It was a fateful day in 2013 when Gremlin first met her human mom, Mauren.
“I honestly don’t know who lucked out more– me or Gremlin,” said Mauren.
Mauren’s roommate found Gremlin in a cardboard box abandoned in a Walgreens parking lot.
Her roommate texted her and said, “Hey, do you want a kitten? She’s got a bit of a weird jaw, but she’s so cute!”
Mauren never had cats growing up, but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with this one.
She responded to her roommate saying, “Well, let me meet the cat first and we’ll see. But probably!”
Soon, Mauren was face-to-face with the kitten who’d change her life forever.
A Match Made in Heaven
Mauren was taken aback by how tiny Gremlin was in person!
“She was small enough to fit in the palm of my hand,” Mauren recalled.
It was love at first sight. Her heart melted the moment she met Gremlin.
It was a match made in heaven!
She scooped Gremlin up and the rest is history.
Mauren named Gremlin after the soot gremlins in the movie My Neighbor Totoro.
“She looks like a little orange cat that rolled around in the fireplace,” Mauren explained.
Gremlin finally had a loving home, but the mystery of Gremlin’s jaw had yet to be solved.
Perfectly Imperfect
The vets suspect that Gremlin’s miniature jaw is a genetic condition caused by inbreeding.
The good news was that Gremlin wasn’t in any pain and would enjoy a great quality of life.
Her jaw condition left her with an adorable tongue “blep” that makes her extra special.
“Despite her jaw’s silly appearance, Gremlin eats and grooms herself just fine!” said Mauren.
Mauren feeds Gremlin wet food to make eating easy and convenient for her sweet girl.
“Gremlin is one of the sweetest cats I have ever met. She really made me fall in love with cats a whole,” said Mauren.
A Big Happy Family
Gremlin didn’t enter Mauren’s home as an only child.
At the time, Mauren had a special needs dog named Shelby rescued from a puppy mill.
Gremlin and Shelby were the best of buds, but after 6 wonderful years together, Shelby tragically passed away from a seizure in 2019.
Both Mauren and Gremlin were devastated by the loss, leaving Mauren without her faithful companion and Gremlin without her best friend.
Fortunately, Mauren had adopted another cat named Calcifer from the shelter a few months prior to Shelby’s passing.
Though Gremlin and Mauren were left with a Shelby-shaped hole in her heart, Calcifer was there to ease the pain.
Soon enough, Gremlin went from having one sibling to having four!
Mauren adopted her third cat, Jiji, from the shelter and most recently rescued two more cats, David and Alexis, found as kittens dumped on a rural road.
Mama’s Girl
Gremlin is very docile and gets along great with all of her siblings.
In fact, Gremlin is the alpha of the cat pack!
“The other cats don’t bully her. They respect her space and let her do what she wants,” said Mauren.
Though Gremlin typically keeps to herself, she’ll always be a mama’s girl.
“If she had it her way, she’d be perched on my knee for all of eternity,” Mauren laughed.
Gremlin is her mom’s shadow; wherever Mauren goes, Gremlin follows.
Everyone who meets Gremlin falls head over heels in love with her.
“I’m used to her blep, but other people fawn over her,” said Mauren.
It wasn’t until recently that the rest of the world caught wind of Gremlin’s enchanting qualities.
Now nearing 9 years old, Gremlin has become an internet sensation.
A Star is Born
Mauren had been posting pictures of Gremlin and her siblings for fun since 2014.
She was taken aback when she posted a video of Gremlin on TikTok that went viral in a matter of days.
Gremlin has no idea millions of people all over the world love and adore her.
She’s more interested in snuggling with mom and lapping up squeezable treats.
It brings Mauren so much joy to see how much people love Gremlin, but she also wants Gremlin’s internet fame to serve as a valuable reminder to adopt special needs animals.
Gremlin’s Gift
“Special needs pets deserve love. They’re no less worthy of it,” Mauren told National Kitty.
Over 25% of TikTok users are ages 19 and under.
Mauren hopes this new generation of future pet owners will be motivated to give special needs pets a chance.
“Their challenges are less difficult than people make them out to be. They can adapt and learn,” Mauren explained.
Gremlin is taking the world by storm, one blep at a time!
Her family of rescue cats is doing a wonderful job of showing everyone how lovable rescue pets are.
Want to see more of Gremlin?
Follow Gremlin and her siblings on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook!
Michael Freitas
Tuesday 1st of February 2022
I Love this story. Thank You for rescuing all of Your Kitties. Best Wishes and God Bless
Kim
Tuesday 1st of February 2022
I am glad that someone took Gremlin to give her lots of love. Please take good care of her and let her know that she will not be abused again. God bless.
Robb
Tuesday 1st of February 2022
She's beautiful 😍
Margie
Monday 31st of January 2022
I love cats. Gremlin is lucky to have found such a loving home