Stray cat who lost her ears gets adorable crocheted ears and a brand-new family

We’re constantly amazed at the resiliency of animals. There are stories of cats that are ᴀʙᴜsᴇᴅ, abandoned, and ɴᴇɢʟᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ, and yet they never give up. Cats show a kind of strength and courage that inspires us to keep fighting and moving forward. One of those cats is a former stray named Hardy. Look into her soulful eyes, and you immediately know that Hardy has not had an easy life. She has struggled and sad, but she hasn’t given up. And thanks to a new pair of crocheted ears, she’s leaving all that behind.

Hardy, an 8-month-old kitten was discovered just wandering around an apartment complex in District Heights, Marryland. The cat had clearly been tortured and ᴀʙᴜsᴇᴅ by someone who had ᴄᴜᴛ his ears and tied up his limbs and tail, leaving very bad injuries.

The cat was taken in by Prince George’s County Animal Shelter. A staff ᴠᴇᴛerinarian at Alley Cat Rescue, which is an organization that helps cats in need, saw Hardy at the shelter and pulled him out.

Hardy’s rescues wrote on Facebook about the little kitty: “We have named our newest addition Hardy. This name means courageous and able to overcome ᴅɪffɪᴄᴜʟᴛ circumstances. This name is certainly fitting for this cat who has ᴇɴᴅᴜʀᴇᴅ weeks of ᴄʀᴜᴇʟty and yet is still affectionate and trusting of humans.”

Hardy needed sᴜrgery to fix his ᴡᴏᴜɴᴅs, but his recovery went well. He is a true fighter. Right after his operation he was ᴘᴜrring and kneading his blanket. It took a few treats to get Hardy comfortable with her new ears, but the shelter posted photos showing the cat looking calm and confident with her new accessory.

Despite everything he’s been through, Hardy is still very affectionate and friendly, he wants nothing but love.