For those of us with a heart for rescuing animals in need, oftentimes, it seems like those pets that were once so tiny and helpless are the ones who turn out to rescue us. Huckleberry the cat might not have always shined as brightly as she does now in her photos, but she has a kindhearted human and a best four-legged friend to thank for nursing her back to health and allowing her to experience what it’s like to be loved. I caught wind of her story and fell in love with her images online, and something tells me you’ll like learning about her story of survival just as much as I did!
Before you meet Huckleberry, learn about Luca, her four-legged best friend. Her human, Liz, shared that, “Luca, and Huckleberry…and also Fred, who was Luca’s uncle, and my original Soul Dog, who tragically passed away at age 4 in 2017. Luca was to gift to me from his and Fred’s breeder in the wake of that horrific situation.”
How did Huckleberry come into your life?
Huckleberry came into Luca’s and my life during Covid lockdown. It was September 30th, 2020. My neighbor (at that time) across the alley called and said that there was a tiny white kitten meowing in his bushes, and asked if I could try and catch her so that we could help her. This neighbor lived on an extremely busy heavily trafficked road called Truxtun Ave. that runs through the middle of Bakersfield, CA. When I found her, she was dirty, skinny, terrified, and dragging her right front leg. I managed to lure her out of the bushes with tuna fish, put her in my backpack, and got her to the cat hospital nearby, where they gave her vaccines, flea and tick medicine, and said that she would need to have the dead leg removed. There was no feeling it it whatsoever. But they wanted her to grow a little bit and gain some weight before doing the amputation. So, at that time, I decided I would “foster” her until she healed from surgery. I think I kind of knew then and there that she was meant to be a part of our family forever, but wasn’t sure I was ready to make the commitment of having a second animal. Furthermore, my dog Luca – an 80 lb labrador – was sweet as pie but also liked to chase cats. So I wasn’t sure the two of them would fare well together…
How did Huckleberry get her name?
It was kismet! Ages ago, I had worked at a doggie bakery and grooming salon, where one of our customers was a giant chocolate lab named Huckleberry. I thought it was the cutest name I had ever heard, and decided that – someday – I would name one of my own pets Huckleberry. Meanwhile, my neighbor (who originally found Huck), decided HE, TOO, wanted to name the cat Huckleberry! We had made these respective decisions UNBEKNOWNST to each other!!?! I think he liked the name because he had almost named his hound dog Huckleberry, (as in Huckleberry Hound), but had ended up calling her Manzana – which means apple in Spanish – because of a big, apple-shaped marking on her back.
How does Huck feel traveling?
Huck is like most cats. She does not love the car. As long as her dog brother Luca is with her, though, she settles down after a while of whining.
How does Huck get along with her dog roommate?
Huckleberry WORSHIPS her dog brother, Luca. In fact, she imprinted on him as though he were a mother duck and she were a duckling, as soon as the two bonded…within about a month of her coming into our lives. Luca is Huck’s emotional support animal. She snuggles up with him and purrs, kneading his neck rolls with her one remaining arm. She wrestles and plays with him. She feels safe around other dogs when Luca is there to mediate the social interaction. She absolutely adores Luca…and the feeling is mutual. They are too sweet for words… though I do hashtag them as “#lucaberry”.
How would I describe Huck’s personality, and what are some of her favorite hobbies?
Huck is a cat through and through. She is funny, independent, intelligent, social, curious, loving when she’s in the mood to snuggle, and then cantankerous within a split second for no apparent reason, haha. She loves to be massaged with a muscle roller and brushed – with an array of brushes and combs…it is a daily ritual of ours. She LOVES to be outside in her catio/treehouse/garden, to watch the birds, play with feathers and leaves that have fallen, and HUNT! Even though her catio is enclosed with chicken wire, and even though she is “disabled”, having only three legs, Huck is a voracious and impressive huntress! She has brought in (to torture and savagely murder) birds, mice, cockroaches, grasshoppers, and praying mantises! Huck loves to chase hair ties, play with a string, chase a laser beam, and make a big, histrionic performance out of wrestling with her dog brother, Luca.
Something special I’d like for people to know about Huck…
It is pretty much impossible to put into words how special Huckleberry is. But I hope I was able to scratch the surface (no pun intended) by answering your questions above. Besides knowing nothing of her “disability”, Huckleberry has inspired people to rise above their challenges as well. During Covid, I had to bring my animal-assisted therapy practice online. My dog Luca and I were working with clients in addiction recovery, and since we couldn’t go to the various facilities we had previously frequented, we did our work on Zoom, which was not easy, since therapy dogs’ physical presence in a room, and the opportunity for people to pet them is fundamental to their effectiveness in helping people heal. Well, we went to a system where I would do training demonstrations with Luca on camera for group members to see…and, when Huck came into the picture (literally), she became a part of that work. She even responded to some basic clicker training! I would ask her (and Luca) to go to a target and sit/stay until I called their names. Huckleberry learned to do that very quickly and was happy to be involved. I had clients say that they were inspired by her tenacity and perseverance. And they also loved watching Luca and Huck snuggle together. It is very comforting and calming and precious. Thank you so much for allowing us to share the life we love so much with an audience of fellow cat lovers.
I’d like to give a special “thank you” to Liz for allowing me to share her story with all of the Cattitude Daily readers. For more on Liz, Huckleberry, and Luca, be sure to check out their social media links below!
Website: https://www.instagram.com/heel_2_heal/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Heel2HealWithPets
Website: https://www.heel2heal.me/
