Bullied Kid With Unique Traits Adopts Cat That Looks Like Him

OWASSO, OK — Sometimes, a physical condition that makes a kid look different can be all it takes for the bullies to pile on. Madden Humprheys has two such conditions. He was born with a bilateral cleft lip and has scars from surgeries to correct it, and heterochromia iridum, a rare condition affecting 1 percent of the population that results in eyes of two different, distinct colors.

That’s all the bullies needed to fill the once-confident Owasso, Oklahoma, 7-year-old’s life with misery and sadness.

Madden has found comfort from an unusual source — a rescue cat named Moon with a cleft lip and the same eye condition.

The family found Moon on Facebook after someone posted the cat’s picture on a page for parents of children with cleft lips. The cat’s eyes are mirror images of Madden’s: Both have one hazel eye and one blue eye.

“We knew immediately that this kitty was meant to be part of our family,” Humphreys wrote on the website Love What Matters. " ... It sounds silly, but fate willed these two together. There’s no other explanation. Everyone needs a friend, and everyone needs to feel understood. I’m so thankful Madden has Moon."

Friends donated to a GoFundMe campaign so Madden and his family could make the 30-hour trip from Oklahoma to Minnesota to adopt Moon. The shelter wouldn’t allow the cat’s adoption without a visit first.

“Crazy how a cat has the potential to act like a therapy pet, and make a kid feel less alone in the world,” campaign organizer Brittnie Clemens wrote on the crowdfunding site.

That world is “full of bullies,” Madden’s mother, Christina Humphreys, told Fox News.

Until he entered school, didn’t think much about the physical traits that set him apart from other kids.

“He is the spunky one in the family. He is usually just completely full of life and happy and fun to be with,” Humphreys, 33, told NBC’s “Today” show. “He wasn’t (insecure) until other kids started pointing it out to him and then saying not nice things to him.”

To help him cope, Humphreys told her son to be mindful that he may not be able to change their behavior, but he can change his response to it.

"Unfortunately, there will probably always be an unkind person that we’ll encounter,” she told him. It will always sting and hurt, but we can’t control other people’s behavior, so we will just try our best to change our own mindset."

In 2017, Humphreys encouraged her son to make a video explaining his unique traits — the ones they can see and the ones they can’t. He’s not only smart and fun-loving, but also a good friend, he said on the video.

“Don’t be mean to other people that are different,” Madden said. “We already been through a lot of hard stuff. … You’re missing out on a lot of awesome people if you’re being a poophead to them.”

THE MENACE OF BULLIES: PATCH SERIES

Over the coming year, Patch will look at the roles society plays in bullying and a child's unthinkable decision to end their own life in hopes that we might offer solutions that save lives.

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When the Humphreys family arrived at the shelter in Minnesota about a week ago, Moon seemed instantly drawn to Madden, his mother told “Today.”

“They honestly took to each other right away,” she said. “We were meant to love that cat.”

Madden and Moon are best pals now.

“Madden has been beaming,” Humphreys said. “I tell Madden all the time he is magical, and I think Moon helps him realize how special he is.”

Together, the boy and his cat are raising awareness about bullying, and how kids with craniofacial differences are sometimes targeted.

“I love that those two things are getting attention. I am blown away by how wonderful people have been,” Humphreys told “Today.”

Want to see more photos of Madden and Moon. Go to Instagram and follow @maddenandmoon.

Photo via GoFundMe, a Patch promotional partner.