The Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary was founded in 2005 in St. Pauls, North Carolina by Alana Miller and her daughter as they wanted to provide a safe home for blind cats.
Most shelters in the United States at that time would not accept blind cats as they were harder to get adopted out.
This leads to people abandoning blind cats and kittens out in the wild to die, or they will have them euthanized.
For the founders of the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary, this was not something they could stand to see continue.
Small beginnings
The inspiration for the establishment of the sanctuary was Louie, the founder’s first blind cat.
While Alana Miller and her daughter were working at an animal shelter, a man came in with a six-week-old blind kitten and said that if the shelter didn’t take them then he was going to abandon them at a local store.
Nearly 20 years later, Alana and her daughter are still working hard to provide the very best for cats who are blind, and for others who are usually left to die.
Blindness in cats
The most common reason that a cat develops blindness is due to an owner not getting their cat treated for a simple upper respiratory infection.
Some cats are born blind or suffer other diseases or injuries over the course of their life that result in blindness.
Despite this, blind cats are very resilient and adaptable, those who care for them remark on how little it seems to impact the cat’s daily life.
No cat left behind
In 2011, the Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary began accepting cats with Feline Leukemia Virus (FELV+) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV).
Cats with FELV+ or FIV would ordinarily be euthanized at shelters and vet clinics as the viruses are contagious to other cats.
However, studies have shown that with the right management FELV+ and FIV cats can live happily and healthily alongside those that test negative for the viruses without infecting them.
The Blind Cat Rescue and Sanctuary continues to provide the utmost care and compassion to its feline residents.
Anyone who is interested in seeing more of these cats can visit their website to support individual cats and even watch live streams of their adventures.