Vito, a cat left barely alive. Fellow humans, we can rebuild him. We have the technology. We have the capability to make the first Bionic Cat. Vito will be that cat…A lovely orange tabby who has taken the interwebs by storm. Due to a car accident, Vito lost his two hind legs. And his prognosis was not looking very good.

Picture It! Sicily!

Vituzzo, the kitten. Images via Instagram and Facebook

It was a hot June evening. Alfredo and Eleonora were vacationing in San Vito Lo Capo, a lovely Sicilian town. An orange tabby kitten had followed them home, and they decided to keep him. They named him Vito (also Vituzzo, a diminutive, since he was still little). Silvia Gottardi, their daughter, who lived in Milan with her partner Linda Ronzoni, took in Vito after Eleonora passed away, due to a bad illness.

Vito had always been an explorer, used to going out. So both moms decided to install cat flaps to support his outdoors adventures.

Yawn!

The Honeymoon & The Accident

Silvia and Linda got married in 2018, and went to India for their honeymoon. Since it was normal for Vito to go out and wander about, the friend who was watching him didn’t consider it to be something to worry about. However, after a day and a half missing, the sitter and a couple of neighbors went out and found him. He was in a very bad shape.

Both of his hind legs were crushed. He was taken immediately to the vet. It was evident that they had to amputate the right hind leg, leaving the left one to hopefully heal, since it is very difficult (not impossible though!) for a cat to have a good quality of life without both.

Unfortunately, the leg didn’t heal, and, instead, was showing signs of necrosis. Sadly, the vet had to amputate that leg too. Silvia and Linda were immediately contacted and they were given the news. After researching the internet, they found a new hope (two, really): the story of a cat who was given double hind leg prosthetics, and the name of a vet specializing in pet prosthetics, Dr. Massimo Petazzoni.

Dr. Massimo Petazzoni holding Vito.

When they got him on the phone, they asked for his opinion, whether they should go forward with such a novel procedure, namely: PGR (Patellar Groove Replacement), in which prosthetics are directly attached to the bone. The doctor wisely replied:

”If he were my cat, I would try”

Road To Recovery

Vito and his moms.

After the operation, there were no signs of rejection. Yet, the time of convalescence was long. Vito had to continue on IV and antibiotics, and he couldn’t stand (yet).

But one happy day, the moms found him standing on his new prosthesis for the first time! After that, he really was unstoppable. He can no longer jump high, but he does walk, go up and down the stairs, and even run!

Going up!

Vito, Linda, Amelie, and Ragù

Against all odds, and thanks to Dr. Massimo Petazzoni, Vituzzo not only survived, but thrived! He was given a second lease on life, and Silvia and Linda couldn’t be happier! Now he has his own Instagram account, Facebook account, and even his own book, where we can read his story.

Yup, that’s me on the cover. NBD!

Vito’s moms never gave up on him, but most importantly, Vito never gave up on himself. He fought tooth and nail to the end, and came out on top. After all, cats always land on their feet…