In a story which will make you go ‘awwwww’, a stray cat who was thought to be blind, was discovered to have the most incredible eyes, when he finally opened them.
Carmen Morales, the founder of the Animal Friends Project, picked up Cotton on September 13, 2016, after a man discovered the stray on Royal Palm Beach, Florida.
Taking Cotton straight to the vet, Carmen couldn’t believe how sick he was, having a severe case of mange – a skin disease – which had spread through his entire body, including his eyes.
Cotton was also anaemic, dehydrated, and very underweight.
The mange meant Cotton was unable to open his eyes.
Speaking to The Dodo, Carmen said:
He couldn’t even see or open his eyes because the mites were so bad. It must have been so scary for him out there not being able to see. He was all alone and so skinny because he couldn’t find food.
Cotton started to get better though, after being treated with antibiotics and being fed small meals throughout the day.
Carmen also treated him to a bath with medicated shampoo and put coconut oil on his crusty skin in order to soothe it.
After a few days of treatment, Cotton’s health started to pick up and then, a couple of weeks later, something amazing happened – he opened his eyes.
Not only was Carmen shocked Cotton could see, but she was surprised to discover he had heterochromia – one eye being bright blue and the other hazel.
Carmen explained:
We could just see his tense body start to relax as the days passed. He was finally able to rest without scratching so much. We thought he was blind, and that he would be blind forever.
The vet thought even when his eyes recovered they might be damaged, but they weren’t. It was such a wonderful surprise. His eyes were just beautiful.
I see exactly what you mean Carmen. Cotton really is beautiful:
Opening his eyes after being unable to see for so long, gave Cotton a newfound energy, and his confidence improved greatly.
While Carmen had initially intended to only foster Cotton until he was fully recovered, she soon realised she couldn’t give him away because the two had formed a special bond:
If I go into another room, he waits outside the door talking. He sleeps with me, he stays by my side all of the time. Him and I have a wonderful relationship. He’s a good communicator and loves meowing at me.
He is so beautiful and just the perfect companion for our family. Cats like Cotton depend on people to heal, because they cannot always ask for help.
I’m sure so many people passed him by because of how sick he looked, but he was just waiting for someone to give him a chance.
Exactly Carmen!
To find out more about the work Carmen does with stray cats, check out the Animal Friends Project Facebook page.
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