This Kitten’s Ears Had Been Cruelly Cut Off, So A Volunteer Fashioned Some Adorable Replacements

Karma was just a few months old when she arrived at a Californian animal shelter. However, despite her young age, the cat had already been through an awful ordeal and was missing her ears. As a result, volunteer Carla Berti decided she’d knit the kitten some adorable replacements.

It’s impossible to be sure exactly what Karma the kitten had been through prior to her ending up at a Californian shelter in August 2018. However, from the injuries she was sporting, it was clear to see that the three-month-old cat had been subjected to unimaginable cruelty.

Karma arrived at the shelter as a stray. And given the trauma that she’d clearly experienced, staff there decided to contact the Humane Society Silicon Valley. This animal welfare organization has been helping the community for more than eight decades. As part of its work, it takes in animals with extensive medical needs from other shelters.

And Karma qualified for Humane Society Silicon Valley help because of what she’d been through. Staff at her original shelter were horrified to discover that someone had mutilated the helpless little animal. And the experience had left her with many physical and emotional scars that would take lots of TLC to heal.

Speaking to The Dodo in September 2018, Humane Society spokesperson Michelle Tennant Nicholson revealed, “Karma arrived at the shelter with her ears and tail cut off. The wounds were mostly healed, but understandably, she was very frightened of almost everything, especially humans.”

It was going to take a lot of effort to win Karma’s trust again. But who could blame her for being wary of humans after what she’d been subjected to? All that the people caring for the kitten could really do was show her their love and hope that she came around.

To give Karma the best possible chance of recovering from her ordeal, the shelter handed her over to a caring foster family. And thanks to their dedication, the little kitten soon began to open herself up to the possibility of being loved.

Before long, in fact, Karma was learning how to be a kitten – perhaps for the first time. “With time and lots of love and care, her personality began to blossom,” Nicholson explained. “She quickly showed a love for toys, and her foster mom used toys and play to start to create a bond with her.”

However, while Karma’s foster family managed to heal the kitten’s heart, her physical injuries were more tricky to fix. With no ears or tail, the cat’s appearance was a constant reminder of the anguish she’d gone through. But then one of the animal’s carers decided to do something about it.

Using their creative talents, they picked up their knitting needles and got to work. “Our staff and volunteers fell in love with her – so much so, that one of our foster volunteers knitted Karma a hat with ears,” Nicholson revealed.

That volunteer was Carla Berti. She had fallen for little Karma after enjoying a cuddle with her one day. And after seeing how adorable the kitten was, Berti wanted to do something to show her love for the animal.

With that in mind, Berti started on her creation. After a couple of days’ knitting, she’d produced a new piece of headwear to cover up Karma’s missing ears. Furthermore, she’d also crafted a toy mouse for the kitten to play with.

And the results were utterly adorable. Images of Karma modeling her new knitwear show her posing in a pink woolen hat complete with contrasting white ears. And the hat even featured straps, just in case the kitten ever had to fasten her headwear on.

Thanks to her special hat, Karma was probably the most fashion-forward kitty around. However, she still didn’t have the one thing that she most required in life – a family to love her unconditionally for the rest of her days.

Explaining Karma’s predicament, Nicholson said, “After a few weeks in foster, she was ready to find her forever home.” So, in order to spread the word, Humane Society Silicon Valley advertised the fact that Karma was available for adoption on social media.

The August 2018 post from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley read, “Karma had a rough start to life, but she’s looking forward to a happy future. She’s been spending some time in a foster home being showered with attention.”

In their adoption appeal, the shelter also put in a reference to Karma’s unique accessory. “[Our] awesome volunteer Carla even made Karma her own set of pink ears,” the post read. “She’s a shy girl who perks up quickly once toys are involved.”

Karma’s adoption appeal was well-liked on Facebook, receiving close to 300 reactions. Moreover, there was plenty of love for the kitten in the comments section below the post. “Is there anything cuter than this?” Linda Michener gushed.

Given the interest in Karma, it may come as no surprise that it didn’t take long for the kitten to receive her happy ending. “Within just a day of arriving on our adoption floor, she found her new home,” Nicholson revealed.

So following her rough start in life, Karma’s future looked brighter than ever. And while she might never completely forget the traumatic things that had happened to her, her new mom could see past her scars to the adorable kitty within.