Kitten and Toddler, Both With Cleft Lip, Become BFFs

• During her pregnancy, Caitlin found out that her daughter could be born with a cleft lip and palate.
• Baby Ivy underwent successful corrective surgeries during her first months.
• Healthy and filled with energy, Ivy also has a new best friend in Sergeant Pepper, a kitten who was born with the same condition.

When Caitlin Cusack was pregnant with her first child, she learned that her daughter Ivy would be born with a cleft lip and perhaps a cleft palate. While clefts can usually be corrected, the Cusacks were worried. But as they began to learn more about the condition, their worries gradually eased. What also helped a lot was having a companion in the form of a gray tabby kitten.

Caitlin recalled that while the news initially shocked them, it gave them a lot of time to prepare for Ivy’s birth in 2019.

Ivy went through several successful surgeries to repair her lip and palate during her first 18 months of life.

As she slowly grew, she developed a love for cats. The Cusacks already had an adult cat, but they decided to get a younger one who could match Ivy’s energy level.

They were soon informed about a kitten from the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) named Sergeant Pepper. It felt like a perfect match. Caitlin’s husband is a Beatles fan, and the kitten was also born with a cleft lip and palate.

Sergeant Pepper was also able to go through the necessary surgeries thanks to donations.

When he and Ivy met, they quickly became best friends.

Caitlin shared, “Sergeant Pepper’s favorite spot is on the back of the couch. So Ivy will climb up there and lay down and put her head on him.”

Ivy still has a lot to learn about her birth, surgeries, and condition. Caitlin hopes that Sergeant Pepper will help her understand that she’s not alone.

“When it comes to your children, you want them to know that there are others like them out there,” Caitlin shared. “So just knowing that she has a buddy and someone who’s gone through the same thing can be huge.” 

The pair’s story was selected by Petco Love and BOBS from Skechers as a winner for the Petco Love Stories campaign on Dec. 1, 2021, securing a $25,000 grant for the shelter.

Source: Daily Paws