Pennywise the cat’s wonky jaw leaves his tongue constantly hanging out – Metro.co.uk

Meet Pennywise the cat (Picture: Jane Cox)

When Jane Cox first saw Pennywise, she was scared.

The white cat started to show up outside Jane and her husbands home in Wheatley, Ontario, at night, just sitting and staring from the edges of the property line.

He never came any closer, just creeping around in the shadows.

Alongside being a little unnerving to spot in the distance, Pennywise was also extremely aggressive and violent to the couples other cats, so it makes sense that Jane found this kitty scary.

We love cats, but this cat scared us, Jane, 46, remembers. It reminded us of the movie IT.

We even caught him looking in our bedroom window one night..on the second floor!

Luckily for Pennywise, the couple hed started to creep up on have always loved cats.

As they live in the countryside, Jane, an artist, and Mike, who works for the federal government, often meet stray and feral cats near their home. With the assistance of Cats Cry Too, the couple work to get all the cats they find trapped, neutered, and released to reduce the stray population and make sure the feline community is happy and healthy.

So despite Pennywise acting like something out of a horror film, Jane and Mike moved forward on getting him safely trapped and neutered but asked if he could be released somewhere far from their home.

That wasnt an option. Legally, cats have to be released back into the same place they were trapped.

After one escape, Pennywise was trapped and taken to the kennels, where he would need to stay for a few days to heal.

Until they caught him, Jane and Mike hadnt noticed that Pennywise had some serious injuries. The vet said that the cat must have had some sort of trauma at a young age, leaving him with scars on his face and a wonky jaw.

Pennywises injuries mean he looks a little different. His offset jaw leaves his tongue constantly hanging out, and gives him a meow that sounds like something between a grunt and a squawk.

When he eats, he uses his bottom jaw as a shovel and drags it through the dish to get food in his mouth. He drools a lot. Hes needed to have all his teeth but four removed as his injury left them rotting below his gumline.

But it turns out that despite his tough start in life and his tendency to lurk around in the dark, Pennywise isnt as scary as his name would suggest. In fact, hes a really sweet and lovely cat.

The vet techs had nicknamed him Casanova and had fawned over him because he was such a loverboy, all super sweet and friendly, Jane tells Metro.co.uk. At first we wondered if they had mixed up the cats at the kennel!

Obviously we were shocked by the immediate behaviour change, but we realized that between the lack of hormones but also a feeling of security and feeling safe, his demeanour had changed significantly.

The moment Pennywise was ready to leave the kennel, Jane and Mike had made a decision: They were taking him home.

We decided to not let him ever feel fear or insecurity again, says Jane.

The couple had to introduce Pennywise to their eight other cats slowly, as he had previously bullied, cornered, and attacked many of them before he had been neutered.

Handily, Pennywise let his soft side shine through.

We did it one cat at a time with us there, says Jane. And I have to say I had never seen anything like it.

Pennywise was amazing, like he knew he needed to make amends and gain trust. Our other cats when Pennywise approached them would hiss, and cowered both angry and fearful.

Pennywise would instantly roll over onto his side showing his belly, and grunt softly. He did this with every encounter and continuously until he gained the love and trust of all the other cats.

We can safely say now he is the one cat in the house that always gets along with everyone.

Pennywise gets on splendidly with his human pals, too, completely smashing his scary reputation.

Jane says: Pennywise is the sweetest, most loveable cuddlebug.

My husband refers to him as my emotional support animal. He always knows when I am upset or under the weather and cuddles up and tries to comfort me.

He is also the sheriff around the house. He doesnt like to see others fight and will get between scuffles between our other cats. And although he loves to cuddle with me and do nose to nose rubs with me.

He loves to play fight with my husband like a dog. He will chase my husband around the house, flip over on his side and attack his feet, but ever so gently, he never extends his claws, then my husband will run from the room, Pennywise will wait a sec then go chase him, but my husband will surprise him when he comes around the corner and then chase him. Pennywise loves to be startled and chased.

Bedtime is also chaos as there is always a playfight in bed too. Then after the chaos he makes his way up to my pillow and falls asleep with his head across my shoulder and on my chest. He snores loudly.

Jane has set up an Instagram account to share Pennywises sweetness with the world, and hopes his story will encourage people to give other cats who look a little different a chance to find their forever homes.

Rescued cats, especially from outdoor situations tend to know how good they have it once rescued and are extremely grateful, says Jane. We learned that bad aggressive behaviour is often from fear. Grateful cats make the best and most loving pets.

Pennywises name, although it fit him and his behaviour when we first encountered him, doesnt fit his personality now. But we kept it because it reminds us how wrong we were in judging him and that adding him to our family was one of the best things to happen to us.

Pets who look or act differently or are otherwise underdogs need someone to give them a chance, when too many people are looking for the purrfect cat or a specific look. They find us, more than we find them.

Do you have a pet with an amazing story? Get in touch to tell us more by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

MORE: Man travels 4,000 miles to meet date who called him cute on a Facebook group dedicated to chonky cats

MORE: Lil dude Flathead is getting loads of love for his adorable ears

MORE: Adorable cat looks like baby Yoda but vet reminds fans that theres millions like her that need a home

See the article here:
Pennywise the cat's wonky jaw leaves his tongue constantly hanging out - Metro.co.uk

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero