A Good Samaritan found an orange kitten wandering the streets by himself. He was taken to the vet where they discovered that he had microphthalmia (abnormally small eyes) and was mostly blind.
The kitten has no vision in one eye and only a small amount in the other (he can see light and shadows). He was very frightened upon arrival and needed a lot of reassurance. The vet reached out to her local rescue, Best Friends Felines, and hoped to get him into a loving foster home.
A volunteer picked him up the next day. Soon, they realized just how much he adored other cats.
The kitten, Amigo, made his way to his foster home where he befriended a cat and a few other kittens with special needs. He immediately gravitated towards Smokey the cat and squeezed himself next to her for cuddles.
“He settled beautifully into his foster home and managed wonderfully considering his limited vision. He remained timid and would startle easily, but loved other cats,” Nikki, president of the rescue, shared.
When he navigated around his space, he sometimes bumped into things but was never fazed so long as he got a cat buddy nearby.
“He copes extremely well with every day life. He runs and plays like a normal kitten. He finds his food and water with no issue, and he is 100% perfect with his litter tray use.”
“He is able to jump and climb onto the couch, bed and cat tree. The only difference is he will get down by climbing down backwards rather than jumping down like a sighted cat.”
The tabby boy clambered up a cat tree and decided to take a nap there.
Amigo can be jumpy to sudden noises or movements, but once he cuddles up to a feline friend, he will start to purr away in contentment.
“As he has gotten older, he’s become a little more confident,” Nikki shared.
Five months after he arrived at Best Friends Felines, Amigo was still waiting for the perfect family to take him home.
“Finding a home for a special needs cat is always a little more difficult, but add timid into the mix and it makes it so much harder, because you need completely dedicated and patient people prepared to take the chance on a cat that they couldn’t touch during a meet-and-greet.”
Kelly and Louie, former adopters, came across Amigo a few weeks ago and knew he would make a great companion to their 8-month-old cat Basil. Just like Amigo, Basil was found on the street and brought into the rescue for a chance at a better life.
Basil is full of confidence and energy. He enjoys snuggling and making biscuits with his kneady paws.