Kitten Tries Out New Prosthetic Created With 3D Printer
DENVER (CBS4) - A homeless kitten will soon have a new lease on life thanks to the Art Institute of Colorado and the Denver Animal Shelter. They teamed up for what's being called the Sonic Project to help animals with disabilities have a better life.
Sonic, a 4-month-old kitten, was born with an orthopedic deformity, but shelter veterinarians and art students teamed up to find a solution.
"Instead of having two bones in the forearm, he only has one bone. That's why it's kind of flopping around," Dr. Louisa Poon with the Denver Animal Shelter said. "The whole goal of the project is to actually fit a prosthesis so that he's able to use the leg and bear weight on it."
Students with the Colorado Institute of Art are using design along with a 3D printer to make prosthetic limbs for Sonic. They've designed a few, each one becoming a better fit for the kitten as she grows. The effort is the first-of-its-kind for the Art Institute and Denver Animal Shelter since launching the partnership in April.
"This is creating an entity that's on a living being, so it's a lot more challenging. And the fact that Sonic can't say, 'It's too tight, it's too loose' (is another challenge)," Gregg Harvey with the Art Institute of Colorado said.
As students use advance design skills, vets are seeing the progress in Sonic and the kitten is closer to having a normal life.
Sonic has been in foster care since April and should be up for adoption soon, once she gets her final prosthetic.
