Ozzie was just six months old when she was abandoned after Hurricane Sandy. Found in a box with a sign that said, “Help me, I’m handicapped,” the tiny kitty was quickly diagnosed with cerebellar hypoplasia—a neurological disorder that affects balance. She was placed into a foster home with many other cats, which is where Jami DeAngelis, Senior Director of Internal Audit at the ASPCA, first met her.

“Although I was there to see another cat, Ozzie spent the entire visit trying so hard to be near me,” Jami recalls.  “She was extremely dirty from constant falls in her litter, so I finally sat her on my lap and brushed the filth away.” Jami decided to bring Ozzie home as a temporary foster to see if she could help manage her needs, but Ozzie’s sweet, positive nature quickly won Jami’s heart.  Ozzie became a permanent member of her family in June 2013.

 “Nothing gets her down, she’s just always happy,” Jami says. “She falls all the time and just gets back up—she doesn’t know that there’s anything different about her.” In fact, Ozzie is such a special girl that we couldn’t wait to share her story in the 2015 ASPCA calendar. Take a look at this touching behind-the-scenes video of Ozzie and Jami’s photo shoot.

Have you received your 2015 calendar? Want another one for friends and family? Donate $25 or more to the ASPCA, and we’ll send you our 2015 calendar today. Thank you, as always, for your support. It makes stories like Ozzie’s possible.