Back in 2016, Mareen Ebelt’s friend noticed a stray cat had given birth in her yard — but one of the kittens was unlike any she’d ever seen. He had only two legs.
At first, Ebelt and her boyfriend thought their friend must have been mistaken.
“We didn’t believe it,” Ebelt wrote on Instagram. “It sounded impossible. But when we saw him ourselves, there he was. No injuries, no wounds … no hind legs.”
Determined to give the tiny kitten a chance, Ebelt rushed him to the vet. The staff, just as astonished, confirmed he was born this way. No clear reason could be found, but remarkably, he was healthy — and he showed no signs of pain.
From the start, the little cat proved he was unstoppable.
“From the beginning, he’s adapted, learned, and thrived in his own unique way,” Ebelt wrote.
It didn’t take long for Ebelt and her boyfriend to fall in love and officially welcome him into their family.
They named him Rocket — a perfect match for the way he zoomed around the house with astonishing speed. He quickly bonded with the couple’s other cats, Flint and Gurkchen, and showed that nothing could hold him back.
Nine years later, Rocket still lives up to his name. He leaps gracefully onto furniture, races through the house, and moves with such skill that most people wouldn’t guess he has only two legs.
“Have you told HIM he only has two legs?” one commenter joked on Instagram.
But Rocket isn’t all action. Like any cat, he also knows how to relax. His favorite spot is a cozy pillow on the windowsill, where he soaks up the sun for hours.
“He naps like he’s training for the nap Olympics,” Ebelt shared.
Looking back, Ebelt feels lucky to have found Rocket. While she gave him a safe home, Rocket has filled her life with joy, laughter, and lessons about resilience.
“Rocket may wobble through life on two legs, but he does it with confidence,” she wrote.
Rocket’s story is a reminder that being different doesn’t mean being limited — sometimes, it just means blazing your own trail.
You can follow Rocket’s adventures on Instagram or TikTok.
