Cat Named Turbo Joe Learns to Use Wheelchair, Finds Forever Home
Turbo Joe’s Instagram account is the social media content we didn’t know we needed. 
By Hilary Braaksma January 05, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
A kitten who was found dragging himself along by his front legs is now enjoying his first year with his forever family thanks to a dedicated team and two very helpful wheels.
Joe was a semi-paralyzed stray kitten when he was found and rescued in Oregon in the fall of 2019. A worried onlooker noticed the young cat could only move with his front legs and made the decision to grab the at-risk kitty off the streets and look for help.
The disabled kitten ended up at Meow Village, a nonprofit that works to rehome stray cats. Joe's rescuers guessed the kitten had survived some sort of accident that led to the paralyzation of his back legs and left him unable to walk. Meow Village helped Joe find a great foster mom, Sheila Burdick, who already cared for two one-eyed cats and knew the ropes when it came to caring for special needs pets.
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While Joe was getting some much needed TLC with his new foster family, his rescuers teamed up with Back On Track Veterinary Rehabilitation Center in Portland to get Joe fitted with a custom wheelchair. Burdick told local reporters that although Joe would need some practice and core strength to work his new wheels, he's finally able to run, play, and keep up with the other cats—except when the other cats jumped up on something.
"He's like, 'Aw, man. How dare you,'" Burdick said last year. On the plus side, he doesn't need them to navigate the stairs.
His renewed sense of energy after receiving his wheelchair is what earned the vivacious kitty his new moniker, Turbo Joe.
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The people rallying around Joe hoped the effort to restore his mobilization would make it easier for the cat to find his forever home—and it worked. Not long after being put up for adoption, Turbo Joe was finally taken in by his new forever family that's been able to care for his special needs. Turbo Joe's new owners now post regularly on an adorable Instagram account dedicated to the now-mobile cat and his new cat sibling, Sidekick Slick.
We love this happy ending to Joe's story, and we can't wait to keep up with him on the 'Gram. To find a shelter near you where you can adopt your own furry friend, check out the Daily Paws adoption guide.
