<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"></head><body dir="auto"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span></span></div><div><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Courtesy of Catster at:</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="http://www.catster.com/the-scoop/cat-kitten-rescue-adoption-pictures-photos-no-front-legs-mercury">http://www.catster.com/the-scoop/cat-kitten-rescue-adoption-pictures-photos-no-front-legs-mercury</a></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">-----------------------------------</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><h2 class="dmg-title" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: camingodos-web, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, serif; font-size: 2em; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2em; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); letter-spacing: -0.02em; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mercury the Kitten Has No Front Legs But Gets Around Like a Pro</h2></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="color: rgb(137, 11, 91); font-family: rooney-web, Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 19px; line-height: 28px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A weed-whacker accident left him a double amputee at four days old, but youth saved him.</span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So, look, I'm kinda short. I'm not even five feet tall. When I want to get my favorite top-shelf beer at the market, I have to ask for help, and then folks look at me as if I'm not old enough to buy it. I always have to get my "petite" length jeans tailored, even in five-inch heels I'm barely average height, and when stepping down from the bus I have to leap from the last step to the curb. </span></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Sometimes it's a pain in the butt, but I remind myself that I'm very lucky to have everything in functioning order -- even if it's in a smaller scale. There are animal friends like Mercury out there (he's missing both his front legs and all but one toe on one of his hind legs) who make living in a world not designed for them look like a piece of cake.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Mercury's injuries occurred when he was a mere four days old. He'd been accidentally hit with a weed whacker. Rather than put the kitten down, the veterinarian who tended to Mercury's injuries referred the kitten to his current human friends, who have experience working with bottle babies.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Though the severity of Mercury's injuries is a tragedy, there is a silver lining: Because of his young age, Mercury was able to adapt to his new body. His human friends nurtured the kitty as best they could, and now Mercury is thriving, despite his differences.</span></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"></p><div class="embedded-Media-image img-caption-c" style="margin: 1em auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; float: none; width: 600px;"></div><p></p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">And that's inspiring.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">--------------------</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Mercury has no trouble being sassy.</p><p style="margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 0.9375em; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.5em; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.235294); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><img src="cid:CAE226D2-EFF1-4832-8D9F-588E26ACD5C3" alt="20140124-catster-monday-miracle-mercury-amputee-003.jpg" id="CAE226D2-EFF1-4832-8D9F-588E26ACD5C3" width="600" height="377"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 0px 0px 1em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; max-width: none;"></p><div class="embedded-Media-image img-caption-c" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; margin: 1em auto; padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; float: none; width: 600px;"></div></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><img src="cid:137D24F2-4311-4DA4-B136-AD01E7720B68" alt="20140124-catster-monday-miracle-mercury-amputee-008.jpg" id="137D24F2-4311-4DA4-B136-AD01E7720B68" width="600" height="853"></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">-----------------------------------</div><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>