[Nfbwv-talk] Blind Kitten Finds Seeing Eye Cat

[Smyth, Charlene R]

This story was shared on the alumni list by Denise.

 

Fellow homeless kitten becomes blind cat's buddy, guide

Eileen Mitchell

 

Imagine being alone in a strange place with peculiar scents, frightening
noises,

and no food, water or shelter. One might have a sense of real
abandonment. In the

case of a kitten named Celica, this experience was not only real but
compounded by

the fact that she was born blind.

Joe Fama

, a Nine Lives Cat Shelter volunteer, tells the story of Celica and her
"seeing-eye

cat," Jett.

Little Celica

's dire start in life changed when she was found in the East Bay
huddling under a

rusty old Toyota Celica, hence her name. She was brought to the Nine
Lives Cat Shelter

in Redwood City, where the shelter's founder and veterinarian,

Monica Rudiger

, treated her. She found that, blindness aside, Celica was a normal,
healthy and

amiable 5-month-old kitten.

Jett, another 5-month-kitten, was found abandoned in Los Banos (Merced
County). He

was also brought to the no-kill shelter the same day that Celica
arrived. Initially,

the beautiful black kitten stayed away from the other cats, as is
frequently the

case with a new arrival. However, this changed when Celica was placed in
the same

living space with him. The little male immediately approached the blind
kitten and

snuggled against her. In the days that followed, the two became
inseparable as Jett

became not only Celica's companion but her "eyes" as well.

When I visited Nine Lives, Celica was exploring her living area by touch
and stopping

for an occasional nibble in her dish or a few rounds of ball-batting.
Jett was taking

a break with - of course - a catnap. Volunteers who worked with Celica
were touched

by the sweet, affectionate little cat who loved laps and perching on
shoulders and,

despite her blindness, displayed the typical playful behavior of a
curious kitten.

Jett was also a "people person," gentle and affectionate. Both soon
became favorites

of the Nine Lives staff and volunteers.

Like other blind pets, blind cats are able to lead happy, normal lives.
This is made

easier when they have a companion animal, like Jett, who acts as their
guide. In

return, a blind cat can be just as affectionate and lovable as any
sighted pet. There

are, of course special accommodations that need to be made. For example,
blind cats

must always be indoor pets. Once the animal has acclimated to its new
home, however,

life carries on in a normal manner.

Thanks to social media, the moving story of Celica and Jett caught the
attention

of a Sacramento woman who recently made the long drive to Redwood City
to adopt the

bonded pair. The two kittens have come a long way from their cold and
hungry days

on the streets and today are healthy, happy, and loved in their new
forever home.

Learn more

Check out the many cats available for adoption at the Nine Lives
Foundation at 3016

Rolison Road, Redwood City; (650) 368-1365.

www.facebook.com/ninelivesfoundation

.

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