Baton Rouge District Judge Beau Higginbotham recently adopted a three-legged kitten he found injured on the side of a busy road, a little over a week after the death of his elderly black Labrador, T'Beau.
Higginbotham was driving to work when he spotted the small animal clinging to a concrete barrier wall near an overpass. He pulled over to rescue the kitten, which he found to be in distress with a severe injury to its back legs.
At the veterinarian's office, it was determined that the kitten would require amputation of one or both of its hind legs, or euthanasia. The vet staff asked Higginbotham if he would take ownership of the animal. He chose to adopt the kitten, unable to leave the terrified animal to face euthanasia or a shelter.
Vets had warned that the kitten's extended exposure to heat might have caused irreparable damage and that it was remarkable she had not succumbed to dehydration. The kitten underwent surgery and was named Butterbean by Higginbotham and his sons.
Despite requiring a cone and constant supervision as she adjusts, Butterbean, who weighed only two ounces when found, is reportedly full of energy and gaining weight.