Baby Diddles Finds Her Place in the World

As a cat blogger the majority of my online reading and social media feeds are animal-related, and many days it seems like everything I read is trying to break my heart little by little. Whenever I'm in need of an uplifting rescue story to restore my faith in humanity I know I can always turn to the pet lifestyle website, PawCulture™. PawCulture's goal is to inform, inspire and entertain devoted pet parents with helpful advice, useful tips, and superior storytelling.

This post is sponsored by PawCulture™ and the BlogPaws® Pet Influencer Network™. I am being compensated to help share PawCulture but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. PawCulture is not responsible for the content of this article.

Nothing warms my heart more than reading about a special needs, seemingly unwanted cat finding a forever home where they will be cherished as the little treasures that they are. One morning while scrolling through my Facebook feed I stumbled upon a book titled Baby Diddles: How the Three-Legged, One-Eared Cat Learned to Do It All. Not surprisingly, the tortie on the cover is what grabbed my attention, and I immediately downloaded the book. Baby Diddles just melted my heart, and after reading her story I reached out to her wonderful human Amber Lane, who like all great cat moms was delighted to tell me more about her precious fur baby.

Amazingly enough, Baby Diddles' story begins in 2013 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which is not exactly the kindest place in the world for a tiny, injured cat to live on the streets. Exactly what happened to her is unknown but the founder of a local rescue group called Wags and Purrs found her on the side of the road with a mangled ear and dragging a stump of a leg. She was brought to the vet where they removed her leg (leaving her hip joint for better balance) and part of her infected ear.

Following her recovery Wags and Purrs put Warda (Baby Diddles' original name, which means "rose" in Arabic) up for adoption and heartache struck this brave kitty once again: no one stepped up to give her the forever home she longed for. Week after week she was featured online, only to have cruel people leave comments that she was "ugly".

Baby Diddles' official adoption photos

Thankfully Amber saw her picture and immediately fell in love. On August 16, 2013 she went to Amber's home in Dubai as a trial to see how things would go with the three resident cats, and she immediately found her place in Amber's feline family. Baby Diddles was home.

Life has changed a lot for Baby Diddles since the day Amber realized she couldn't live without her. Now living in the United States their little family has grown to six cats, many of which also have special needs. Amber finds herself inspired by these forgotten kitties who have so much love to give, and only ask for that love to be returned by a family to call their own. According to Amber, "Life is so hard for all of us anyway without having a disability, to see animals get right back up with a smile on their face despite everything that has happened to them inspires me each day. Animals don't know to feel sorry for themselves. They only know to keep trying and to stay alive. Feeling sorry for ourselves is a human trait. She helps me to realize that it could always be worse and why not put a smile on my face and make the most of every situation."

Just a few months after adopting Baby Diddles, Amber decided to write a children's book about her to teach readers that just because someone looks different, or has a disability, that person or cat can do anything they set their mind to. "There's no doubting herself and her limitations," Amber told me. "Yes, she falls occasionally or needs help getting up on things, but it doesn't stop her from trying the next time." Nothing slows Baby Diddles down. She's able to run, climb, jump and play just like all her sisters.

Most importantly, she's able to love with her whole heart...just like every other cat.

Did Baby Diddles' story inspire you to seek out more feel-good rescue stories? If so, there's no better place to look than PawCulture. One of our favorite articles there is the story of BenBen, a stray deemed "the saddest cat on the internet" after being found with multiple puncture wounds, a crushed spine and cauliflower ear. Adopted by an employee of  the emergency vet clinic where BenBen was treated, his family now uses his social media stardom to help other stray cats in need of immediate medical attention through his very own GoFundMe page.

Celebrate the unbreakable bond between pets and their people by visiting the PawCulture website for information, inspiration, entertainment, helpful tips, and advice about loving your pet.

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• Heartwarming Pet Rescue Stories
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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of PawCulture. The opinions and text are all mine.