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Update: 19 August 2026

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Krüger

Age: 11 years old (in 2026) Breed: Common European Orange Tabby

Krüger appeared on my street at my last flat when he was only about four months old. He was utterly filthy, completely feral and in a terrible state. He was missing most of his right hind leg and all the skin around his right eye. I suspect he had fallen asleep in a car bonnet and that his injuries happened when the car was started.

He was in such a bad way that my trusted vet gave me antibiotics to lace his food with while I tried to catch him. Krüger was incredibly skittish and wouldn't let me get any closer than a few metres. After failing to catch him by surprise and with normal carriers, I eventually got my hands on a cat trap. Thankfully, he went straight in.

I took him directly to my vet, where we discovered that, despite being feral and terrified, Krüger wasn't like the hysterical ferals you often encounter. He wasn't happy about being handled, but he didn't fight it either. He was extremely poorly, mind you, and I think sometimes they understand when you're trying to help them.

Krüger needed surgery to amputate what remained of his leg and another surgery to reconstruct his eyelid. I was incredibly lucky to receive a lot of very generous donations from people who were following me on Instagram at the time, which helped enormously with the cost of his surgeries and recovery.

For years afterwards, Krüger remained incredibly skittish. He would run away whenever I came near him and wouldn't go anywhere near anyone else either. His safe space, however, was always the bathroom. That's where he stayed when he first arrived while he completed his quarantine, and he would always come to me for cuddles while I was on the loo. He still does it to this day!

Over the last few years, Krüger has really come out of his shell and has become quite a sociable little boy. His second favourite person in the world is now my mum, which is quite an achievement considering how long he wouldn't let anyone else near him.

Krüger is such a sweet boy. He has a wonderfully loud purr that turns into a little trill when he's especially happy. Sometimes he'll run around the flat making what I can only describe as turkey noises, which never fails to amuse me.

One of my favourite things about him is watching him scratch his head with his missing leg. He'll sit there with his head inclined while his little stump wiggles away, phantomly scratching himself. Despite losing most of his hind leg as a tiny kitten, Krüger has never been any less of a cat. He used to drag himself all the way to the top of the cat tree and was never particularly interested in jumping anyway!

Last year, though, I noticed that he was clearly in pain. His walking had slowed down and he could no longer jump onto the bed. We discovered that he has quite severe osteoarthritis in both of his front elbows, which isn't surprising considering how much extra work they have had to do throughout his life. He's now on a supplement and CBD, and for the moment he is like a new cat again.

I've also put steps all around the house so that he can get up to all the places he likes without having to jump, and he is as happy as Larry.

And cuddles? Krüger is by far the cuddliest cat I have. He absolutely adores being picked up, hugged and squeezed tightly. After everything this little boy went through as a tiny kitten, seeing him now—safe, happy, spoiled and demanding cuddles—is one of the loveliest things in the world. ❤️

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