Update: 28 August 2026

Tutan

Age: Approximately 7 years old (as of 2026)
Breed: Common European Shorthair Tuxedo

Tutan is my miracle cat.

Five years ago, one Saturday in March, Tutan wandered through the back door of a pizza shop looking for somewhere safe. He was brought to me, and it quickly became clear that he was desperately ill. I took him straight to an emergency vet, where he remained on death’s door for almost two weeks.

He was severely emaciated, dehydrated and anaemic, absolutely covered in fleas, and suffering from a massive upper respiratory infection. His mouth was in terrible condition, with many teeth already missing, and he was so dehydrated that even finding a vein was extremely difficult. He was hospitalised for over a week on a drip, but he refused to eat.

Eventually, we made the decision that his best chance was to come home with me for round-the-clock tube feeding.

After a few days of tube feeding, Tutan started eating on his own. I have never been so happy to see a cat eat.

That was only the beginning of an incredibly long road to recovery.

Tutan took months to regain a healthy weight. His eyes took a long time to heal, and he developed problems with one of his third eyelids fusing and not fully retracting. His fur took months to grow back after he had been shaved and intubated, and his black coat had turned a reddish-brown colour from the severity of his illness. Slowly, month by month, it returned to black.

Even after his initial recovery, Tutan continued to suffer from persistent upper respiratory infections for the better part of three years. Thankfully, we seem to have them under control now, although he has lasting liver damage and remains a fairly delicate cat health-wise.

Despite everything he had been through, Tutan was never a shy cat. Although he had been living as a feral, he seemed to understand that I was trying to help him. I have found this surprisingly often with adult cats who have been extremely sick — they seem almost grateful and simply accept the help that is offered to them.

While Tutan was recovering, he was available for adoption for months. Not a single person showed interest in him, so I adopted him.

These days, Tutan has six-monthly veterinary check-ups and requires many, many pills and potions every day. Somehow, he has never held any of it against me. He is very affectionate — aggressively affectionate, in fact. His enthusiastic head bonks often take me completely by surprise!

His exact age is only a guesstimate, but honestly, the fact that Tutan is still here at all feels nothing short of miraculous.

He has come an extraordinarily long way from that desperately sick and frail cat who I was sure wasn't going to make it.

He is a very special boy, and I hope with all my heart that he has many more years left. ❤️

The above image was taken of Tutan on the street before I knew him when he was well, by someone who then sent it to me

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