When Georgina Price adopted her first rescue cat with her fiance, Christopher, the couple knew that it would be a short-lived friendship. The cat was already in his elderly years at 16-years-old when he came to live with price, but even though they knew Herbie was getting close to crossing the rainbow bridge, they knew every day with the rescue cat would be a gift.
When Herbie finally did pass away, though, he tore a hole through Price and her fiance’s heart, and the two planned on taking some time to heal before opening their hearts up to another rescue. That is until Price came across a profile for Toby and Quinton, two rescue cats, on the RSPCA’s website, and she knew she just had to be a part of their lives.
It’s no wonder that the bonded pair of cats’ profile stood out to the couple, as Toby’s wrinkled face can command the attention of anyone. Toby has deep wrinkles carved into his face, giving the 6-year-old cat a haunting look of sage wisdom that one would normally only find in an old man.
The cause of the deep folds in Toby’s face is a condition known as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (a.k.a. EDS). The syndrome takes a negative toll on Toby’s skin, causing not only the severe early-onset wrinkling in his face, but it also renders the skin incredibly delicate and it can easily break and leave an open wound.
Toby had previously been rescued from an abusive home life, and it was obvious he counted on his brother Quinton for protection while the two were in the shelter.
“Straight away we could see their bond. Quinton [was] wide-eyed and snappy (they gave us some tuna to feed them) but the whole time Toby was huddled in the corner or behind his brother constantly. Having rescued before, we knew this wasn’t anything to worry about,” recalls Price in an interview with The Dodo.
Toby’s EDS wasn’t the only hard sell for the shelter while trying to get the cats adopted.
As it turns out, in addition to Toby’s condition, Quinton also had medical issues, namely that he had no teeth. Not only did Price still want to adopt the pair in spite of all the care the cats would require, but she wanted to adopt them specifically because of all their medical issues.
“The fact that they both had medical issues, Toby’s EDS and Quinton’s lack of teeth, meant that not only could we help two special needs cats but also keep two brothers from other mothers together,” she beams.
Without a second thought, Price and her fiance submitted an application for adoption for both of the uniquely adorable cats.
For the first few weeks that Toby and Quinton were settling into their new home, they refused to come out from under their human’s bed. It was going to take time for the bonded cats to trust anybody other than each other. It took all of the spare time Price and Christopher had, and about a ton of tasty cat treats, but after a while, the two shy cats slowly started to take a shine to their new parents and became more and more at ease in their forever home.
Quinton, of course, still takes full responsibility for his brother’s care.
“Quinton has been a great big brother and cleans Toby’s face and neck. Surprisingly Quinton barely gets his claws out when playing with Toby. He knows not to hurt him so normally a couple of soft boops does the trick,” she describes the feline brotherly love that fills her house and heart.
Little did Toby and his new family know that his face, which used to be a sore point for the cat, would end up making him internet famous!
After Price and Christopher adopted Toby and Quinton, they set up an Instagram page dedicated to showcasing their silly furballs’ antics in their daily life. Now that Toby has accrued over 18,000 followers, the rescue cat has become the face of EDS, and his parents are using his popularity to spread awareness of the rare syndrome to anyone who follows the cat.
“It’s hard not to fall in love with Toby as soon as you look at him, everybody does,” Price said. “However, the truth is Toby mostly suffers from the skin side of EDS — there’s a whole spectrum of symptoms that can come with EDS and in a way we are lucky the saggy skin is his main ailment,” Price explains.
“It can be such a debilitating condition for people and animals. So spreading some awareness is a great offshoot of us just posting pictures of our cats,” she adds.
Even though Toby’s syndrome imposes daily challenges on the sweet rescue cat, he still loves all the same pleasures in life as any other lucky cat. From cuddling on his awesome brother Quinton and shaking mom down for tummy rubs, to chasing his bouncy ball around the house and lounging in his favorite spots, he is just like any other loveable cat.
While the droopy nature of Toby’s face might make him look like the most depressed feline to ever roam the planet, Price exclaims that couldn’t be any further from the truth.
“He’s such a happy boy and so wonderful and playful. Toby is as he looks; the kindest and cutest little soul out there,” the doting mom describes her eccentric cat’s disposition.
Toby is living proof of two things; you should never judge a cat by its coat, and you should always adopt a rescue when you have the chance. They are just SO worth it!
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