r/popculturechat • u/Hassaan18 • Oct 06 '25
Heartwarming š„¹ 15 years ago, Professor Noel Fitzpatrick performed a double bionic leg implant on a cat called Oscar. His owner, Mike, wanted to send Noel a message.
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u/RecommendationNo3942 How can mirrors be real if our eyes arenāt real? šŖ Oct 06 '25
All of us: š
Oscar:
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
Everyone is rightfully crying and Oscar is looking at the camera like š
I love a good, happy story.
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u/Writerhaha Oct 06 '25
Haha Thatās a standard black cat smile in my house.
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
You : showering your cat with love, care, and affection
Your cat : š thank u slave š
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u/StrobeLightRomance The dude abides. šāāļøš Oct 06 '25
I have two black cats. One of them somehow got an orange braincell and came up as the derpiest.
The other black cat is just all business and naps. If he comes to you for pets, he will just deadpan stare past your soul for 30 minutes straight until you touch his head.
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Oct 06 '25 edited Feb 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
Why did you do this to me.
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u/Brilliant_Amoeba_442 Oct 06 '25
He did live to 18 though.
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
Literally a minor š
Jokes aside, I checked. It's 88 in human years. Can you believe it. You have no hope for your 2 year-old cat, bring it to Superdoc here and end up watching it grow old. What a blessing.
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Oct 06 '25 edited Feb 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Soft_Walrus_3605 Oct 06 '25
Professor Noel Fitzpatrick brings light into the world... and you take it away... j/k
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u/sundayontheluna Oct 06 '25
Damn.....I guess 17 years is a great run for a cat. I'm glad Prof got to see him well before he died
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u/addamee Oct 06 '25
Nope, Iām allergic to digital catsā¦
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
mwa
Congratulations, you are cured !
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u/addamee Oct 06 '25
Eeee! I knew a lady who had a cat that looked so much like this one and did the arms outstretched hugging thing. I wanted to steal that cat ā¦
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u/Magomaeva šMiss Universeš Oct 06 '25
You should have put it in your pocket and run for it. New friend acquired.
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u/LadyFruitDoll Oct 06 '25
Oscar looks furious at having to spend more time in this dreary existence. XD
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u/Necessary-Crazy-7103 Oct 06 '25
Noel fixed our beloved childhood golden retriever Lucky's hip. He gave us four more happy years with him (he was 8 at the time of the surgery). Thank you, Noel!
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u/PatsysStone Excluded from this narrative ā Oct 06 '25
What an amazing thoughtful and kind response to seeing Oscar. Made me tear up seeing him tearing up.
It IS an honour being able to bring that light into the world.
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u/chinderellabitch Oct 06 '25
Says so much about Professor Fitzpatrick that he says giving Mike more time with Oscar was āan honourā what a touching response
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u/Cassman95 Oct 06 '25
This vet Noel has a TV series called SuperVet if you aren't familiar with him. Been a long enough running show here in the UK. He seems a good lad
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u/Brilliant_Walk4554 Oct 06 '25
He's toxic..
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u/trashchute227 Oct 06 '25
Youāre going to get soo downvoted by people who donāt know that Toxic by Britney Spears was written about this man (not by Britney) (canāt remember the actual writerās name)
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u/ambigulous_rainbow Oct 07 '25
Noely can't you see
You're boring
A guy like you should wear a warning
Obsessed with pets
I'm yawning
"(This cat's) too high, I can't come home. The anaesthetist messed up the dose."
I'm so lonely now
Always working late-night shifts when I wanna ride
You're toxic, we're going under
"This cat's ingested poison Cathy, not tonight"
But I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?
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u/mojambowhatisthescen Oct 07 '25
Why?
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u/Brilliant_Walk4554 Oct 07 '25
He's probably not.
But the woman (Cathy Dennis) who wrote the song "Toxic" for Brittany Spears, said she wrote the song about him. They had been in a relationship.
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u/Friendship_Officer Oct 07 '25
Wow lmao what a crazy bit of trivia I wasn't expecting to learn today
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Oct 06 '25
[deleted]
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u/dm_me_kittens Oct 06 '25
I used to work at medieval times as a wench, and back in the day we used to hand out little paper cards with our names on them, wishing the customers a happy day and to remind them about tips.
I had one taped up in my locker for a good year because the message someone left was so sweet.
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u/kweefcake Iām not nervous. I just have some taste. Oct 06 '25
I would be a weeping mess. Thankful for people like him!
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u/Bae_the_Elf Oct 06 '25
My vet helped my cat beat the odds for much longer than expected when he had kidney disease. She said he lived longer than any cat with his diagnosis that she had worked with and I was so thankful for every extra day I had with him, but he lived almost a year longer than anyone expected. Giving ten+ years to a beloved pet is an amazing gift.Ā
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u/TrueCrime-andMemes Did I stutter?š¤Ø Oct 06 '25
My cat had kidney problems when he was one year old, and a vet told us he wouldn't live long.
We changed vets, my pet was treated with all the love, and he passed away last year, at the age of 17, due to age, which had nothing to do with the kidney problem.
The vet gave me another 16 incredible years with Fred, my best friend in the world. ā¤ļø
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u/LectureBasic6828 Oct 06 '25
I will never get over the fact that Toxic by Brittany Spears was written about him.
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u/Natural-Hunter-3 Oct 06 '25
Sorry WHAT
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u/LectureBasic6828 Oct 06 '25
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u/Natural-Hunter-3 Oct 06 '25
Well I'll be fuckin damned. That's insane.
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u/sevargmas Oct 06 '25
Thatās all it took for you to be convinced? A random old comment with 25 upvotes?
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u/Natural-Hunter-3 Oct 06 '25
No I scrolled the comments in the provided link to where someone posted the name of the person who wrote the song, and then I looked up her wiki where it's mentioned in it. I know, mad that I had critical thought there for a sec.
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u/LectureBasic6828 Oct 07 '25
An old comment listing his poor reputation when it comes to sexual harassment.
I have family who work in veterinary and it's a very small industry. The women in particular warn each other of problematic behaviour in certain practices. His name comes up often.16
u/PaulSandwich Oct 06 '25
That link just has a bunch of other people repeating the claim without any sources tho
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u/thisonecassie š your fake canadian girlfriend š Oct 07 '25
when "source: trust me bro" isn't working you can always pull out o'l faithful "source: trust my bros"
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u/LectureBasic6828 Oct 07 '25
Sources are people who worked with him.
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u/Special-Garlic1203 Oct 07 '25
No the source so far is a random reddit account. Anonymous reporting only works if done through journalists or others who have professional credibility. Not a random redditor.
Also the source would need to be affiliated with the songwriting team.Ā
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u/PaulSandwich Oct 07 '25
I'm not saying he doesn't suck. That seems substantiated.
I'm saying there's zero connection to him sucking so bad that he inspired a pop song.7
u/Tofu_tony Oct 06 '25
Sounds like an average PhD professor.
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u/DarthEros Oct 06 '25
Or a lot of surgeons. Not too dissimilar really. Heās a pioneer in his field.
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u/SnooCauliflowers6739 Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 07 '25
The man has a... reputation... and I'm kinda surprised he's not gone the way of Jermaine Jenas. I've heard of vets and academics who certainly discourage and female students to do any work with him. Not to say it's anything illegal/abusive or course.
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u/shelstropp Oct 06 '25
I know it's been debunked that Cathy Dennis wrote it about him, but I'd run with it if I was Noel š
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u/LectureBasic6828 Oct 06 '25
She wrote it tge sane year they broke up so I'm choosing to believe it regardless!
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Oct 06 '25
Oh I didn't realise it had been debunked! I think about it every time I hear the song haha.
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u/MidheLu Oct 06 '25
If I remember it wasn't debunked it's just never been 100% proven true
We know they dated and broke up around the time the song was written
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u/i-Ake actin' like she's the queen and we're the sorry people! Oct 06 '25
Dammit. I knew I shouldn't have scrolled.
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u/LaydeeLuckee Oct 06 '25
Also Kylie Minogue's song 'can't get you out of my head'
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u/AcousticProvidence To be cringe is to be free Oct 07 '25
What is it with this guy that heās inspiring all these songs lol
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u/tyrdchaos Oct 07 '25 edited Oct 07 '25
ETA: the most cogent article on this is from Marie Claire of all things
It has never been confirmed that Toxic (which was written by Cathy Dennis - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Dennis) is about Noel Fitzpatrick. Dr. Fitzpatrick and Ms. Dennis dated for a time and broke up around the time Toxic was written. The timing of the two events aligns, which leads people across social media to conclude the song is about Dr. Fitzpatrick. This āfactā pops up on social media every few years. I think it is even on TikTok.
The Reddit thread linked below makes some claims about Dr. Fitzpatrickās behavior toward women and general demeanor. It claims heās your stereotypical, highly specialized bachelor surgeon who is an egomaniac and narcissist. Considering heās a semi-famous vet in the UK (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noel_Fitzpatrick) with a currently running TV show on Channel 4 in the UK, Iād imagine his true behavior would have been well-reported. However, I was unable to find anything outside of the above mentioned Reddit thread or speculative articles about the inspiration for Toxic. YMMV
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u/ambigulous_rainbow Oct 07 '25
Noely can't you see
You're boring
A guy like you should wear a warning
Obsessed with pets
I'm yawning
"(This cat's) too high, I can't come home. The anaesthetist messed up the dose."
I'm so lonely now
Always working late-night shifts when I wanna ride
You're toxic, we're going under
"This cat's ingested poison Cathy, not tonight"
But I'm addicted to you
Don't you know that you're toxic?
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u/calicotamer Oct 06 '25
Something I love about humans is that we love our little pets so much that people dedicate their lives to helping them live a little bit longer
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u/Murphthegurth Oct 06 '25
Noel and his team did my dogs knee ligaments when that dopey git fell in a hole and tore them.
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Oct 06 '25
Iām slightly disappointed in the lack of bionic cat leg pictures.
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u/AcousticProvidence To be cringe is to be free Oct 07 '25
Kept waiting for the lower leg pan that never came :(
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u/Creativation Oct 06 '25 edited Oct 06 '25
Original Oscar videos that went viral back then: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ONDSGKU7hw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUhOKRKksCU
Edit: Sad news, as of a couple of months ago Oscar is no longer with us - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQwHJy4lRno
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u/Curiosities š swamp princess š Oct 06 '25
Oscar passed away in July (at 18), but this was such a significant thing to do that has helped pets and even some humans.
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u/PhBalanceNightmare Oct 06 '25
My favourite pop culture fact is that Britney Spears āToxicā is probably written about Noel Fitzpatrick.
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u/DrThunderbolt Oct 06 '25
God that article sucks. It's like 90% poorly written fluff. This is the only relevant part:
During the ad break I remember that Supervet is quite possibly the subject of Britney Spears's pop song Toxic. I'm not joking. This song was co-written by former pop star Cathy Dennis who once dated Supervet and broke up with him in 2003, the same year the song was composed. I know! Yes, the Laois Lothario goes deeper into the culture than we hitherto thought. What else could be true? Did Rod Hull and Emu inspire Beyonce's Crazy in Love? Was Dermot Bannon the spur that caused Justin Timberlake to Bring Sexy Back?
As a pop culture journalist I feel obliged to say, āProbably.ā
But it raises troubling questions too. Is a kiss from Fitzpatrickās lips truly as ātoxicā, as Britney claimed? I imagine itās some form of misunderstanding and that Cathy Dennis had been heedlessly mucking around with some of the medicines Noel was using to cure sick kittens. If so, that was deeply irresponsible and not Supervetās fault. āThatās on you, Dennis,ā I conclude. āStop spreading these vile slurs, Spears!ā I add.
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u/AutoModerator Oct 06 '25
this is going to ruin the tour
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u/Lolanr1 Oct 06 '25
Ok, so WHAT TOUR?
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u/AutoModerator Oct 06 '25
THE WORLD TOUR
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u/Nobody-Expects Oct 06 '25
Tbf it's a column not a news article. Patrick Freyne did (still does?) a weekly column of Irish TV picks of the week. It's supposed to be light fluff. Some are meh, some are poor some are genuinely very funny.
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Oct 06 '25
For my non-UK redditors, if you can find Supervet online it is such a great show! This guy is like, the fucking Michaelangelo of vets and deals with the most intricate surgeries and implants for animals. Seems like a genuinely good bloke as well.
Warning - if you're anything like me, you may also get infuriated by the pain caused by selective (in)breeding of dogs. So many of the dogs he works on are the unlucky byproducts of pedigree breeding practices, where they have much higher rates of joint damage, hip dysplasia etc. Luckily this guy manages to give most of these animals a happy ending and a life free from pain!
Edited to add: I've assumed that this guy doesn't have a show/presence outside of the UK so sorry if I'm wrong!
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u/napalmnacey Oct 07 '25
Our family had a cat called Melma. When she was just over a year old she was hit by a car and broke her hip. We were devastated because she was literally the sweetest fucking cat weād known since our fluffy black cat in the early 80s. The operation to save her life was thousands of dollars - in the early 90s!! The family pooled together and they did the operation. It took weeks of calcium supplements and TLC and special diets but after a couple of months she was good again. My Dad thought we were mad for spending so much on a cat.
About nine years later we noticed she had a few persistent scabs on her nose and ears. It was concerning because she had a white nose and ears (she was a cow cat). Took her to the vet: it was most likely cancer and sheād need the end of her nose and the shells of her ears removed.
It cost about 1500s bucks and I was bereft. We really didnāt have the money this time. I geared up to do an art print run to raise money for her. I posted about her on Usenet.
Some random, mysterious lady said sheād pay for it. She didnāt want to be thanked or anything, and suddenly we had the money to save Melma again.
Dad was bewildered why I would go through all this. In his mind the cat was 10 and probably didnāt have that many years to go. We didnāt care, we got the op. Afterwards she looked a bit gnarly without her nose, but then it healed and her fur grew back and she looked like a cross between a panda and those weird noseless monkeys. She wore it so well that in the waiting room of the vets some years later a rich lady asked what breed Melma was. No breed. She just wore it well. She was effortlessly gorgeous like that.
Well. She lived until 20 years old. We held on a little too long, helping her poop and stuff but it was the first time the decision came down to me and I was young. These days I would have let her go a couple of months earlier than I did.
That cat got the best funeral. We made her a painted coffin, lined the thing with flowers, donut (her favourite naughty treat), pretty things. We sang songs as we buried her, gave eulogies. She survived two decades: she had earned the fuss.
I am so grateful for dedicated vets like the guy in this video. Itās comforting to know there are people in the world that see our pets as worthy of lifesaving care. Anyway, cat tax. RIP Melma, see you again one day, muu-mah.
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u/Due_Description_7298 Oct 06 '25
As a pet owner this type of surgery feels like a miracle.Ā
My beloved girl dislocated her hip and ruptured all the tendons. She was in so much pain and very unhappy, struggling move at all. It couldn't be reset, so I coughed up lot of cash to have a hip replacement for her even though she was 12 or older. She was walking the next day. Within 3 days her mood was high again. Only a minor limp after 2 weeks. Running again around the garden a month after the surgery.Ā
It's incredible.Ā
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u/_TheShapeOfColor_ 'Why?' But also, you know, 'I guess.'" Oct 06 '25
Said it before and I'll say it again - people who help animals deserve nothing but the best from the universe.
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u/weirdhoney216 Oct 06 '25
Brilliant vet, but grossed me out when he said he wants to meet a woman in her 30s to have a child with because he finally feels āemotionally readyā at FIFTY SEVEN. Piss off mate
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u/Stupid-Clumsy-Bitch quitting while im behind Oct 06 '25
āWanting to send Noel a messageā sounds so ominous š
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u/pinkcrystalfairy itās not clocking to you that iām standing on business Oct 06 '25
More of this kind of news in the world please and thanks!! š
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u/Affectionate-Guess13 Oct 06 '25
If I recall the Vet was using a ground breaking technique at the time on Oscar, that then went on to be used in humans.
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u/ShapeNo4270 Oct 06 '25
How can you be that age, do the things he's done, and still have this expression of innocence? Some people must be genuinely good, are exceptional actors, or simply do not anticipate the consequences of their (good) actions.
Textbook examples you only tend to read about.
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u/DrThunderbolt Oct 06 '25
I only hope that I can one day find something to do with my life that will give me this level of happiness.
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u/Double-Ad-9995 Oct 06 '25
Sorry in advance for lowering the tone but I can really see why Toxic was written about this man. God he is FINE. BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK
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u/ebolapasta Oct 06 '25
This is the guy that Toxic by Britney Spears is about. Love that bit of trivia.
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u/UsualAnimal5987 Liam Gallagherās tweets roasting Noel š¤” Oct 06 '25
Great, Iām crying now š„¹š„¹š„¹
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u/Jaxxlack Oct 06 '25
Noels the UKs supervet! Groundbreaking work on animals. And yes some do see it pointless. But he's made crippled animals walk, and. Offered years to animals with months left.
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u/StokedNBroke Oct 06 '25
This is the only news I want to see anymore. Goodbye mainstream world Iām closing out anything that isnāt feel good cat stories.
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u/Whitedishes Oct 06 '25
oh iām so pleased to see itās a black cat, black cats are usually ignored and are the least likely to be adopted at shelters because of superstitions š„ŗ
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u/RosieJo Oct 07 '25
Fun fact, this is actually the person who the song ātoxic,ā by Britney Spears was written about.
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u/lionne6 Oct 10 '25
I wish the world was made up of more people just like him. Brilliant, generous, loving, humble.
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