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….
Dr. Katie snapped this photo on the first day she got Stevie. You can tell her eyes are not normal
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.
Stevie is wondering what the glasses are. Are they another cat toy?
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!
Stevie is pretty sure ponytails are just another form of cat toys.
Stevie isn’t a great companion for naps.
You can’t even tell from this picture that Stevie has defects with her eyes.
Dr. Katie’s blind kitten and her greyhound share a water bowl.
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