Cotton suffered from a case of mange so severe that his eyes were crusted shut. After receiving medical attention, his rescuers were astonished by the exquisite-looking eyes hidden behind the mange.
The stray cat was discovered roaming around a Royal Palm Beach, FL home. The homeowner, Joe, said the cat appeared out of nowhere and started voraciously eating from a bowl of food he left outside for his cat.
The cat looked like he hadn’t eaten in days and had a case of mange that went from his ears downward. It was so bad that he couldn’t see out of his eyes.
Blind cat walking
No one knew how long this cat had been walking around blind. Joe grabbed his cat carrier and put food inside to see if he could catch Cotton. Cotton was so hungry that he walked right in.
Joe put up a Facebook post asking for help which Carmen Weinberg of Animal Friends Project eventually came across.
Weinberg immediately set out for Joe’s house to pick up Cotton and bring him to the vet. The vet found Cotton dehydrated and malnourished on top of the terrible case of mange.
Sweet Cotton was so happy to be in the hands of helpers. He just kept purring while he was at the vet. Cotton was given antibiotics and fluids and sent home with Weinberg.
“Cotton was very skinny but fortunately, he ate well and was in good spirits. He must have sensed we were trying to help him and he loved to be touched,” Weinberg told Love Meow.
Healing hands
Weinberg’s family knew that giving him physical affection would help him heal. They used coconut oil to help soothe his skin and made sure he stayed hydrated and ate well.
“Cotton stayed hunched over for days and days and seemed very uncomfortable. It was hard seeing him in that condition, knowing only time would heal him,” Weinberg said.
Eventually, the crust on his ears started coming off and began to clear up all over. Cotton was also starting to plump up, and his hair began to grow back.
The day finally came when Cotton was able to open his eyes. The Weinbergs were really surprised by what was revealed.
“It was a nice surprise to see that he had one blue eye and one yellow eye,” Weinberg said.
It wasn’t long before Cotton was in tip-top shape and happy to be a house cat. He’s turned into quite the lovebug and has even made some cat buddies.
“His personality has changed over time. He used to not have a lot of patience when touched. He is much more affectionate now. He gives me kisses and comes looking for attention often,” Weinberg said. “He used to not like having foster kittens around, but he is getting better. We have a foster, Neo, who had eye surgery and now Cotton is friends with him.”