Help Blind Cats See a Future!

Dear friends –

July was a huge month for Blind Cat Rescue! Thanks to your care and support, we saved 12 lives that would certainly have ended in euthanasia. Here’s the story ...

In late July, following multiple volunteer complaints, authorities executed a search warrant at an Ohio animal shelter, where officers discovered 119 cats living in extremely unsanitary and overcrowded conditions and suffering from serious upper respiratory infections. They removed 43 of those cats, and they are now receiving care at the local county animal shelter. Volunteers described the sanctuary as having filthy conditions, mice infestations, inadequately sized cages, poor air ventilation, strong odors, and many untreated medical issues.   

At that time, we received an urgent plea from a woman who specializes in adopting leukemia-positive cats, who was distressed because she couldn't collect her newly adopted kitten after the rescue was raided. After the seizure of the 43 cats, 12 leukemia-positive cats were left behind. These 12 cats faced an uncertain future and urgently needed placement right away because, like most places in the US, the local shelter would have immediately euthanized them for being positive. So, even though we were already at capacity at our own North Carolina facility, we couldn't ignore their plight. We promptly contacted the State Agriculture Department to request a modification to our license so that we could help them. Once it was approved, we mobilized our team to prepare a room in House 1 for the arrival of these 12 new cats - the largest single intake we've ever undertaken!

Alyson, our shelter manager, and I wasted no time driving directly to Ohio, determined to save these cats. Once there, we saw for ourselves the conditions they were living in, which made us feel so thankful that we could get them out of there and to BCR. We made the round trip in just 29 hours. 

The 12 cats were troupers throughout their nine-hour journey to BCR and, upon arrival, it was so heartwarming to see them quickly settle in, making themselves right at home within the first 30 minutes. It brought tears to our eyes to see them enjoying plenty of space, comfort, peace and love. Their natural curiosity about their new home was also wonderful to see as we watched them go straight toward the catnip and the many nice soft beds in their room. One of the cats arrived with long hair was matted that his movements were restricted and he had loss muscle strength. Happily, he’s been shaved and is finding is strength again. All of this solidified in our hearts what we already knew without a doubt – we did the right thing.

As we do with all new cats to BCR, we immediately began assessing their health needs, which were considerable. All had some kind of upper respiratory problems, several have severe dental issues, and one had a serious skin condition. As the veterinary work has continued, medical reviews have included skin tests and treatments, monitoring blood tests and several cats will have more than one dental procedures to fix rotten teeth and bad gums.

The new veterinary expenses, which are in addition to the medical care our other 60 cats receive, are and will likely continue to be high until we get all these cats stable. What makes it possible for the cats from Ohio to come to BCR, to get healthy and to finally live a happy and full life?  YOU.   Your donations through GlobalGiving are directly responsible for us being able to save these 12 precious lives.

We thank you so much for your support and your belief in giving these cats who had no future a second chance! If you’d like to see your donations in action, visit House 1, Room 1 on our 24-hour live cameras!

With deepest gratitude,

Sam and the Cats

Links:

• Read about all the BCR cats here!