LVC Visioneers build 3D printed prosthetic paw for amputee kitten

By Angelica Fraine ‘23

The LVC’s Visioneers 3D Printing Club partnered with The Kitten Sanctuary in Lebanon to begin building a prosthetic boot for a disabled kitten.

After Rapunzel, a former stray, lost one of her forepaws to a car accident, LVC alum and head of The Kitten Sanctuary, Kristen Lester reached out to the Visioneers about the prospect of collaborating on a 3D printed prosthetic replacement paw.

“This is going to be our first design kind of challenge,” said Matt Guarini, president of Visioneers. “We’ve done solo work in the past, but this is the first time we’re going to collaborate and make something that’s really helpful to someone.”

On Thursday, Feb. 2, The Kitten Sanctuary met with the LVC Visioneers where the team began working out its initial ideas of what the paw should look like and how it might fit Rapunzel most comfortably. By the end of the night, they’d printed their first prototype.

The Visioneers team is very excited to continue further work on this project and to foster what they hope to be a lasting relationship with The Kitten Sanctuary.