Meet Little Lucy, a tiny kitten from San Diego that has been stealing thousands of hearts.
Hannah Shaw, known as the Kitten Lady on Facebook, shared Little Lucy’s story, one of seven hungry foster kittens that required bottle feeding. Shaw, a kitten rescuer, humane educator, and New York Times bestselling author, had her hands full as the kittens wanted to feed at once. Of all of the kittens, Lucy is by far the smallest and easily pushed aside by her bigger siblings at feeding time. Their names: Cooper, Harry, Garland, Andy, Laura, and Hawk. However, Shaw isn’t about to let Lucy miss out.
Shaw began feeding Lucy and the foster kittens back in May 2020. Her full name is Lucy Moran, and she was one of the seven “Twin Peaks kittens.” At the time, Shaw was watching the TV series.
Hannah Shaw and Little Lucy via Facebook
Little Lucy Always Goes First
Nope, Lucy always goes first when it’s time to bottle feed the “voracious bottle babies,” says Kitten Lady. As the other kittens mew and try to get attention, their caretaker says, “I know,” gently moving them so Lucy can feed.
“Lucy goes first. Then, everybody else can go,” she says.
As Lucy gets the formula, her much-larger brother Hawk puts up quite a fuss.
“Hawk always acts like he’s never been fed in his life,” she says. “I know. Noone ever fed you. We’re going to feed Hawk next, ’cause he’s the most squeaky wheel of the bunch.”
See Lucy and the hungry kittens in the video by Kitten Lady below:
Little Lucy Steals Thousands of Hearts
Recently, Shaw shared some adorable pictures of Little Lucy, who is all grown up now (as you’ll see later).
“I just stumbled across these Little Lucy photos from last summer, and it seemed criminal not to share them. She is hands down one of the cutest babies I have ever raised. I mean…come on. Those tiny teefies. That bulldog stance. That squish head. It’s all too much. Too much!”
In a few days, the photos of Little Lucy went viral, amassing 51K likes and over 1K shares. Yes, there’s just something quintessentially cute about this little kitten.
Part of the fun is the comment section. So, we include some hilarious responses to the wee kitten. In the picture below, Lucy’s fans just love her tiny little “teef.”
“What a wonderful world when I see all these tiny and so precious kittens. Oh yes!!!!!” wrote one person.
All images via Facebook/The Kitten Lady
Then, we get a closeup of the cuteness, and it’s almost too much for words.
“I’ve always kept a little place in my heart for this tiny, magic, alien baby. Just unbelievable to see pictures of her now,” said one person.
Next, Lucy posed on her soft blanket with a look of determination.
“Definitely looks tiny & mighty. Fierce little Beauty,” stated one comment.
Yoda Kitten
“I love this one. Reminds me of Yoda…how he squints his eyes,” someone stated.
“This is the face of judgment, and I am feeling judged hardcore.”
Then, Little Lucy gave her best impersonation of a wildcat.
“This is the best! Hear me ROAR!!”
“RAWR! I are ferocious warrior kitty, fear my teefs of doom! Oh, what that you say? Prefer snuggles instead of teefs of doom? Well, OK, but am still fierce. *purrrrrrr*,” someone wrote about the picture below.
Why Cats Get Everything They Want
“This face right here is why cats get everything they want,” someone wrote.
Another person was reminded of retro paintings with big eyes.
“This reminds me of those paintings from the 1970s of the cats with the huge eyes!”
Little Lucy All Grown Up
These pictures of Little Lucy are almost too much cuteness to handle. However, Shaw melts our hearts, even more, when she posts a picture of Lucy as she looks now.
“Here is Little Lucy now,” the Kitten Lady wrote.
Little Lucy: part cat, part hamster, part bullfrog
Once, Shaw described Little Lucy as “part cat, part hamster, part bullfrog.”
“How do I begin to describe this majestic bean? I’m pretty sure if you analyzed her DNA, you would find that Little Lucy is part cat, part hamster, part bullfrog. Her body is shaped like a grapefruit & she has the unkempt fur of a soft little coyote pup who has recently been digging in the trash. She spends most of the day chillin’ like a bump on a log, but goes full sonic-speed when it’s dinner time. She’s a little peanut and a glorious unicorn, a total hot mess and also, somehow, perfect.”
Kittens with hypothyroidism
Although Lucy is thriving today, she had a rough start. Unlike the other kittens, Lucy failed to gain weight at first. So, Shaw had to work with a veterinarian, giving her medications, digestive enzymes, and vitamins. Then, the kitten started having seizures.
As a one-month-old, Lucy was the weight of a ten-day-old kitten.
“All I want is for her to grow. C’mon Little Lucy. Please grow…” a concerned Shaw wrote.
A ‘Micro-Unicorn’ Kitten
Then, after treatment for congenital hypothyroidism, Lucy finally started gaining weight. On social media, everyone was rooting for her.
Dr. Karen Vernau at the UC Davis veterinary hospital diagnosed Lucy with hypothyroidism, rare in cats. Symptoms can include dwarfism, poor growth, and seizures. Fortunately, inexpensive oral medication is readily available.
“Since starting medication, she has gained over 100g—she weighed in at 318 today! She’s still half the size she should be, and is definitely developmentally delayed if you compare her to other kittens…but I say comparison is the enemy of individual progress! Lucy is a unicorn who can’t and shouldn’t be compared against other kittens—when measured against herself over time, she’s a superstar! This little micro-unicorn is packed with potential, and she will flourish in her own way, on her own timeline, in her own teeny-tiny body,” Shaw wrote.
Fast forward to a month later, and Lucy and her sister Laura were both adopted to a loving home.
“Lucy is doing great,” said her new owner Julia. “She’s very happy, sweet and soft. She weighs about seven pounds now – such a far cry from her (tiny early) days.”
Lucy and Laura
With twice-daily medication and routine checkups, Little Lucy is healthy and happy. You can follow the now one-year-old Lucy and Laura on Instagram. Donations to the Orphan Kitten Club help save kittens like Little Lucy.
Lucy and Laura in their forever home
