Born With Just Two Legs, Rocket the Cat Has Spent 9 Years Defying Every Expectation
In 2016, Mareen Ebelt got a call from a friend who had just discovered a litter of kittens in her yard. One of them, she said, had only two legs. At first, Mareen didn’t believe it — surely her friend was mistaken. But when Mareen and her boyfriend came to see for themselves, there he was: a tiny kitten with no visible injuries, yet completely missing his hind legs.
Stunned but determined to help, Mareen scooped up the kitten and brought him to the vet. The staff was just as amazed. This wasn’t the result of trauma — the kitten had been born this way. Why or how, no one could say.
Despite his condition, the kitten showed no signs of pain. He was energetic, curious, and determined to move through the world on his own terms. From the beginning, he adapted quickly, learning how to balance and explore without ever knowing life with four legs.
It didn’t take long for Mareen and her boyfriend to fall in love. They brought him home, introduced him to their other cats, Flint and Gurkchen, and gave him a name that perfectly matched his personality: Rocket — because of how fast he zoomed around the house.
Now, nine years later, Rocket is still blazing trails. He leaps from surface to surface with ease, plays with abandon, and naps like a champion on his favorite windowsill pillow. He doesn’t know he’s different — and maybe that’s his greatest superpower.
“Rocket may wobble through life on two legs,” Mareen shared, “but he does it with confidence.”
For Mareen, giving Rocket a home was an easy choice. And in return, he’s brought years of joy, laughter, and an unforgettable lesson: sometimes the ones who seem the most unlikely are the ones who shine the brightest.