Iranian Special Needs Cat, Maloos, Finds His Forever Home

Maloos / Image: SF/ACC

Great news this morning out of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, where we have been following the story of Maloos, the Iranian special needs cat who was brought to America after being rescued from the streets of Tehran. After enduring a long list of hardships during his two short years on Earth, the tabby, whose story touched so many cat lovers from around the world, has finally found his forever home.

Due to a congenital deformity in his hips and legs, Maloos was discovered dragging his legs behind him, soaked in mud and gasoline, with shrapnel stuck in his face. Well-meaning, yet undertrained vets in Tehran tried to perform surgery to repair the deformities, but his hind leg had to be amputated after an infection was brought on by a surgical mistake.

He was brought to America by a rescuer back in in April, where he has been receiving medical care at San Francisco Animal Care and Control. Catsparella reader Cristian went to visit the strong-willed feline last month and reported, "Even after everything the poor guy has been through (having his leg amputated, having a bullet in his nose), he's the sweetest little guy. You'd think he'd be very protective and fearful, but he's not. He's the biggest sweetheart, loves other cats, and wants to do nothing but love."

While many people were initially concerned about his prospects for adoption due to his special needs status, happily those fears went unfounded. In fact, so many loving individuals were willing to open up their hearts and homes to Maloos, that SF/ACC ending up holding a lottery to determine who would be lucky enough to have the honor.

Maloos / Image: Cristian Gonzalez

As fate would have it, the winner was Laila Aghaie, who "instantly bonded" with the cat after visiting him for the first time. Aghaie, whose father hails from Iran, was born in America, but spent a chunk of her childhood in Isfahan, just south of Tehran. While growing up, she remembers witnessing the plight of street animals, and even adopted a kitten from a Tehran shelter. She sees Maloos as a connection to her past in the Middle East, telling a reporter, "This isn't just any cat, this is more than that for me."

Aghaie, who lives in Napa, took Maloos home to her family last week, which also includes her husband and two children. She works as a director of the Napa Valley Writing Project, and says she has plans to turn Maloos' story into a children's book that can educate the Iranian community about animal rescue.

All that's left now to say is "YAY!" and to send our best wishes to Maloos and his lucky new family on many, many years of love and happiness together.

Check out some adorable pictures of Maloos settling into his new home here.

Via KTVU.com