A cat with 'vampire teeth' was saved by woman who was been battling depression.
He may look like a Halloween prank, but Monkey the cat and his vampire fangs are very real, and now the feline has a loving home.
Nicole Rienzie was in a struggle to overcome her "darkest times," having recently lost her father and being in a horrific car accident. As a result, she was severely depressed.
That is, until Monk came into her life.
Rienzie was driving back from a doctor's appointment with her mother when she noticed a "tiny fluffy thing"’ on the side of the road. Nicole immediately told her mother to pull over.
"Ugh, he was covered in fleas, super skinny and he didn’t have a lot of fur,” Nicole said.
Rienzie picked up the kitten and took him to the vet to have him checked out. She also realized that she was quickly becoming fond of the little guy.
“I thought, although I needed him, he needed me more,” Rienzie told InsideEdition.com
Originally named Sergio, Rienzie quickly found that the all-black cat was bouncing off walls and so playful that she decided to change his name to Monkey.
More than a year later, however, Nicole noticed something strange about her cat, namely his teeth. His canines appeared to be growing in at an alarming rate.
While the canines of most cats’ canines are about one centimeter in length, Monkeys’ were about three quarters of an inch long.
“I didn't think much of it though because he was eating perfectly fine, and it didn’t seem to bother him."
Although she didn’t see any signs of distress because of the amount of food he would steal out of his friends' bowls, she took Monkey back to the vet, who said his teeth were completely fine.
Read: Live and Vet Die: Veterinarian Defends Herself Amid Uproar for Killing Cat With Bow and Arrow
Monkey has also become an internet sensation since Nicole created an Instagram account just for the little guy and her other pet cat, Beans.
Nicole says the ‘vampire cat’ is spunky, vibrant and has helped her with her depression from the first day they met, and brings out the best in her.
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