A kitten that has no front legs after being reportedly hit by a weed whacker is thriving — and steadily gaining fans on Facebook.

Mercury the kitten was found 4 days old with his eyes still shut in September 2013, his owners write on his own Facebook fan page, Raising Mercury. As of this time, Mercury’s page has 9,350 likes on the social media website.

‘We believe he was hit with a weed whacker since people in the neighbourhood had been doing yard work in tall grass shortly before he was found,’ they write. ‘He was taken to our vet, his wounds were cleaned up, and we were then called to care for him since we do a lot of bottle babies and special needs kitties for rescues. We fed him around the clock, and cleaned his wounds multiple times a day until they fully closed over.’

Though they had considered giving Mercury up for adoption, they decided they ‘simply cannot part with him.’

Mercury has developed his hind legs, they write, and is able to use them to push himself, balance upright, and jump.

Mercury’s right arm stops just before where his elbow would be and his left arm extends slightly after it, they explain. His front limbs reportedly cause him no pain.  His left rear foot only has one toe.

Mercury’s owners say he is not a candidate for a prothestic leg on either front limb, since he would need at least 40% of the limb intact. After he stops growing, he may be eligible for a front wheel chair. However, they say he would also need a harness and that his limited chest muscles might prevent it from working.

Mercury is expected to attend adoption events to help raise awareness of cats with disabilities, and his owners say they hope for him to one day become a therapy cat.