Welcome to Cat of the Week! This week we have the honor of featuring Harvey, a special needs cat who's always celebrating Tongues-Out Tuesday. Harvey lives with his mama, Anna and seven (!) fur siblings - follow their adventures on Instagram @arosewithlove.

Here's what Anna has to say about Harvey:

"the story of how i got harvey is a special one. i had been following a rescue account on instagram that had adopted a special needs cat who unfortunately ended up passing away due to cancer, shortly after they saved her. the cat’s name was frida, and her story and all of her posts really touched me and i felt a connection to her; and although i love all cats, the connection i felt to frida and her sorry, was one i didn’t feel as strongly with all the other cat accounts i follow. i was truly devastated when i read that she passed away, but continued to follow her account because of the wonderful woman who runs it.

"fast forward a couple of weeks when i went to get my oldest cat’s annual vaccines: i walked in, not expecting to adopt a cat, but i decided to look at the adoptable cats anyway, because i always have to look. as i was flipping through the book, i stopped on harvey’s picture and immediately felt that connection to him that i felt with frida. his little tongue sticks out just like hers did, and his jaw was misshaped. he had come into the shelter, found wandering around outside with a broken jaw, and part of it had to be removed so that it could heal properly. because of this, his little tongue sticks out all the time, and he has to eat wet cat food because he can’t chew dry food. other than that, he’s just like a normal cat, but i think he’s extra special. it’s only been two days that i’ve had him, and he’s only a year old, but i already feel like we’ve known each other for several years. he’s completely settled in, and has been since about 10 minutes after we walked in the door. he is the sweetest, most precious little angel. he is a complete lap cat, and is in mine 75% of the time. he sleeps on my chest and neck, and purrs up a storm when you pet him or talk to him. he eats just fine, and eats much faster than you’d expect him to be able to, especially since his surgery was only 2 months ago!! he didn’t like his collar at first, but only shook his head a couple of times and acted confused for a minute and now he doesn’t even notice it. i haven’t introduced him to the rest of the house or my other pets yet, (i have 3 other cats and 4 dogs) because i want him to have time to adjust to his new surroundings first, but i think he’ll be just fine. he isn’t phased by much at all, and is super confident and brave. it’s so incredible how forgiving and trusting animals can be after what a lot of them go through.

"his little meows/trills might be my favorite thing about him, second to his tongue.

"when i first let him explore my room, (the room he’s been staying in to get used to the smells and sounds of the house) he was scared to use the little box because i had a covered one, a cabinet, that i had bought for my two kittens i adopted in june and july of 2017. he hates being in the carrier so i think he thought the litter box cabinet was a carrier and he refused to go inside it. because of this, i took off to the store at 8pm in 7 degree Fahrenheit weather, and bought a new litter box that is bigger and is now inside an uncovered box (to help the litter stay contained). i cleaned my room and set up the new litter box and set him inside it. he instantly sat down to pee and after a few seconds, i could see the relief on his face. it made my heart so happy that i got to be the one who rescued him because i want him to feel relieved for the rest of his life. relieved that he has a loving home, one that will never hurt him. relieved that he never has to worry about where his next meal will come from, or where he’s going to sleep to stay safe. that he’ll never have to be cold or wet or avoid cars or loud people.

"he has me to protect and love and care for him for as long as i’m blessed to share my life with his.

"ps. one kind of funny thing i’ve learned about him already, is that he drools a lot. because of his mouth not being able to be completely shut, that drool drips off of his chin a lot of the time, and when he shakes his head, that drool goes flying, similar to if a large dog shakes their head, except he only weighs 5 lbs."

Thanks for stopping by, Harvey!

And remember, if you want your feline BFF to be featured as our Cat of the Week, email us at hello@gateaugato.com with their story and some favorite pictures. We literally feature every single cat we receive because we LOVE THEM.