A kitten with a permanent head tilt had the odds against her. Now, she lives as though she could conquer anything.
When Paisley, a gray kitten, was brought to the municipal shelter, she was just skin and bones, spinning around with a severe head tilt.
Nikki Martinez, an animal rescuer based in NV, found the kitten in urgent need of placement. With the support of Hearts Alive Village, she picked up Paisley from the shelter and opened her home to foster her.
With her head tilted, Paisley needed to twist around to look at Nikki when she first met her. She was drawn to Nikki’s voice and completely obsessed with food.
“She was battling a pretty bad upper respiratory infection and was horribly thin,” Nikki told Love Meow. “I knew she was going to be okay as soon as I got her out of the shelter. She was a strong little girl and full of energy despite being sick and thin.”
While Nikki treated and nurtured the kitten for her ailments, all Paisley wanted was extra food. Although she was scrawny, she had an insatiable appetite and a “vacuum” stomach, wolfing down the food, leaving no crumbs behind.
An hour after feeding, she trotted up to her foster mom, demanding a refill with her tilted head, pleading eyes, and “pathetic meow.”
After a few days of TLC, Paisley romped around with a spring in her step, jumping up and down and playing nonstop. She batted at toys with all her might and made the cutest chirpy meows that could soften the hardest of hearts.
“I have fostered hundreds of kittens over the last 13 years, and I don’t remember ever having a little kitten that chirped everywhere she went.”
Her head tilt was likely the result of a previous infection. “The doctor said her brain compensates (she doesn’t see the world upside down). She does everything a normal kitty does, just with a head tilt.”
Paisley had sundry toys in her kitty “penthouse” and kept herself very busy during her waking hours. “I could hear her playing with toys all the time. She’s a ball of energy and hasn’t met a toy she doesn’t like.”
Her unbridled energy and playfulness became a source of entertainment to the resident cats.
“She is such a friendly girl, loves cats, dogs, people…everyone.”
“My favorite thing is how she hops over the little baby gate as if she has springs on her legs. You will be constantly entertained by her cute little chirps as she jumps around the house playing.”
Paisley went from 1.8 pounds to over four pounds in two months, and her transformation was stunning.
“She is a healthy, energetic little girl with a permanent head tilt. The head tilt does not affect her whatsoever. It’s improved, and the doctor said it may continue to improve over time. I think it just adds to her charm.”
When Paisley was ready to find her forever home, the perfect family flew to meet her.
They set up a play zone in their house and prepared an assortment of toys for her arrival. After sleeping through most of her travel, Paisley was ready to play the second she stepped into her new home.
She’s settled in beautifully with her new family and found her favorite sunbathing spot and cat TV by the window.
She eats to her heart’s content, plays until she tires out, and dreams about snacks while she naps.
Paisley has been a ray of sunshine even when she was sick. She lives each day like a champion with a joyful spirit and a belief that she can conquer anything.
