Zuzu is a very adorable kitten of unknown age — my guess at this point is 8-9 months — that we first saw on Facebook. She was recuperating after major hip surgery, and was up for adoption. She’d been found on a street in Bucharest, with both of her hips broken, possibly by a car, or a trap, or some deranged person. We fell in love right away with the little black furball, got in touch with the good folks who’d been treating her (Irina Pricop and Magda Radu), and arranged to adopt her. That’s also how we got to adopt two of our other cats (Bubu and Tira), but that’s a story for another day.

This is how the poor thing looked when they found her. Notice the broken and dislocated hips, pushing inside the abdominal cavity and pressing onto her organs.

And this is after the operations, recuperating at the vet’s office.

She’s now been with us for about 6 months, and has recovered very nicely. Her gait has never gotten back to normal, and I don’t think it ever will. She walks a little funny, and she runs a little funny too, but that’s what makes her even more endearing. She’s even learned to climb (and get down from) trees better than any other of our cats. She’s a very resilient cat. She’d have to be, to still be alive after an accident like the one she had.

This is how she looked last autumn, a few weeks after we brought her home.

Can you resist a face like that? Can anyone resist it? Not likely.