A Seemingly Grumpy Cat (Called Karen) Had A Few Surprises Nobody Expected (Spoiler Alert: Karen’s A Dude)

Every day brings a new adventure in animal care, and a cat named Karen certainly kept things interesting at the Best Friends Pet Resource Center in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Initially thought to be a female from the city shelter, the veterinary team at Best Friends got quite the surprise during what was supposed to be her spay surgery.

It turns out Karen was actually a neutered male! This promptly earned him the title Sir Karen.

But the plot thickened.

Not long after settling in, Sir Karen began to struggle with his health.

He lost his appetite, his skin developed a yellow tint, and his liver showed troubling signs in his bloodwork.

Despite the sudden turn, the team was ready to tackle his medical challenges head-on, filled with hope for Sir Karen’s recovery.

“Having resources to help animals who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity is what Best Friends is all about,” explains Haley Volker, the lifesaving and care supervisor at Best Friends.

“We’re saving animals like Sir Karen because they are living beings deserving of a place to call home and live out a happy life.”

Loving care for a sick cat

Despite Sir Karen’s refusal to eat any of the various foods offered, the team equipped him with a feeding tube to sustain him and administered medications to support his liver health.

During this time, Haley Volker visited him multiple times a day, developing a special connection.

“I would speak softly to him, saying good morning and hello with his name and just being silly by playfully talking,” she shares.

Sir Karen started to recognize Haley and even behaved differently around her than with others.

While he would swat at most people, he showed affection towards Haley.

“When I entered the room, he would perk up, roll over on his back, and rest his head in my hand, his eyes slowly closing,” she recalls. “It became quite the love affair between the two of us.”

The caregivers monitored Sir Karen closely for several weeks. Gradually, he began to improve, gaining enough weight to have the feeding tube removed.

His next milestone was moving to a room where potential adopters could meet him, and it turned out he already had an admirer.

Discovering Sir Karen on the Internet

Taylor Seupaul has always enjoyed browsing Petfinder for cats with quirky names.

She wasn’t planning on adopting, but when she came across Sir Karen, she was captivated.

“It was something about his big eyes and angry-looking face,” she explains.

Despite it being a busy time—preparing for a trip to Egypt and studying for the MCATs—Taylor submitted an adoption application.

She kept checking Best Friends’ website and called weekly to inquire about Sir Karen.

Upon returning from Egypt, Taylor found Sir Karen missing from the website.

After asking, she discovered he had been temporarily removed due to illness but was now healthy and ready for adoption.

Taylor wasted no time; she visited Sir Karen and brought him home the same day.

Sir Karen quickly warmed up to his new environment, showing his affectionate side right away. “He’s the most cuddly cat,” Taylor shares, noting his love for snuggling on chests and his knack for headbutting.

He even made friends with another cat in the home, Mister Waffles, and grew attached to a stuffed teddy bear. “As long as the teddy bear is in front of him, he’ll make biscuits all day,” Taylor remarks.

One change Taylor made was his name; feeling that Sir Karen didn’t quite suit him, she renamed him Kevin, which seemed a better fit.

Kevin has no complaints, enjoying his loving home, cozy naps on warm chests, and his teddy bear companion.

Photos courtesy of Taylor Seupaul