FFRC Blog Week Ending February 21, 2026
You will be missed by all, my Magic Man!
He came to us as a little one
All twisted and tangled.
He left us quickly, we're so undone,
And now are hearts are mangled.
A Friend of FFRC
Special:
MAGIC
First, his story from the FFRC website:
Do you believe in magic? We do, here at Friends of Felines’
Rescue Center in Defiance, OH. Magic is our grey speedster boy! He
arrived here as a little kitten of 6 weeks old from Tennessee in January
2015. He had been at a rescue but due to his severe leg deformities, FFRC
was asked to help him. We drove down to get him and returned already in
love with this little boy.
Magic was so very tiny, just 14 ounces. He was bottle fed,
tested, wormed, and vet checked. Much work went into getting his loose stools
under control. Slowly but surely he started gaining weight. And his personality
blossomed!
Then we had to deal with the issue causing him the most
trouble—those rear legs. Magic’s rear legs were so deformed; they looked
like a pretzel which caused him a lot of trouble when he had to potty. In April
2015, during two separate surgeries, both rear legs were removed. He went
from having to handle those rear legs that caused him pain to a zooming kitten!
Magic is a wonder. He loves everyone. He has a best bud,
Trucker who is also two-front-legged. They are very close in age and frequently
can be seen snoozing and playing together. There is a real connection
between these two cats.
Then we came upon another trouble—that long tail became a
hindrance to him. Magic tried so hard to get into the litterboxes (most of the
time he was successful!), but that tail, because of the lack of muscle tone,
was forever getting messy. And he did not like this. The reason is that he
constantly had to have baths. Like many typical kittens, he was just too busy
for that. So, another surgery removed the tail that was useless anyway. He
couldn’t wave it around like a “normal” cat could. Now, Magic’s world was
great. He could potty without a problem of getting messy.
Some of our cats have disabilities. All of our cats have
cat-abilities. It’s amazing what can happen. Cats just figure things out—how
can they handle this? How can they accomplish that desire to do something? They
are cats and can simply do it! They do not waste time feeling sorry for
themselves—they simply get on with the act of living and have a whole lot of
fun doing it! They are amazing. In their heads, they are fine and dandy, just
as they are!
Magic has become a permanent resident of FFRC. He
still has occasional potty accidents for which he is always very very sorry.
He’s like a beacon to us—showing us that no matter what life throws at you, it
can be dealt with. It’s how it is handled that matters. He just smiles and gets
right on going with life! I know that Magic has been an inspiration to many
folks—they’ve told us how he gives them courage to carry on.
Magic has a special toy that he extra loves. Those sparkly
pom poms are high on his list of likes! He knows many volunteers carry an extra
ball around in their pockets, just for him. He will run up to them and look
with those expectant eyes of his, waiting for the ball to be tossed for him to
chase.
He also loves to race! Some of his cat buddies will start in
one room and race throughout the Rescue Center. It doesn’t matter that he only
has his front legs—he generally is the winner! He sits straight up and cranks
those front legs in motion full speed ahead, with his head held high! He knows
he can win!
Second, his final chapter:
Magic had been feeling under the weather. He was taken to Dr. Darcy's office on Thursday 2/12. It was found that he had pancreatitis, which is an inflammation of the pancreatitis. Magic stayed at the vet's office until Saturday, 2/14. He did not like being there. While he was there, he also was found to have a slight issue of inflammatory bowel disease. On Tuesday, he still wasn't eating or feeling good, so he went back to Dr. Darcy's office. Dr. Darcy worked with him until Wednesday morning, when she determined that she had done all that she could do for him and that it was time to let him go. She examined him after his passing and also found that Magic also had cancer.
His Legacy:
Magic was loved around the world. People tuned in to see him "scoot" across the floor and then dash off on his forelegs faster than most of the other kitties. Magic was one of the strongest cats that I ever met. Those that met him in person knew that he loved shoes. He would lay on your feet and tug at your shoelaces. He didn't like to be held much, but he was always first in line to be brushed. Mary Braids provided a memorial brush that is now hanging on the wall near the Center's door. E-Mails have poured into Megan's Inbox and YouTube and Facebook have been flooded with tribute stories about Magic. Our hearts are very heavy; however, we take comfort in knowing that for Magic's 11 years at FFRC, he was loved, warm and well-fed. Although we miss him, we must remember what Jacci said, "Always, the cat first!"
His Friends:
YOU all were his friends, but he had special kitty friends, too! His best friend was another two-legged kitty named Trucker. Trucker was with us for about 1 1/2 years. He was born 7/9/14 and passed on 3/23/17. Coralee was another kitty that was missing her back legs. She lost hers to frostbite. Coralee was best known for her no-nonsense attitude. If any of the youngsters were acting up, she stepped up and threw herself in the ruckus then put them in their place. Most recently, Magic was able to meet Rocket. To Magic, it must have been like looking at a younger shadow of himself.
And a Special Message from Megan:
In Loving Memory of Magic
This week, we gently said goodbye to our sweet Magic. With only two legs, he still ran like the wind and met each day with quiet strength and joy. Cancer took him from us, but his spirit was strong right up until the end.
Magic reminded us why we do this work—that every cat deserves love, compassion, and a chance to be seen for who they truly are. He was deeply loved by our staff, volunteers, and supporters, and he will always be part of the FFRC family.
Run free, sweet boy. Thank you for sharing your magic with us. 
Love furever ~ Mama Megan
Adoptions:
JELLY: Our pretty tiger girl went to her furever home on Friday, 2/20/26 in a surprise adoption. Jelly was born at FFRC on 4/17/25 to Sinopa. She will be an only baby living about 45 minutes away. Her new Mom is not sure if she will be keeping her name but will let us know. Thanks to Terri for getting her a blanket.
TIMMY was adopted on Saturday, 2/21/26. His fur mom is ANGELIQUE. His mom and his siblings came to us on 11/25/25. Timmy's date of birth is 9/25/25. Timmy's new parents will be keeping his name. He will have a new brother named Gideon Burger who is a very playful 2-year-old. Timmy only had a 40-minute drive to his new home.
CONGRATUATIONS to our adoptees and adopters.
Intakes:
Our friends Stacy and Kat have been caring for feral cats at a local park for quite some time. While they were visiting them, they came across a set of siblings that were being a bit too amorous with each other. They were able to trap one brother (TIPPY) and sister (MILEY) and help them not become parents. They have another brother who is feral and will be trapped as soon as possible. The initial plan was to release these two; however, they really aren't feral, just a bit unsocialized. They were scared at first but are becoming love bugs and really like to be petted. We should be seeing these two in the main room soon.
Hi! I'm Miley
And I'm her brother, Tippy
BARNACLE FARNSWORTH III is a boy that showed up on the FFRC property a couple of weeks ago. We named him on Tuesday, 2/17. The other name choices were Brock and Benton. Brock tied with Barnacle Farnsworth III so, Megan's vote was the tiebreaker. All names were from the Name a Cat Program. The winning name was submitted by Samuel W. (We had been calling him Mr. Chunky Face, I wonder why). Our new boy is between 2 and 3 years old. He has vertical cuts on his forelegs but is healing pretty good. Once healed and neutered, he will be one of our outside kitties. He is a big boy and loves to eat.
AND...not just kitties, but we have 5 new GOATS!!!
1. CHARLENE is a Pygmy goat, about three years old. She is the mother to LUCKY.
2. LUCKY is an Alpine Cross goat; she is the mother to PEANUT.
3. PEANUT is a Pygmy Cross goat.
4. JOLENE is a Pygmy goat and mother to SPADE.
5. SPADE is a Pygmy Cross goat.
All of our new goats are females. These ladies are all full grown (between 2 and 4 years old) and weigh less than 40 pounds each and are about knee to thigh high. They were brought to us from a family that raised them for 4H and were no longer able to keep them. Megan took a video that is available through YouTube that is fun to watch! Here are some pics--aren't they cute?
Health Updates:
There are no kitties currently on hold.
PURRSCILLA, MR. ROGERS and STARLIGHT are enjoying life in the Kabana.
Events:
Current Needs:
A list is kept up to date on the Amazon Wish List found on the FFRC website.
Other:
We have a new volunteer. Her name is Kate. She is accumulating hours that will be used towards a Scout badge.
The Valentine's Day Date videos are nearly ready to be sent.
The kitties received a new treat on Box Day. They are chicken hearts. They gobbled these up as soon as they were out of the bag. Surprisingly, Malade loved the treats. She normally is not a treat gal. A large shipment of hearts arrived on Friday and were passed out and again, met with huge success.
Many of you may have noticed a little change in YouTube. Our Mods now have a blue shield next to their names, instead of a wrench! Also, when you like the FFRC page, a paw-print flashes. If you just tried this to see if I knew what I was talking about, make sure that you didn't unlike in the process!
If you haven't looked at our Instagram page, please do!! There are great pictures of our center's kitties. Thanks so much!
The Kitten Lady is coming to Ft. Wayne on March 19. Megan and Team are looking forward to attending the event and learning more about kitten care and also sharing their information on CH cats with her.
FFRC is looking for volunteers. Candidates need to be at least 18 years old and have transportation to get here. Volunteers work set shifts and have assigned tasks, which include cleaning, feeding and other caring for cats. Please contact Megan if you would like to help.
2026 Calendars are now available and are being offered in two sizes: 8 1/2 x 12 or 8 1/2 x 14. Orders for calendars will be through the FFRC Store and also on the FFRC website. We are unable to take orders via the phone or e-mail. I've received mine, how about you?
Photos by Dawn and friends.
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"What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us"
Helen Keller
"Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other."
Jandy Nelson