Happy Easter!

The Easter Bunny arrived early this year!

Actually, the "bunny's" name is Helio and he's a 1.5-year-old cat who, along with his three sisters, was abandoned on a doorstep near Danville, PA, in November 2007. A good samaritan brought the kittens to the Pennsylvania SPCA's (PSPCA) Danville Adoption Branch. The kittens were underweight and in desperate need of some TLC, so they were transferred to the Philadelphia Headquarters to receive medical care.

The three females went to foster right away, but poor Helio didn't have any takers.

That's when Heather, a PSPCA employee, and her officemates decided to give the poor guy a chance. They took Helio in as an "office foster," allowing Helio to relax alongside their desks while they worked (and kept a watchful eye on him!).

But as luck would have it, Helio hurt his leg and, at the same time, he became ill. His temperature reached 105 degrees. Things were not looking good.

Once again, however, Helio pulled through. After weeks of cage rest, extra feedings, and medical care, he began to heal.

Not wanting to take any chances, Heather decided to foster Helio at her home, where he could regain his strength in a quiet, peaceful environment.

And he's been there ever since!

I guess you could say it was destined to happen. Heather had been looking to adopt a friend for her resident cat, Cagney -- who is also a PSPCA alum.

In fact, Cagney was born at the PSPCA! His mother was brought to the shelter as a stray and gave birth to a litter of seven kittens. Sadly, only one of the kittens -- Cagney -- survived. Heather adopted him in October 2007.

And if that weren't enough, Heather's mom adopted Cagney's mother, Lucy!

So now everyone -- Helio, Cagney, and Lucy --lives together under the same roof as one big happy family. (Did I mention they also have a dog, Hunter, who was adopted from the PSPCA in November 2007? We'll save him for another post....)

Heather wrote the following update:

"Cagney and Helio are complete opposites, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cagney is a typical cat—he will decide when he wants to be scratched behind the ears and who will pet him.

Helio on the other hand, lives up to his namesake—race car driver and "Dancing with the Stars" champion Helio Castroneves. He races and dances around the house constantly—you would never know he had such a rough start in life."

And the Easter Bunny ears?

"Helio happily obliges my wanting to dress him up in funny hats."

I'd say it's working out well for him. In fact, Helio just won a photo contest on "People: Pets" for being so darn cute: http://www.peoplepets.com/photos/funny/easter/10.

On behalf of Helio, Cagney, Lucy, Hunter, and the rest of the PSPCA animals.........Happy Easter!