Photo credit: instagram

Instagram has a new trending star in the person of Roux the “Bunny Cat”.

As a kitten, Roux was born without forepaws and has learned to rely on her hind legs for locomotion. This does not deter the cat, who appears on Instagram videos to prove just how agile cats can be, forepaws or no forepaws.

Roux was adopted by Louisiana native Jackie Deak Akey while she worked for a veterinary clinic in New Orleans. The furr-ent was absolutely taken by the cat she has now affectionately named “Lil’ Bunny Sue Roux” and decided she would adopt her. She said in an interview for Meowbox.com:

“I work at a wonderful vet clinic in uptown New Orleans, and one of our clients runs an animal rescue…This client was contacted by a shelter outside of New Orleans that a two-legged cat had been surrendered… She emailed my clinic a photo. When I saw her it was absolutely love at first sight. Roux was brought to the clinic the next day and I took her home that night.”

Roux might have been surrendered by her previous owners because she could not bury her poop properly in her litter box.

Clearly, Roux’s kind blue eyes and pink nose couldn’t convince them otherwise but their loss is the entire internet community’s gain. Our very own Lil’ Bunny Sue Roux Hendrickson Deak Akey (her full name obviously!) has more than 93,000 followers to date.

The Instagram account @lilbunnysueroux has 40 something posts of Roux just being a normal, fun and mischievous bunny-cat.

Roux’s full name comes from a variety of inspirations, as Jackie Deak Akey shared to Meowbox.com:

“Lil’ Bunny Sue Roux is a play on the children’s poem ‘Little Bunny Foo Foo’. Lil’ Bunny because she hops like a bunny. Sue because she moves like a T. Rex and Sue is the nickname of the largest, most extensive and best preserved Tyrannosaurus rex specimen ever found… Sue was discovered by the paleontologist Sue Hendrickson. Roux is short for kangaroo because she leaps like one… And finally, Deak is my last name and Akey is my husband’s last name. ”

Whew! That was a long one.

Instagram’s favorite bunny-cat most likely suffers from transverse terminal hemimelia. That is a congenital condition where the parts of the limbs below the elbow never develop. According to Jackie, Roux’s x-rays show that her front legs stop at the humerus.

Evidenced by her Instagram videos, Roux is a very active cat who is completely mobile and can be quite fast if she wants to.

The vets at the clinic where Jackie works think that Roux is completely healthy, but they don’t discount the fact that she might develop back problems later on because she doesn’t move like a cat usually does.

Instead of walking on her paws, she has decided to flatten out her whole hind leg to achieve greater balance and will hop along like a kangaroo or a bunny when the need arises. Roux’s furr-ent intends to have Roux evaluated by an orthopedic specialist as she gets older.

Roux, as it seems, has found her furr-ever home with Jackie, her husband and their two other cats Kona and Graybee, two bunnies, and three small parrots. Jackie encourages wannabe cat owners to look at their nearest local rescue center.

“Please adopt! There are so many wonderful cats in animal shelters that need loving homes. And certainly don’t overlook the special needs kitties! We are so grateful little Roux is in our lives.”

And now, thanks to Instagram, Roux is in a way a part of our lives too.