We adopted Sophie 8 years ago from our local humane society. She was approximately one year old at the time and was resting in a cage labeled “special needs.” She snuggled into our hearts immediately upon being picked up and has been purring every day since then.
We soon discovered that she is visually impaired (completely blind in one eye and has 30% sight in the other) but that surely does not slow her down much. The humane society coordinator explained to us the ways to best help our girl – things like not moving furniture frequently, not leaving items on the floor, etc. We decided to make those small sacrifices in our home and what a wonderful choice it was.
We quickly took Sophie to a specialist who deals with feline ocular problems. He diagnosed a viral conditional that she contracted in the womb. Sophie was born with this situation, so has never known full sightedness. The Dr. said that the best help for her is a stable home environment as the virus is aggravated by stress. We set about making Sophie’s home as comfortable as possible.
She adjusted well to her 3 feline sisters and soon became fast friends with all of them. Ashleigh is now over 20 years old and deals with her own health issues, but these two remain the best of friends.
Frannie is 5 years old and a bit of a recluse. Yet somehow she gets along well with Sophie.
The “baby” of the family is one year old
Emily, a lively stray who adopted our family last summer during a bike trek. She too, is a buddy with Sophie. Our challenged little Sophie seems to be the glue that binds our girls together.
Not a day passes without Sophie teaching us the value of living in the moment. She is extremely good natured, friendly and affectionate with us, her sisters, and visitors. She personifies the expression carpe diem (seize the day.) In fact, carpe momentum (seize the moment) is even more appropriate for her attitude toward life. We encourage everyone to give “special needs” cats a chance. If they are anything like Sophie, you won’t regret the choice.
Nancy Breedlove (US)
Nancy recommends this website www.blindcatrescue.com
Five Good Reasons for Having Your Cat Neutered
- Reduces fighting, injury and noise
- Reduces spraying and smelling
- Much less likely to wander and get lost
- Safer from diseases like feline AIDS, mammary tumours and feline leukaemia
- Reduces the number of unwanted kittens
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