Sara Lunt and her husband Phil were driving through Hutton Roof, a small village approximately 30 miles from their home in Ulverston, England, on July 25, 2008, when they spotted a tiny calico kitten in the middle of a country lane. While the couple assumed the 6-week-old cat lived in one of the nearby houses, they were concerned for her safety, so Sara got out of the car to move the little feline out of the road. “As soon as I picked her up, I could smell ‘burnt’ and could see she was hurt,” remembers Sara.

The kitten had burns all over her body, and while the Lunts already eight cats at home, they knew they had to help the injured feline. Sara and Phil drove to their home to get a cat carrier, talking about the cute kitten the entire way. “She hadn’t moved too far by the time we got back, so in the cat box she went for the 45 minute drive home,” says Sara.

That night, the Lunts took the calico to their vet, and a thorough examination revealed the extent of her injuries. “All four paws had been burnt and her claws were permanently out and damaged!” explains Sara. “Her eyes were damaged too, and the vet said it would be like her looking through dirty windows!” Due to the burns, the kitten had lost the tips of her ears and an inch from the end of her tail, and she had multiple wounds on her face.

The veterinarian was unable to determine how the kitten had received the injuries, but the burns were so severe, he didn’t expect her to survive the night. Thankfully, the resilient calico cat defied the vet’s expectations, and as her health improved, Sara and Phil decided to keep her, naming her Squidgey.

“Phil picked her name,” says Sara. “The vet nicknamed her Frazzle, which I liked better, but she was Phil’s cat, so Squidgey it was — she was a Squidgey little cutie.”

It’s been nearly 11 years since Sara and Phil saw Squidgey for the first time, and this beautiful senior cat is doing extremely well, even if she looks a bit different from the typical feline. “People always think she’s in pain or that she’s still healing,” says Sara.

However, Squidgey has completely recovered from her injuries and she’s not in any discomfort, allowing her to spend most of her time cuddling with her parents and playing with her feline siblings.

“She hangs out with mum and dad a lot or she gets chased by her younger sisters,” says Sara. While Squidgey had extensive injuries when she was rescued, including trauma that permanently damaged her vision, she hasn’t had many challenges over the past decade, proving just how incredible special needs cats can be.

“They’re no different to a ‘normal’ cat,” says Sara, even though this sweet and affectionate girl — who likely wouldn’t be alive today if the Lunts hadn’t rescued her from the middle of a country road in 2008 — gets more than her fair share of special treatment. “She’s very loved and very spoilt and gets away with all sorts.”