By Dr. Katie
Hello everyone! A few months ago, I wrote a blog post about how many pets I have (How Many Pets Does a Veterinarian Have?). Well I have an addition to my household, and here’s the scoop on my newest edition….
Early in September, 3 college age ladies brought a tiny 1 pound kitten to My Zoo Animal Hospital. They found the little kitten under a bush near their apartment complex. The kitten clearly had a problem with her eyes, and the ladies were concerned that some sort of trauma had occurred to injure the kitten’s eyes. They named her Stevie (after Stevie Wonder). Since she’s a girl kitten, I tend to think her as named after Stevie Nicks now. The kind-hearted young women decided to bring this little kitten in for an exam and her first vaccinations even though their apartment didn’t allow pets.
Well, I fell in love with the adorable little creature. Since the ladies couldn’t keep her, I offered to take Stevie and find her a good home. I took her home that day and started treating her eye infection. It’s been 5 weeks, and I think we can safely say that Stevie’s going to stay in my home. She follows the sound of my footsteps as I work around my house. She sits on my shoulder when I sit on the couch. Her playful antics and adorable personality have won my heart. It doesn’t bother me a bit that she has severe congenital defects with her eyes. Part of her eyelids didn’t develop (eyelid agenesis) and her eyes are too small for her head (microphthalmia). I believe she is almost completely blind, but she hasn’t let it slow her down. In my house, I am careful to keep her environment safe. When I’m at work, I keep her in a small room away from my dogs so she doesn’t get into any trouble. As she grows, I’ll see how her eyes continue to develop. There’s a possibility I may have to perform surgery to make sure she stays a happy, comfortable cat, but for now…I’m enjoying watching my blind kitten grow up! They grow so quickly!
Hi Dr Katie
Like you I have a tabby with micropthalmia. He is called Radar.
He is so wonderful too – your blog could be the story of my Radar & he even looks like your little guy.
We are a multi cat & multi dog household & he gets on well with everyone!
The only inhabitant he hates is my hoover. He has bags of personality & I got him as a rescue cat from my vets.
He plays with my other sighted silver tabby kitten & they have great fun together. I can’t beleive how resourceful blind cats are. He loves chewing my hair , just like yours does.
Microps are truly special cats………
Stevie is lucky to have been saved and found a good home! I bet she is a handleful! Just goes to show how resilient animals truly are!
Thanks so much for leaving a comment! And yes…Stevie is definitely going through an ornery-kitten phase. She pounces on everything that moves, and we have been working to try to redirect that towards cat toys (and other non-living things). Her ability to compensate for her absent to poor vision is just incredible. She amazes me every day. She’s even starting to climb!
Dr. Katie