Owner Throws Disabled Cat a Birthday Party—Internet Can’t Cope

A disabled cat’s birthday party has captured the hearts of internet users, who can’t cope with her owner’s touching display of love and devotion.

Pictures shared on Reddit on Monday by a friend of her owner, under the username u/FoQualla, show the calico cat, Maxine, surrounded by balloons and gifts, looking delighted as family and friends are all gathered to celebrate her third birthday.

The poster, Joseph, told Newsweek that Maxine’s owner, Erin, is “the world’s biggest cat lover,” and she does a lot to help homeless felines in her area. “She lives in South Philadelphia and does a lot with trap and rescue, cat adoption, and making sure that feral cats in the neighborhood are protected,” Joseph said.

“Maxine has several birth defects that impact her mobility and has movement issues. She also recently lost an eye due to illness,” he added.

While Maxine turned 3 in human years, she actually turned about 28 in cat years. That’s because their aging process differs significantly from that of humans, and varies throughout their life.

While many owners believe in the common ‘seven years’ conversion, experts at Pet MD say that cats reach the equivalent of 15 human years in their first year, and 24 human years by their second. After that, each feline year is about four human years, regardless of the cat’s breed.

If you don’t know when your cat was born, don’t worry; your veterinarian can use physical indicators to estimate their approximate age. Dental development is one of the most-reliable methods, as kittens start growing their baby teeth at 3 to 4 weeks and have full adult sets by 7 months.

Other signs include coat and muscle condition, as well as eye health, with older cats often grooming less due to joint pain, and developing cloudy eyes.

The video quickly went viral on social media and has so far received over 67,000 upvotes and more than 670 comments on the platform.

One user, Kaseylind, commented: “Look how proud kitty looks on the second pic, surrounded by gifts. They definitely know they’re royalty!”

Holy_Forking_Shirt said: “This made me cry. I had to have my baby cremated two days ago. I miss her more than most people. I’m so glad there are other cats that get as much love as they deserve.”

Beachyvibesss added: “More people showed up to this cat’s birthday party than would ever show up to mine lol [laugh out loud].”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.