The rescue cat is living her best life (Picture: Mercury Press)
Meet Hanny, the adorable Bengal cat whose owners haven’t let her disability stop her from having just the best time.
Hanny has been paralysed for pretty much her entire life.
As an hours-old kitten, another cat bit her spine, leaving her unable to use her back legs.
But this hasn’t stopped the eight-month-old from living life to the fullest, with her owners taking her on daily adventures and figuring out clever ways to help her stay mobile and comfortable.
Sarah, a warehouse operative, said: ‘My partner and I got Hanny as a rescue, and knew she’d need a lot of help and care, but still can’t believe how strong she is.
‘We decided to get her a custom wheelchair to help her run freely, but she’s not really a fan.
‘So, we decided to just repurpose a bit of material into a sling that she could put her legs in, to see if that would work.
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‘She took to it straight away, and it works as both an aid for her and sort of harness for us, so she doesn’t scoot away on her front paws without us knowing.
‘She doesn’t find it restricting and is super comfortable when she’s in it.’
The couple take Hanny everywhere with them, from caves and a nearby lake to trips to the shops and petting zoos.
They say the cat’s favourite place is the beach, so they take her there all the time.
She loves going for walks (Picture: @hannythesharkasaurus / Mercury Press)
Sarah said: ‘We go to the beach a couple of times a week, and when we’re not at the beach, we’re walking through the woods or at the local park.
‘Hanny adores the beach, and she just loves to sit and wiggle in the sand.
‘I’ve found she loves to drag us onto awkward terrain.
‘She always starts running towards the sea as soon as her feet touch the sand, and she has quite a strong pull for such a small animal.
‘She’s a bit of an odd cat as she loves splashing around in the waves as they hit the shore and is always super eager to search through the rock pools and tiny caves, trying her best to squeeze into them.
‘She’s getting stronger every day’ (Picture: @hannythesharkasaurus / Mercury Press)
‘One of her favourite things to do is jump through the sludge from when the tide goes out and leaves the sand looking like mud, so she always requires a bath when we get home.
‘The beach has really given her a new lease of life. Watching her tackle the different terrains and sand, you can see how determined she is and how much freedom the sling gives her.
‘She’s getting stronger every day too.’
The intrepid explorer (Picture: @hannythesharkasaurus / Mercury Press)
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Sociable Hanny has even become something of a local celebrity.
Sarah said: ‘We always get people stopping us to take pictures with her and say how cute she looks.
‘We took her to a car boot sale one afternoon and we were there for hours just talking to people about her.
‘We’ll occasionally get a few people who are shocked she’s a cat and not a dog because of how active and playful she is.’
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‘We knew she’d need a lot of help and care, but still can’t believe how strong she is.’