Canelo had an Easter to remember over the weekend and it had nothing to do with tucking into chocolate eggs.

To be fair the little hero would struggle to unwrap one because he’s a domestic cat and opening silver paper fastened round a chocolate egg is a bit of a nightmare when you only have paws, especially when they are not in working order.

Canelo does not have movement in his hind legs, which is the reason he ended up at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah when he was just six weeks old.

It’s where he spent the Easter break recovering from laser therapy and befriending a group of rabbits.

Staff caught a tender moment on camera when Canelo snuggled up to the bunnies and imitated their movement bouncing around on his front legs.

Since taking shelter at Best Friends five months year-old Canelo has come on leaps and bounds and is now spending time with fellow cats, some of which were more welcoming to the new arrival than others.

'I think they recognize that he has special needs,' blogged staff worker Amy Brown. ‘'They aren't afraid of him.' 

'He runs around with his kitty friend and puts on a great wrestling show,' wrote the shelter on a web page listing the cat as available for adoption.

'You will be so entertained when you take Canelo home.'

She added: 'Canelo is incontinent and with a slight mobility challenge. But that doesn't stop him from being a superstar!'

When he arrived at the shelter staff could not identify any skeletal injuries or abnormalities on him, leading the shelter to believe he had a neurological condition affecting the nerves and muscles.

[ Canelo has undergone acupuncture to stimulate his nervous system to regain sensation and recover mobility to his hind legs. ]