Paralyzed Kitten – Viral Inspiration (Exclusive)

• Dawn Firestone’s husband, Ben, first saw Rocky the cat and his mother while working at a job site at the port near Newark five years ago.
• One day, he noticed that the same mother cat took her kitten and climbed onto a car, but accidentally dropped the baby 15 feet onto the concrete floor.
• He immediately called Dawn, who met him and the kitten, which still had its umbilical cord attached, at a local grocery store.
• They later learned that the kitten’s hind legs were paralyzed and that he would most likely never walk normally again. Although the vet suggested euthanasia, Dawn was determined to help Rocky live his best life.

Five years ago, Dawn Firestone’s husband, Ben, worked at a dockside job near Newark, New Jersey, where he and some co-workers often fed stray cats at the factory. He often sent Firestone photos of cats lounging on cars while he worked.

He once sent her a video of kittens who were probably old enough to explore the store without their mother. The next day, he noticed that the same mother cat took the kitten and climbed onto the car, but accidentally dropped the baby 15 feet onto the concrete floor. Ben called Firestone and said, “He looks like he can barely breathe. It’s very dirty and I don’t know what to do.”

Firestone immediately left work in a panic. She met her husband and the kitten, which still had its umbilical cord attached, at a local grocery store. Firestone remembers that when she picked up the kitten, it was cold.

“He had his tongue hanging out, his eyelids were half-closed, and he was gasping for air every couple of seconds,” she tells PEOPLE. “I put it on my chest and rubbed my back, trying to keep it with me. He let out a meow, I tucked him into my shirt and ran home. I cried hysterically, thinking, “Please don’t die.” I’ll never get over this. My daughter was with me and I kept saying, “Oh my God, come on, you can do this.” ”

“I promised him: “If you succeed, I swear I will spoil you. You will be the king of the house. Please don’t die because of me,” she adds.

After a week, Firestone noticed that the kitten began to move. She gave him a bath and allowed him to play with another litter of kittens that the family was also caring for. However, when the baby tried to play, Firestone noticed that he was walking strangely; his hind legs were dragging and did not seem to work properly.

Concerned, she took him to the vet, who suspected that his legs had sprained. She later learned that his back legs were paralyzed and that he would likely never walk normally again. The vet suggested euthanasia.

“He told me about all these terrible possibilities and said I should put him down,” Firestone says. “But why should I take his life if he is ready to enjoy it? This child is playing and happy; he doesn’t care about his hind legs. I can’t do this to him.”

Instead, Firestone was determined to give a cat, whom she named Rocky after the Philadelphia Eagles, who promised a better life. She took him to physical therapy, acupuncture and even aquatic therapy, hoping to help him. She also gave him a small wheelchair with his name on the back. Although none of the treatments showed significant improvement in his condition, Firestone was inspired by Rocky’s determination to live life to the fullest.

“Whenever he wanted to remove the wheelchair, he would sit with the front of his body on the bed, his butt hanging over with the wheels attached. I would film it and he would run around the house, happily running around like there was no care in the world,” she says. “So we settled on the wheelchair.”

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After welcoming Rocky into her home, Firestone shared her experience on social media to raise awareness of special needs cats. In one of her first videos, she showed how she helps Rocky go to the bathroom. She helps him twice a day, and he wears a diaper—not for regular use, but to prevent infections and keep him clean as he drags his bottom along the ground. When Rocky plays outside, she also puts a mermaid tail on him to keep him from getting dirty.

Over the years, his account has gained 157,000 followers. Instagram and more than 470,000 on TikTok. Firestone and her family also raised money for GoFundMe to help Rocky and other special needs cats.

“When I first met Rocky, I had never seen a paralyzed cat,” she says. “I was active on social media, but I had never seen anything like this—not a cat in a diaper, nothing. My love for Rocky made me refuse euthanasia. Because I stood firm in that decision, five years later he is still with us.”

“Rocky’s account has saved a lot of cats. I often receive messages from people in similar situations,” she adds. “For example, a woman recently came to us because her cat’s tail got stuck in the door, resulting in paralysis. She was devastated and was told to put her three-year-old cat to sleep.”

She continues, “I was able to get her through FaceTime and now her cat is living a happy life. She didn’t have to say goodbye, and I love knowing that any animal I can help through Rocky’s account is a blessing.”

Firestone, who is also a mother of two, says Rocky is “the most spoiled boy in the entire universe.” Because he requires a lot of attention, she takes him with her everywhere, including on planes. The family recently purchased a motor home to make Rocky feel at home while traveling. Just last week, Firestone carried him on her chest while visiting her aunt in Iowa.

“He is the most beautiful and loving cat you could imagine,” she says. “His paralysis is just part of who he is.”

“I also visited two schools for special needs children in the area and donated soft toys that looked like Rocky,” she adds. “They have diapers and even mermaid tails to keep their feet clean when they go outside. I wanted to show that all people are different, and it is this difference that makes us beautiful. Everyone who received a Rocky stuffed toy became attached to it. I think it tells a great story.”

Reflecting on how Rocky changed her life, Firestone says that while she had to make sacrifices in her personal life for Rocky, she wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

“Everyone in my house knows that Rocky comes first,” she says, adding. “Of course, my children come first, but Rocky is there too. If Rocky needs something, the whole family has to adapt. At night he cuddles up to me, literally pressing his face against me 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

She adds: “I haven’t cuddled in bed with my husband in five years, but he knows it’s Rocky’s time. If he wants to come and hug me and Rocky, he can do it. But when it comes to the Night it’s all up to Rocky. If he wants it, he gets it.”