Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. (Aug. 21, 2025) – Two recent arrivals to Helen Woodward Animal Center are proving that anything is possible with a true friend by your side. Gelato and Sorbet, striking white domestic shorthair kittens, were each born without a front leg. Gelato is missing his front left leg, and Sorbet mirrors her brother, missing her front right. The pair are ready to take on the world with their beloved sibling as support. This Friday, the Center will introduce the public to this unique duo with an unbreakable bond.
Gelato and Sorbet, arrived at Helen Woodward Animal Center on August 15th from a local rescue partner. Both 4-months in age, the brother and sister duo were comfortably snuggled together – snuggled closer than most, due to each missing a matching opposite leg.
“They are extremely sweet,” said Helen Woodward Animal Center Pet Acquisition Manager LaBeth Thompson. “Obviously, they aren’t even aware that they are missing anything. But they do seem to feel especially close to one another. They tend to move around as a unit and enjoy playing together, each using the opposite front leg to bat toys between them and reach out to one another to communicate.”
The missing limbs are a simple genetic abnormality and both Gelato and Sorbet received wonderful health checks from the Center veterinary team and have been provided all necessary vaccines, along with microchips.
“The only challenge I could foresee is that they would be in much greater danger if they ever escaped outside. With one less leg, they would have a harder time climbing and defending
themselves,” continued Thompson. “I would also encourage the person who adopts them to give them lower tiers to climb up, such as steps to the bed and shorter scratching posts. As tripod cats, their front climbing legs will need to work twice as hard, which over time could cause challenges from overuse. Other than that, they are perfect, in our eyes. They are special and they deserve a wonderful life.”
Gelato and Sorbet will go available for adoption this Friday, August 22nd. The Center is requiring the pair to be adopted together and, like every cat adopted from Helen Woodward Animal Center, the Center requires that cats be kept indoors only and not be declawed.
For more information on the Gelato and Sorbet, please contact the Adoptions Department at: 858-756-4117 ext. 1, visit https://animalcenter.org or stop by at 6461 El Apajo Road in Rancho Santa Fe.
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About Helen Woodward Animal Center
Helen Woodward Animal Center is a private, non-profit organization where “people help animals and animals help people.” Founded in 1972 in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., the Center provides services for more than 90,000 people and more than 10,000 animals annually through adoptions, educational and therapeutic programs both onsite and throughout the community. Helen Woodward Animal Center is also the creator of the International Home 4 the Holidays pet adoption drive, the International Remember Me Thursday® campaign and The Business of Saving Lives Workshops, teaching the business of saving lives to animal welfare leaders from around the world. For more information, go to: https://animalcenter.org.
