Mochi, a munchkin cat originally bred in China and brought to the United States, suffered from ischemic dermatopathy which led to the deterioration of certain parts of her body, including her ears, tail, and right hind leg. Initially, she traveled across the world to live with a family living in the Boston area. Unfortunately, her severe health issues were too big of a challenge for the former owners and they decided to surrender her to a really special rescue shelter called MSPCA-Angell.
Despite her missing body parts and ongoing physical difficulties, Mochi was taken in by the couple, who fell in love with her despite her unconventional appearance. Greg and his fiancée Natalia live in Boston, MA, and have a deep love and respect for animals. Despite both having grown up with pets, Mochi is their first pet together, and they have fully embraced her, despite her physical challenges.
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Meet Mochi, a munchkin kitten who traveled from China all the way to the United States
Bored Panda has reached out to Greg McDouglas, Mochi’s new owner, and asked him a bit more about her. We wanted to know more details about her story. Greg told us: “Mochi was bred and born in China as a munchkin kitten. She was purchased by a family in the Boston area, and soon after joining them, she started developing a 'mystery illness' which caused her necrosis. As the necrosis advanced, the owners surrendered her to a really special rescue shelter called MSPCA-Angell, however, her condition had advanced significantly at that point. Unfortunately, the doctors at the shelter needed to amputate one of her hind legs, both ears and her tail. She had also developed ringworm.”
Shortly after her arrival, she began to suffer from a mysterious illness that led to necrosis
Her former owners surrendered her to MSPCA-Angell, a special rescue shelter that could provide her with the necessary treatment
“She ended up spending two months in the care of the doctors at the shelter, who amazingly nursed her back to health. She had to spend those two months quarantined by herself, but when she was back to full health, the shelter listed her for adoption. My amazing fiancée and animal lover named Natalia saw the listing and immediately fell in love with Mochi and applied for her. The next day, we received a phone call from the shelter letting us know we had been selected to adopt Mochi and Natalia was so incredibly excited. I was trying to play it cool and said we should meet Mochi first, but the following day when we visited her, we both immediately fell in love. That was on January 22nd, 2023, so she’s been with us now for just over two months!”
The doctors had to amputate one of Mochi's hind legs, both ears and her tail due to the advanced state of her condition
She was cared for by the doctors at the shelter for two months, during which she was isolated
Next, we were interested in Mochi’s personality and the everyday activities she has in her new home. Greg said: “She is so incredibly sweet, goofy, and full of life and energy. She loves playing games around the house (including hide and seek), she is quite vocal with meows, chirps, and squeaks, and she is so affectionate and loves belly rubs, head scratches, and sleeping on Natalia’s head at night. She loves being the center of attention and meeting new people, and she is a fearless adventurer who is extremely curious. We love her so much and spoil her; adopting Mochi has been one of the best decisions of our lives and she fills us with love.”
Once she was nursed back to health, the shelter put her up for adoption
Asked about Mochi’s current health condition, Greg answered: “We believe Mochi will be able to live a long, healthy, full, and happy life, but we do need to be a bit cautious with her. She cannot receive vaccines, for example, as they suspect her initial illness may have been caused by a reaction to a vaccine. Because she has three legs instead of four, we have to be careful about her weight. When we adopted her, she was just under 2.5 pounds, and now she is over 4 pounds! She has quite the appetite. We also have to be careful around cleaning debris out of the very little part of her ears she still has. But aside from some of these careful precautions, Mochi is perfectly healthy and full of energy. In fact, she just had her first veterinary appointment and she is perfectly healthy!”
Natalia and Greg saw Mochi's listing and immediately applied to adopt her
The shelter contacted them the following day, informing them that they had been chosen to adopt Mochi
We were curious where this cute name came from, and we were told: “We think she looks like a vanilla mochi ice cream ball! People also tell us all the time that she looks like an owl, seal, otter, cloud, potato, and ferret. She is beautiful!”
When they met Mochi the next day, the couple quickly fell in love with her
Knowing about Mochi’s health issues from the past, we were wondering how and if it affects her everyday life. Greg explained: “Her day-to-day is very relaxing as we do not want to stress her out too much and potentially cause an autoimmune reaction. She is not allowed outside of the house, but besides that, has free rein over our home. She usually sleeps with us in bed or in a small kitty bed by our bed and she sleeps surprisingly quietly throughout the night! We usually spend some time playing with her in the morning after she’s eaten since she tends to have a lot of energy then. When she’s in the mood to play, she meows at us and tries to bait us into her game of hide and seek.”
Mochi is an incredibly sweet and lively kitten who loves playing games around the house
Greg continued about her playtime routine: “She will wait until we get close to her, then she will run away, hide around a corner, and then poke her head to see if we’re following her. If we chase after her, once we’re close, she runs and hides again! And she does this over and over again until she finally gets tired and then flops on her back for belly rubs. She loves getting her head scratched and licking our hands, and she naps all over the house! She is obsessed with the laser pointer and loves running up and down the stairs and sprinting around the house. She has a bit of a challenge running in a straight line so she side-winds around like a snake. She also absolutely adores watching TV with us and loves her wet food.”
She is very affectionate and enjoys getting belly rubs and head scratches
Also, we asked if she requires any special care considering her medical history. The owner said: “Luckily, aside from some of the precautions I mentioned before, there’s not too much day-to-day care needed for her. She behaves like a normal kitty, I don’t even think she knows she’s missing any limbs! She loves climbing the couch, chairs, and our bed, too. And sleeping on Natalia’s head at night!”
Mochi is now 8 months old and her new family claims she looks like a vanilla mochi ice cream ball
Since Mochi’s story has been shared online, it has gone viral. We asked what being an owner of this famous kitty feels like to Greg and his fiancée Natalia. He said: “We enjoy spreading Mochi’s story because it is an inspirational and amazing story about a resilient kitty. She is so incredibly strong and has already been through so much, including flying from China on a plane and spending two months in quarantine after getting sick and losing her limbs. However, she has never given up and is full of spunk and so happy. She’s truly the strongest little kitty I know and is still so sweet and affectionate despite her hardships and turbulence. We hope Mochi can put a smile on other people’s faces when they are having a hard day.”
She is currently thriving and healthy, but her family must take some precautions to ensure her well-being
Lastly Greg added: “We also think it is very important to spread the message about rescue shelters! These organizations do amazing work, including MSPCA-Angell which cared for Mochi, and we encourage people to support these organizations and the work they do. We also hope that people open their hearts and homes to rescue pets and disabled animals! There are so many incredible and special animals that deserve love and a home and we hope people who are thinking of a pet consider adopting a disabled animal!”
One of them is cleaning debris out of the very little part of her ears she still has
She has slight difficulty running in a straight line and sidesteps like a snake
Other than that, she behaves like a normal kitty, who loves climbing the couch, chairs, and bed
When Mochi wants to play, she meows at her owners and tries to lure them into her game
She also loves watching TV with Natalia and Greg
Greg and Natalia would like to spread the message of rescue shelters that do amazing work, including MSPCA-Angell, which cared for their beloved Mochi
That is why they shared Mochi's story and encouraged people to consider adopting a disabled animal
They definitely need some extra attention and care, but in the end, they give us back a lot of love and affection
As Greg said: "Adopting Mochi has been one of the best decisions of our lives and she fills us with love"
