Kitten Born Without Eyelids Finds The Perfect Big Brother
They're both a little different — and so protective of each other.
Ajax was adopted when he was just 5 and a half weeks old. He was part of an accidental litter of pit bull puppies in New Jersey, and weighed only 2 and a half pounds when his new mom, a vet technician in Connecticut, took him home.
"I took Ajax, the runt of the litter, and gave the family a few hundred dollars to put toward spaying Ajax's mama and neutering his daddy," Avery Welch, Ajax's new mom, told The Dodo. "I followed up to make sure they did, or it would have been just another backyard breeding situation."
Not long after adopting him, Welch discovered that Ajax has hip dysplasia in both his hips, as well as significant knee issues. He may eventually need to have both of his back legs removed, but for now he's on medication for the pain, and is otherwise the happiest, sweetest dog you'll ever meet.
"He's just a huge mush and snugglebug," Welch said. "He LOVES to nap, he paws at the covers to ask for you to lift them up so he can scoot under, and he has been so sweet with every foster dog and cat I've had."
Despite his own issues, Ajax also acts as a service dog for his mom to help her deal with her anxiety and depression. He's trained to know when her anxiety is at high levels so he can calm her down before she has a panic attack.
Ajax understands differences all too well - and when his mom brought home a special little kitten, he was more than ready to help him, too.
A friend of Welch's found Mr. Magoo the kitten on a sidewalk in New York City when he was just a few weeks old, and asked Welch if she would foster him. Welch of course agreed, and immediately took in the tiny kitten. Mr. Magoo has eyelid agenesis, a rare disorder found in cats, which causes them to have deformed eyelids or no eyelids at all.
"Magoo is on the more severe end of that spectrum; he has no eyelids to speak of," Welch said.
Mr. Magoo quickly became a foster fail, and thanks to his new mom, he's getting all the help he needs to take care of his eye issues. He's an incredibly sweet and fearless kitten and is thriving in his new home - especially since he met Ajax.
From the moment they met, Ajax and Mr. Magoo have been best friends. They're both a little different, which makes them the perfect pair, and they love doing everything together.
"They snuggle all the time and chase each other around the apartment," Welch said. "They've really become best friends!"
Ajax is very away of how tiny and fragile Mr. Magoo is, and is so incredibly careful and sweet with him whenever they're together.
"Ajax is super gentle with him when they play, letting Magoo chew on his face and nose and bat at him while he very softly chews at Magoo," Welch said.
Ajax always loved taking care of his foster siblings in the past, and now he has his very own special little brother to care for.
Both Mr. Magoo and Ajax might need surgery for their medical issues eventually, and no one can be sure what the future will hold for them. As long as they have each other, though, they can get through anything.
