Legos Allowed This Rescue Kitten to Walk for the First Time

Rex, a 4-month-old rescue kitten with a neurological condition known as “wobbly leg syndrome,” took his first steps thanks to a toy store employee. Rescued by Rescue Connect NC, the tiny guy had a rough start to life, with Jennifer Witkowski, an animal rescuer at the shelter, telling WECT News 6, “He was pretty non-responsive when they got him. They started treating him, and he slowly got more movement.”

However, Rex had been unable to walk on his own because of his neurological condition. Unfortunately, traditional wheelchairs for pets are expensive (expensive enough that one poor rescue pup had his stolen from the front porch of his rescue center).

However, after seeing another shelter use a wheelchair made of Legos to help an animal, volunteers from Rescue Connect NC reached out to Bricks & Minifigs, a nearby Lego specialty store. Michael Hawley, one of the store’s employees, was more than eager to take on the challenge of designing a Lego wheelchair for Rex.

Building a Lego Wheelchair Required Major Creativity

Pet wheelchairs are even more expensive for smaller animals, and an estimate for one for Rex landed at about $1,800. Considering the kitten would outgrow the wheelchair in just a couple of months, Hawley stepping up to create one from Legos was a huge relief.

Hawley credited his ability to put the wheelchair together to a lifetime of building with Legos. As he reportedly explained, “I’d say some of my earliest conscious memories are with Legos. My older sisters used to terrorize me when I was younger. In order to fend for myself, I would have to build my own Home Alone contraptions to get back at them. They don’t make Lego sets for that, so I had to get creative.”

It wasn’t only his design skills that led Hawley to volunteer for the task, though. He had previously had a dog with the same condition as Rex.

The Wheelchair Was a Huge Success and Allowed Rex Freedom of Movement

The wheelchair had to go through a few adjustments to get it ready for Rex, but the final version ended up looking similar to a swing-set frame with wheels on the bottom to get the kitten moving. To use the wheelchair, Rex would need to be placed into a harness that attached to the frame.

Finally, the day came when the kitten was able to test it out. Rex began walking in it almost immediately, causing the rescue center volunteers to celebrate.

Witkowski reportedly said, “It’s hard when you’re in rehab, and you watch them struggle and struggle, and you don’t know what their future is going to be. It’s nice when you get that moment of hope they might have a normal life.”

Hawley was also thrilled to see the little guy moving about, as he shared, “It was honestly a great feeling. I’m just glad to be a part of it.”

While Rex currently isn’t up for adoption, the center is hopeful he can be listed soon so that he can find his forever home.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]