Thumbelina’s story began with the odds stacked against her. As a tiny neonatal kitten, she was rejected by her mother and unable to nurse, needing bottle feeding just to survive her first weeks. She went on to battle a neck abscess after being suckled on by a littermate, then faced Feline Panleukopenia at only seven weeks old; a devastating virus that carries a terrifying 90% mortality rate. Many kittens do not survive. Just when it seemed she had finally made it through, Thumbelina was diagnosed with neurological FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), forcing her into a third fight for her life before she was even 3 months old.

Through it all, she has remained impossibly brave, loving, and an undying will to live. Thumbelina is more than one little kitten’s survival story; she is the reason behind the Thumbelina Furever Foundation, created to help afford Thumbelina's medical journey and built to hopefully return the favour to the many fragile, forgotten, and medically complex kittens, like Thumbelina, a chance to fight, be fought for, love and be loved, and their caregivers the opportunity to make that happen.