Kindness will save the world.
A blind shelter kitten caught the attention of a visitor with its loud cry. She could not leave him to his fate.
Cathy Buckman, a kitten rescuer from Sanford, North Carolina, was visiting the local cat shelter for a couple of babies when she suddenly heard crying coming from one of the cages. She turned around at the sound and saw a little blind kitten desperately trying to get her attention.
“This little guy came into the shelter straight from the streets. I had come for the other two kittens, but there was no way I could leave him, crying pitifully,” Cathy shared.
As the woman approached, the kitten meowed even louder, though she didn’t seem to be able to. She gathered up all three little ones and hurried to the vet clinic.
“He was tired, scared, and unresponsive to anything but food.”
Cathy took him home and wrapped him in her best heated blanket. Her dog Burt came to support her guest, and kept him company from the start.
“The next day he was completely different. He started playing with some toys, licking my face… He turned into a playful, affectionate and goofy cat,” Cathy says.
The baby is totally blind due to microphthalmia, a congenital pathology characterized by abnormally small eyeballs. But the kitten itself doesn’t seem to be bothered by the disorder.
Knowing that he would need special care and that his home needed to be fully equipped to handle any potential problems, Kathy sought help from Odd Cat Sanctuary in Salem, Massachusetts.
Tara Kaye, founder of the organization, was ready to welcome the blind baby with open arms. “We help ‘problem’ kittens and cats who are often neglected.”
They named him Melvin.
“He’s the perfect pet. He loves to eat and play, starts purring as soon as you pick him up,” Tara says. – He screams loudly to be noticed, but stops when he gets attention.
At the shelter, Melvin was underweight. Within a few days under the care of his new guardians, he had somehow flattened out and now even sported a small belly button.
The black-and-white cutie does fine without sight, making full use of his other senses, which are heightened.
He can navigate through space and pinpoint the location of a moving toy with his amazing hearing and sense of smell.
“He flares his nostrils and listens. He’s very brave, nothing seems to scare him,” Tara adds.
Melvin doesn’t know what it is to have vision. He “sees” the world differently.
This playful, funny and inquisitive little guy doesn’t think he’s any different from other cats.
Melvin loved his new home. He even chose some of his favorite positions here to “review” the rooms.
“I’m so glad I was able to save him and change his fate,” says Cathy. Every person involved in our common cause of animal welfare does what they can. Speaking for myself, I do what I can and hope I bring at least a little bit of help.”
Melvin’s cry caught Kathy’s attention, and then the kitten’s life changed forever.
He went from hopelessly wandering the streets to luxurious surroundings – this boy knows exactly what he wants out of life!
