Ilene the kitten is blind. Whether she was born this way or lost her eyes to injury or infection will remain forever a mystery. But, regardless of her vision loss, Ilene is a spunky kitten, full of love and life.
As a blind and abandoned kitten, she almost didn’t get the chance to know the comfort of loving arms and a forever home. Left in a trash pile and caught in a heavy rainstorm washing through Madera, California, the small tabby cat cried for help. Thankfully, a kind soul heard the kitten’s pleas over the rain and rescued the scared baby. Realizing the kitten needed help, the Good Samaritan took her to a local animal shelter.
Since Ilene’s eyes were obviously an issue, the California shelter contacted the Oregon Humane Society as the OHS Cat and Kitten Intake Center aides felines with special needs. There, Ilene had surgery to prevent any further complications with infection. OHS veterinarian, Dr. Maia Titcomb, said of Ilene’s eyes, “It’s likely that she has a condition called microphthalmia in both eyes and was already blind. This condition is usually caused by a congenital defect in cats, but can also be due to trauma or infection.”
“Not being able to see has not slowed Ilene down a bit,” said Dr. Titcomb. “She is a happy, playful kitten.”
Whatever caused the striped kitten’s blindness, she’s thrived under the care of the Oregon Human Society. Once healed and ready for a forever home, it didn’t take long for a family to find the sweet blind kitten.
First In Line to Bring Home Ilene
Anna Lundin and her three children arrived at OHS hours before doors were scheduled to open. They had a specific purpose in mind… adopting Ilene the kitten. As Ilene had just been featured on the news, the family knew they’d have to be first in line so they wouldn’t miss her. Anna said, “When we saw her story on the news, it broke our hearts. The kids were the ones who decided that we needed to adopt her. They wanted to shower her with love and give her a family.”
Anna knew Ilene would require extra attention for life, but she and her children are no strangers to providing care for animals in need of healing. For the better part of a year, they’ve been fostering puppies and kittens. “We’ve taken care of bottle babies, puppies recovering from surgery, and animals that are too young to be at the shelter.”
A Family Who Understands the Importance of Fostering and Adoption
Anna first met her children three years ago when they came into foster care in her home. The three siblings are survivors of neglect and through much love, patience, and understanding, Anna and the kids have grown into a family. She feels fostering animals through OHS helped the children blossom.
Oregon Humane Society/Facebook
Oregon Humane Society/Facebook
Last month, Anna officially adopted the siblings. To celebrate, the new family wanted to adopt a furry soul to join them and their three cats at home. Seeing Ilene on the news, the family knew the blind kitten was meant to be the newest Lundin.
On bringing Ilene home, Anna said, “Adopting this special kitten has been a good thing for all of us.”
H/T: koin.com
Feature Image: OregonHumane.org