A tiny kitten found outside, no bigger than a small remote, grows up to become a fully-fledged lap cat, overflowing with affection and love to share

Roku the kitten had all the odds stacked up against him when he was found outside without a mom. A TNR (trap-neuter-return) rescuer discovered him with his siblings, but he was the only one that survived.

Shelby Thorpe, the founder of Shelby’s Kitten SafeHouse (in Oregon), learned about his plight and swooped in to take him. “When I got him, he was just skin and bones and had eye infections and fleas,” Shelby shared with Love Meow.

“He was only slightly larger than the Roku remote which is how he got his name.”

The little tabby was estimated to be four weeks old (based on his teeth and development) but only about the size of a 2-week-old kitten. Despite being so tiny, he showed an incredible amount of fight in him.

“I knew he would be okay when I saw his voracious appetite. He meowed loudly for the first couple of days, and the only thing that settled him down was if I sat with him or carried him around with me,” Shelby shared with Love Meow.

Roku insisted on being near his foster mom all the time and would scream and cry if she wasn’t around. After a rough start, the little guy with the big voice demanded a constant companion, and Shelby happily obliged.

The sweet kitten would nuzzle up to his human every time he was ready for a nap. Shelby set up a cozy cave bed with plenty of blankets for him to knead on. The clingy kitty quickly discovered the power of climbing, and would make his way to the top of the bed, vying for Shelby’s attention.