Meet best friends Shannon Nelson, 49, and Scooter, one.
They have a lot of differences. Shannon is an adult human woman and Scooter is a tiny cat, after all.
But they’ve been brought together by the things they have in common.
Both Shannon and Scooter are disabled and both use wheelchairs to get around – Shannon has been quadriplegic since 1995, when she fractured her spine at the age of 24 while diving into a swimming pool at night, while Scooter is paralysed due to a back injury.
Scooter was rescued from the streets in Bolivia, South America, back in 2018 and was adopted by Shannon and her friend Rose Millan, 48.
The pair managed to borrow a set of wheels for Scooter so he was able to easily get around and enjoy the outdoors.
Shannon, who is now living in New York said: ‘Scooter is my little best friend, he’s a fighter just like me.
‘We are survivors that have battled through our struggles to be here today.
‘When people see us in the street together in our wheelchairs they always smile at us, I can see in their faces that they are saying wow.
‘Me and Scooter are wheelchair warriors. He’s the most loving cat I have ever known, I love him to death, he’s definitely my best friend.
‘I think it’s important for people to know that adopting animals that don’t look perfect can still be the most perfect pets.’
Rose and Shannon are fundraising for stem cell treatment for Scooter in a bid to get him back on all four paws.
Rose, a travel guide, said: ‘Scooter has an enlarged heart which is why he’s not a good candidate for surgery to repair his broken spine.
‘However, he was deemed a great candidate for stem cell therapy! Two specialists we visited recommended it. They believe that Scooter could possibly regain significant movement in his paralysed limbs’
Rose says Shannon and Scooter’s bond is extra special due to them both having a disability.
She added: ‘Scooter is an incredibly special little guy. Full of personality and scary smart! He loves to cuddle at night and wrap his little arms around his favourite humans. He absolutely loved sleeping with auntie Shannon
‘Shannon suffers from chronic insomnia and that little guy seemed to be the cure she needed as she’d relax and fall asleep when he started purring with his little face against her neck.
‘They love each other deeply.’
If you’d like to donate towards Scooter’s stem cell treatment, you can do so through GoFundMe.
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Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.
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