Otitis the senior cat gets a second chance after the loss of his ears

As soon as Molly Lichtenwalner spotted a deaf senior cat named Otitis on PetFinder, she knew she had to meet him. 

Lichtenwalner hoped to find an animal to care for in the wake of a traumatic car accident that left her with severe anxiety. Thanks to her past experience training and caring for a deaf sheepdog, she thought she and the cat might be a perfect fit.

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Otitis is a senior cat whose life was thrown off track due to unexpected cysts that cost him his ears. (The word "otitis" is a term for ear infection.)

When the cysts appeared, his previous owners surrendered him to the Feline Rescue Association in Baltimore where he could receive surgery and proper care. From there, he entered a foster family while he awaited his future forever home.

In March 2016, after spotting him online, Lichtenwalner visited the cat at his foster home to see if they'd make a good match. She took to the cat immediately and adopted him shortly after. 

Almost a year later, Otitis is nothing short of Instagram famous with more than 11,500 followers. Lichtenwalner says she created the account (@adventuresofotitis) to encourage others to adopt senior animals and pets with special needs.

"I've even had people reach out to me personally and tell me that they were planning on adopting a kitten until they found Otitis, and now they want to adopt a special needs cat," she wrote via email. "It absolutely warms my heart that people are loving his story and sharing in my love for him."

[H/T: The Dodo]

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