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When I was in college, I volunteered at a county animal (kill) shelter. When animals were to be euthanized, a downward arrow was drawn on their cards. One day, I noticed the dreaded arrow on a card with a shy kitten hiding inside.

"What's wrong with this one?" I asked.

My co-worker answered, "Don't get too attached to that one; she's going down tomorrow. Broken leg."

I couldn't resist the urge to coax her out and see her. After a few minutes, a tiny black and white tuxedo emerged from a dark corner of the cage, dragging her little front leg. She was maybe eight weeks old - she tugged at my heart immediately. I put her on the floor and watched her limp around a little, and it was obvious that leg just didn't work. So, I asked the shelter employees, "What if I take her off your hands and foster her for a while?" No one objected.

After an appointment with a specialist, it was determined that she suffered from nerve damage, probably from birth. She had no feeling in the leg, and, unfortunately, she developed open wounds from dragging it. Considering she was found alone, we thought maybe she was abandoned by her mother.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to convince the shelter director to pull some strings, and she had her spay and leg removal surgeries done at the same time. The surgery went well, but she developed a terrible infection and high fever soon after. I was told she probably wouldn't make it.

However, by some miracle, she pulled through, and I realized I could never leave her. Since I was only a student living off-campus at the time, my mother helped me legally adopt her and I named her Ruby. To me, she was a beautiful, precious jewel that I was lucky enough to discover.

It's been 12 years, and Ruby has been by my side ever since. She has no idea she's handicapped; she runs and jumps just like any other cat. I'm so glad I found her!

Story submitted by Wendy Palmer from Maple Shade, New Jersey.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!