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My basic info
Breed
Domestic Shorthair
Color
Brown Tabby
Age
Adult
Sex
Female
Pet ID
–
Hair Length
short
My details
Good with kids
Good with dogs
Good with cats
Needs experienced adopter
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Has special needs
My story
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Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Introducing Helen who is a small brown, spayed, female tabby, around age 5 who is blind. Her size is that of an 8 month old kitten -- forever!
Hi everyone. Helen (as in Helen Keller) needs a home. About 5 years ago she was rescued by Action for Animals along with her sister. They were feral kitties. Prior to rescue, she had had multiple URIs which, despite all efforts, could never fully be healed with medication. She had to have both eyes removed and was spayed in the same day! That was when I met Helen, and brought her home to foster. Within 4 days she had mastered the house!! She was amazing. Helen was adopted soon thereafter and lived with her adopted family until 2 weeks ago when her mom was deployed. No one in her mom's family was willing to take Helen so she was returned to Action for Animals. Poor Helen. She is now in my foster care, and although I would LOVE to keep her (I really adore Helen; it was really hard to let her go the first time; same is true now.), I already have a number of animals and am seeking a good home for Helen.
Helen is amazing. Despite not "seeing" you, she looks directly into your face as if she does. You simply say her name, and she purrs. She jumps onto and off of my bed, chairs and couch, just as if she can see them. She plays with balls and loves to play with your hand or toy that rubs across the floor. She follows it with perfect acumen, her body and head moving almost simultaneously to the movement. You would swear she could see! She has mastered the stairs both up AND down. She loves to be petted and her coat is silky soft. She purrs up a storm. She is very petite and beautiful.
The first day I brought her back here (about 10 days ago), she was cautious of my 3 dogs. They were very inquisitive yet gentle, and by day 2, she walked right by them and seems to enjoy them. Of note, my dogs sometimes "chase" my indoor kitties, but they have never done so with Helen, seeming to sense that she is different. Although early in Helen's adoptive life, there was another kitty with whom she got along well, in the 10+ days I have had Helen back, my other kitties are afraid of her. They generally co-exist, but if they get too close to each other, a skirmish ensues and quickly ends with Helen chasing after them. Hence, I'm not sure what that means about a future home for her regarding other kitties. My home is rather small, and I have 3 other cats so that might be a part of the issue. It is also still early on and may take time to develop a hierarchy. With this in mind, my sense is that Helen would do fine in a home with dogs and one with no more than one other kitty or ample space.
Adaptations and concerns with Helen:
- because Helen is blind, she will need someone with some patience. She has to get the lay of the house and adjust. I say this, but really Helen is just like any other kitty and adapts quickly. Truly by the 2nd day she was here, she moved around like the house was hers. And this followed being uprooted from her home and being in a kennel at the vet's office for 3 days!
- she appears to have a sensorism/blindism which involves rapid circling to the right. She has been checked by the vet and we believe that it is a self-soothing tool she uses. She has no head tilt and does not get dizzy or disoriented, just twirls in a right circle, sometimes quite fast. I sometimes let her continue and other times I pick her up and redirect her by playing or petting.
- she readily uses the litter box, but you will have to help her find it until she gets the lay of your home. I would recommend 2 litter boxes to avoid any issues of her not finding one of them. She sometimes aims high and misses the inside of the box so a deep box or a covered box is best. If a 2 story home, I would recommend placing a litter box on the 2nd floor as well as the first -- at least until she knows the home.
She deserves the best and she will delight her new family. She is loving, loves to play and receive attention. She loves to sleep on the bed next to you or climb up on the chair and sleep next to your head. She is a perfect self-groomer.
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