”
It took 15 baths and a careful haircut before Moo was finally clean again. And that’s when his true personality exploded to the surface.
“He was just the happiest, most full-of-life kitten,” Mannarelli-Martin said. “As energetic as he was, he was also incredibly snuggly. He’s a total lovebug.”
Today, Moo is healthy, playful, and ready to find his forever home — one filled with love, safety, and endless cuddles.
“If you’re someone who needs to feel loved and held,” Mannarelli-Martin said, smiling, “he’s your teddy bear.”
You can reach out to Wonky Hearts Animal Haven to learn more about adopting Moo — and give this little survivor the forever family he’s been waiting for.
