In September 2021, the Sioux City Animal Adoption Rescue Center found two inseparable cats. One cat did not have eyes, and the other female cat acted as a seeing-eye cat.
Cindy Rarrat, the director at Sioux City Animal Adoption Rescue Center remembers the introduction to the blind kitten and mother. The circumstances were unusual.
Mother son rescue
The rescue received the male blind one-year-old cat Keller first. He was born without eyes.
Keller was not neutered. He felt confused and lost at first.
And a few days afterward, a female, presumed to be his mother, came to the rescue.
The female cat and Keller were inseparable. She acted as his seeing-eye cat and helped him navigate around the new environment.
Uphill battle
After a visit to the vet, the director found out that the female cat was in poor condition. She had something wrong with her mouth, and the vet had to remove all her teeth.
The vet discovered a tumor in her sinus cavity. The vet performed a spay procedure and removed the tumor.
Blind cat Keller and his mother did not adapt well with the other grown cats at the rescue. The mother was very protective of Keller.
So they decided to try a new approach. The animal shelter introduced a kitten to the family to see if the mom cat would accept him.
The shelter chose a spunky kitten named Trixie with a ton of personality. They patiently waited to see how they connected.
To Cindy’s delight and astonishment, the trio of cats bonded seamlessly.
She remarked,
“I’ve been here 37 years, and I’ve never come across a situation like this.”
The plan worked. Trixie the kitten has now stepped into the role of seeing-eye cat for Keller.
Trixie and Keller play will toy balls containing bells to help Keller listen and hear where the ball is in conjunction with the seeing-eye kitten. All three indoor cats were available for adoption as a trio.
Happy ending
Fortunately, about one month after this story published, a family with a legally blind 12-year-old son adopted the cat trio.
The adopting family made an 800-mile journey from Ohio to Iowa to pick up the trio of cats and was excited to bring them home.
The family’s legally blind son now has a friend and feline companion that shares a similar plight. He doesn’t have to feel alone in his journey anymore.
This remarkable story of overcoming adversity to finding love, acceptance, and companionship is worth sharing.
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