Purebred Taylor Swift-Style 'Ragdoll' Cat With Broken Hip Needs Help, New Forever Home

SALEM, MA — A purebred "Ragdoll" cat — the breed featured with Taylor Swift in her Time Person of the Year magazine cover photo — is hoping his harrowing tale will turn into a "love story" when someone looks at him and decides "you belong with me" following his upcoming hip surgery.

The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the 1-year-old cat named Avatar was found on the streets with a leg injury last week and was traced back to his owners through a microchip. Unfortunately, the injury Avatar sustained is serious enough that he will not be able to simply "shake it off" and those owners were not in a good spot to reclaim the cat that requires expensive surgery to fix a broken hip.

"This is a really unique situation," MSPCA-Angell Director of Adoption Centers and Programs Mike Keiley said. "The owners wanted what was best for Avatar, so they made the incredibly hard decision to surrender, and we appreciate that they trust us with the responsibility of rehoming him.

"Now, we're focused on getting him the care he needs."

Keiley said having a pure ragdoll breed in a shelter is extremely rare given that they often cost thousands of dollars and he knows of less than 10 available for adoption over the past five years.

But before Avatar is up for finding his new forever home, he will have to undergo surgery to remove the "ball" of his hip joint within a week with a cost of about $5,000. His new family will then have to commit to extensive physical therapy before Avatar can regain full use of his leg.

"We'll likely never be sure how Avatar was hurt, but we do know that his injury requires surgery to repair," Keiley said. "Poor Avatar is in pain so we need to get this surgery done — and the sooner the better."

Avatar will need about two weeks of recovery with MSPCA-Angell before being eligible for adoption.

"Avatar is a really special cat," Keiley said. "He's sweet and playful. We know that he'll be a great pet when he's ready to find his next home."

The MSPCA is asking that anyone willing to donate to Avatar's surgical expenses do so here.

Those interested in adoption with an understanding of Avatar's physical therapy needs can inquire here.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)