Arizona cat badly injured by a cactus, Prickly Pete, adopted by proud new owner

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No one stepped forward to claim Prickly Pete after the unlucky cat received emergency medical attention for cactus injuries. But Pete’s luck turned around when a Sun City, Ariz., woman adopted him Wednesday.

“I fell in love with him the minute I saw him,” Jean Mann, the cat’s new owner, told the Daily News.
Mann, 72, thought Pete was adorable as soon as she saw his yellow eyes and orange and white markings.

“He’s beautiful and loving,” she said. “We were lucky that he was there waiting for us.”

Mann, a retired nurse’s assistant, visited the Arizona Humane Society with her son and 8-year-old granddaughter to buy the child a kitten for Christmas. She did not expect to get a cat for herself, but when she heard Pete’s sad story, she knew that she wanted to give him a loving home.

“It’s really sad,” Mann said. “I can’t imagine that he survived, and he’s such a nice kitty.
ust last week, Pete was recovering at the society’s Second Chance Animal Hospital from an unfortunate incident that left cactus spines in his eyelids, muzzle, face, and body. Pete will be safe with Mann partly because she shares his dislike for cacti.

“Even if he was to go outside, there will be no cactus. We only have grass and trees,” she said. “And he won’t be alone, because he’s got a brother and a sister.”

His new siblings are Mann’s Maltese dogs, with whom Pete already gets along.

Mann is thrilled about the energy Pete has brought to the household. Her husband passed away in June, and the home has not been the same without him. She said that she and her dogs miss him tremendously.

“We’re kind of bored around here,” Mann said. “We’re ready for a new person in our life.”
Pete is not skittish in his new home. He has spent almost the entire time by Mann’s side.

“The minute I sit down, Prickly Pete is right there. He likes to sit on the chair with me,” she said. “He’s gonna get a lot of loving.”