by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Sugar who was dropped and left blind with brain damage
"The greatness of a nation can be judged in how it's animals are treated." Ghandi.
I was recently invited to join a group on Facebook called Blind Cats Rescue and Sanctuary, which proudly has over 11000 fans. So I decided to check out this wonderful group of people dedicated to the lives of blind cats. Do any of you know how hard it is to find GOOD news concerning pets? This was a welcome change and I wanted to tell everyone about their organization and their mission.
Blind Cats Rescue and Sanctuary is a non-profit group located in St. Pauls, NC. I've taken their mission statement from their Ebay page as it describes perfectly what they do. More about the Ebay site later in the article.
"Our mission is to give people who are unable to continue caring for their blind cat, and who have been unable to place these animals with friends, relatives, or no-kill adoption groups a sanctuary where their animals will receive a lifetime of love and care. And to provide shelters and rescues with blind cats whom are not able to find a suitable adoptive home for these animals an alternative to euthanizing them."
Please visit their web page at
Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary, Inc. (opens in a new tab or page)
Now back to the cats and the wonderful people caring for them.
Blind Cats Rescue and Sanctuary, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non profit sanctuary that takes in cats that were determined unfit for adoption because they are blind. Any cat certified by a vet to have 80% vision loss is considered blind and will be accepted into the sanctuary. Donations can be safely made on their home page. For $1 a day you can sponsor a cat and will be sent a photo of the cat you are helping to save.
It takes roughly $3000 a month to care for all of their cats. There is very little overhead so the money is used for the cats. They are privately funded only with donations and receive no government assistance.
They currently have 40 cats on site who live in a cage free environment. The sanctuary is no kill so the animals are there for life. The only cats euthanized are those who are suffering and then the decision is made by their veterinarian, Dr.Garrett and Animal Hospital of Fayetteville (NC).
Blind Cats accomplishments include rescuing more than 60 blind cats who would have been euthanized without their help. They also offer low cost spay and neuter and vaccination clinics. They led a TNR return operation for a local feral colony. Many cats are born blind due to inbreeding so this operation was very important to the organization.
They also offer a lot of information on their website on living and caring for blind cats. One fact I found interesting is that cats may become blind from not being wormed. The worms can crawl up behind the optic nerve and cause blindness. I never knew this. Another cause of blindness is inbreeding, which is one reason TNR is so important.
Other than that, blind cats can do just about anything that seeing cats do. They can climb, jump, play and love. There are always positions open for volunteers to come in and groom the cats and show they are loved.
I'm personally interested in the care of blind animals as I have a blind dog. He manages well as we always put the water bowl and the food in the same place. That's also the best way in caring for blind cats. Food, water and litter box should be kept in the same place. Blind cats will point their whiskers outward to "feel" where they are.
When moving a blind cat from room to room it helps to put the cat down in a place where it will recognize its surroundings. Their sense of touch is very acute. They actually memorize a room by the feel of the floor beneath their paws. Their only difficulty is gates, because blind cats have no idea if they can cross over a gate safely.
Before going any further I'd like to introduce you to Casper and Jamie. They're blind and Jamie has no eyes, but I don't think anyone has told them this. As you can see, they really enjoy playing. Many more videos of the cats can be found on YouTube at blindcatsrescue (opens in new window).
I'm very impressed with the activities they use to raise money. They have the Ebay auction site, but they also offer several more that other cat welfare groups could learn from. They have several activities planned including festivals and handing out low cost neuter/spay coupons. Their goal for 2011 is to build and open a new building for FIV/LEV+ cats. This building will be 48x40 feet and will house 48 cats. Anyone with time to volunteer for any of these events or to care for the animals may call 910-850-0009 (North Carolina)
I spoke by email with Alana of Blind Cats Rescue and Sanctuary and she wanted me to mention the Pepsi project that is now underway. Simply go to this link and enter North Carolina under "place". The name Blind Cat and Rescue Sanctuary will come up. They are attempting to raise money by September for a new FIV/LEV+ building.
They also have an Ebay donation page located and 10% of any item sold goes to help their cause. This is a great idea and would work well for other cat or rescue organizations. I'm a big Ebay fan myself and may as well give a thumbs up to that site as well. I purchase a lot of merchandise from them and have never had a problem.
Another idea I've never seen before is their "wish list" page on their site. The sanctuary lists articles they are in need of and those wanting to help can order these items for them and they will be shipped directly to the sanctuary. That is such a GREAT idea. My local shelter puts the word out on Facebook for what they need, but this idea is so much better because a supporter can be in another part of the country and still be able to help. This idea would work well with local shelters. Take a look at their page. Our Wish List (new page).
I hope everyone has enjoyed this article and learned something from it. All of these ideas can be incorporated into local charities to raise money for animal causes.
It's nice to know these cats have a home for life and are so well cared for and loved.
Elisa
