‘Cuddly’ orange kitten was found in ‘bad shape’ months ago. Now she has a new home

Jessica Means saw a “sweet” orange kitten with one eye on the Idaho Humane Society’s Instagram story.

She knew she wanted the cat immediately, so she texted a photo of Luckee to her fiance, Travis Stepon, on Nov. 15 and said, “Do we need this cat?”

He said they could meet her after work, but Means said she knew the kitten would be adopted by then. So to avoid that, she drove to the humane society in Boise on her lunch break.

“She was just so sweet that I took her right then. I called out of work for the rest of the day and took home a cat,” Means told McClatchy News by phone Nov. 16.

Kitten has rough start

Luckee was in “bad shape” when she was found July 5, the Idaho Humane Society said in a Nov. 15 Facebook post.

She had one eye crusted shut, and the other one was swollen.

Eventually, one eye was removed after it didn’t show any signs of healing, the animal shelter said.

The kitten was fostered until she was healthy enough to be adopted, and then her photo was shared on social media.

Within about 45 minutes of the post being up, Means said she had adopted her. The 5-month-old cat cost $40.

“I find that when animals have such a tough start like that, they can just be so loving, and they’re so thankful when they get rescued. I think that that just really makes them so sweet,” she said.

And even though Luckee had to overcome a lot, Means said she doesn’t show it.

“When I met her, she was just so cuddly, and she wanted to ride around on my shoulders,” she said.

She’s also “completely fearless,” Means said, and she had no problem meeting their other animals, including two dogs and a “cranky” cat.

Means and Stepon haven’t renamed Luckee yet, but they are thinking about changing her name to Clementine.

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