In Southern California there lives an adorable black and white cat named Bennington, or Benny for short. Humans spend their days warming their sun-kissed skin and enjoying perfect days. But for poor Benny, he wasn’t in paradise. He lived with a family who never had his best life in mind. His safety didn’t seem to be a factor to them. And he certainly wasn’t considered “family”. Because they repeatedly let him outside even though he kept coming home with injuries. 
But now Benny has the attention of animal lovers who refuse to allow him to suffer any longer.
In early September 2025, Sir Bennington was introduced on the social media page of @shibuyarollcall.
A regal gentleman has graced us with his presence. Everyone, please meet Sir Bennington 🤴— or Benny for short. 🐱
This handsome fella is only [approx] 11-months old but has already been through so much. His previous owners kept letting him outside, and each time, he returned with new injuries. When he returned from his last outdoor adventure with horrible abscesses, instead of treating him, his owners brought him the vet to be euthanized. 💔
The vet contacted @kittenrescuelife to see if they can take him into their foster program, and KRL stepped up immediately without hesitation. He underwent surgery and now has stitches all over his body including his head, legs, and back. It’s heartbreaking to see, and I can’t even begin to imagine the pain. 😞He needed a safe place to heal for a few weeks before heading to the adoption center to await his new family. Right now, poor Benny’s a bit shut down (new place + dogs = big adjustment!) but I’m excited to watch him recover and blossom into the distinguished gentleman he’s meant to be. ✨
So he was finally given the opportunity to simply live and be happy around other foster animals. It seems that even with his wounds, there was no stopping the love in his heart. 
However, they didn’t know yet that the reason Benny had kept getting injured was more serious.
Over the Labor Day holiday, poor Benny was brought back to the vet after a prior wound reopened on his tiny little cat head. 
They said his wound was starting to get infected so I’m glad we were able to have him seen ASAP! He’s been boarded and monitored at the vet the past few days, and I picked him back up and brought him home a few hours ago. The vet suspects he has a mild case of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare genetic disorder that affects collagen production. His condition was an unexpected discovery and has led to him taking longer to heal than we initially expected, but the vet said the rest of Benny’s wounds healed nicely, and he had all his stitches removed 😊
Benny will need some more time before he’s officially ready for adoption, but if you’re interested or know anyone who might be, please DM me! 📥🍩 2 year old Bennington (boy)
But how does Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) affect cats?
Once they discovered that Bennington was more than just the unfortunate loser in cat fights, they could focus on his safety.
Bennington has a mild case of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a genetic condition that affects collagen production. Cats with EDS often have elastic, fragile skin that easily bruises and tears, and also takes them longer to heal.
Benny’s been sporting nail caps on all paws as a means to protect him from scratching and damaging his skin (also doubles as a little fashion statement. 💅) He also wears the donut collar most of the time so he can’t scratch his head too much, and also so he doesn’t stretch out the skin on his chest from over-grooming (his skin is veeery stretchy as you can see in one of the videos 😶). He’s already opened up an existing wound and created new ones so I know it’s not fool proof, but it’s been great in discouraging him from fidgeting with the wound too much.
While there’s currently no cure, with the right precautions, EDS cats can live long, happy lives! Given he’s a special case and we know it’ll be harder to find his perfect home, the rescue will be open to accepting out-of-state applications for Benny. ♥️So if the distance is what’s been stopping you from inquiring about this sweet, handsome, purring, playful chatterbox..let’s talk!! All we want to do is find him the right family that understands and accommodates his needs, and we’ll be happy to do anything we can to make this happen. ⭐️
Benny needs to find a forever home
Now Benny needs to find a forever home where he can shower his human servant with love and purrs. It’s not going to be easy to find the purrfect match, though they know the right person just needs to hear his story.
Benny did have a trial foster-to-adopt with a lovely couple that everyone hoped would work out. Because they had an older cat that they needed to see if Benny could co-habitat peacefully. Alas, after 10 days, Benny was returned to the rescue. It’s a good thing though that they put Bennington’s health first and foremost. But that meant that he was back and the search was on again. 
Given his condition, the rescue thought it would be best for him to be placed with a foster who works at Benny’s vet (which is a 2 hour round trip from me) so he’s been with the other foster for the past couple of days. 😢 I’m so sad he’s not back with me but I also understand it’s what’s best for him.
He’s such a good boy and I’m heartbroken that it didn’t work out, but I know this just means his perfect, furever family is still out there looking for him. So please help spread the word about this special, handsome boy. 🖤 #carlsbadca #escondidoca
All photos/video property of @shibuyarollcall
