(Note from Gwen: This story comes to us from Helen Hobbs of Tails of the City Pets pet care service in Toronto, Canada. I was tempted to edit it for length, but the story is so beautiful that I think it deserves to be told in its entirety.)
“I wanted to adopt one more cat to add to our happy family which consisted of a 6 year old female Shih Tzu named Parker, a 4 year old male Munchkin cat named Calvin and a large 2 year old male grey tabby named Murphy. Seeing as all my pets were healthy and happy I wanted to adopt a cat with a disability who might get passed by or not have a chance.
“I went on the Petfinder website and started my search and found two cats with motor skill problems. I spoke to each foster home about them and both said that even if they were not adopted, they would be happy to care for them for the rest of their lives. Then, I came across ‘Blue’ (Russian Blue mix).
“She had been found by tourists on one of the outer islands of Greece. She was a tiny kitten of about 2 months who was hiding, starving, crying and blind, she had crusts on her eyes and nose and had difficulty breathing. They brought her to a vet in Athens to euthanize her. Luckily the vet did not think this was the course of action and decided she had a chance of recovery.
“He brought her back to health and when I found her online she had been in a cage at the vet’s office for 6 months – I knew she had to get out of there and be with us. On Petfinder you put in your city and all the pets available in your city come up. The Tails from Greece Rescue (www.tailsfromgreecerescue.com) was the rescue organization that came up beside Blue. In Toronto there’s a Greek section of town on Danforth Avenue and that is where I thought they were located. It wasn’t until I talked to Dianne Aldan of TFGR that I found out that Blue was actually in Greece!!!
“People sometimes ask Dianne why she would want to find homes for stray, abandoned and injured animals in Greece when we have animals here needing homes. Having visited Greece many times, she got to see what life as a stray is like and felt compelled to help as there is no infrastructure there …. no animal control, no humane societies, only a few privately run shelters which can manage to care for only a small number of animals. Adoption of rescued animals is basically unheard of in Greece. I did pause for a minute as I didn’t know what was involved, but Dianne organized everything and made it all so easy. Tails from Greece Rescue covers all costs – vaccinations, airfare and organizes all details to fly a dog or cat to Canada. I just had to pay an adoption fee which would be the same for any rescue organization in Toronto. I appreciated her screening process, calling my vet, speaking to some of my friends, doing a house visit – it really let me know that they have the pet’s best interest in mind.
“Going to the airport to pick up Blue was so exciting – I felt like I was going to meet a relative I hadn’t seen in a long time.
“About a year before I adopted Blue, I saw a program on PBS about cats and they stated that the first cat probably originated in Cyprus, not in Egypt as we always thought. At that time I thought Cyprus would be a beautiful name for a cat. Little did I know that the cat I would give that name to would have such a connection – meant to be!!
“Blue, now named Cyprus, came into our home a confident and secure little blind cat. For the first couple of days I would get tears in my eyes just looking at her. The Russian Blue’s crowning glory is their eyes and hers were- one that looked like a marble and the other that looked like a dead fish eye. Hard to say what happened to her, whether it was cat flu, accident or human hand.
“I now know that her true glory is her sweet independent nature, her delicate features, her trusting, loving soul and her bravery. She has the most beautiful coat as I guess there was little to ease the boredom in her cage as a kitten but to groom so she’s a little OCD about that.
“Nothing holds that girl back. I tried teaching her the stairs into my basement but she was not having any of that so I dropped it. A couple of days later I came home and sure enough she was in the basement, but not only that, she was up in the window well after climbing on some chairs etc.
“Having starved as a kitten, she has that starvation mentality. All three cats have their own food bowls and I feed them the same amount. Calvin and Murphy pick at theirs throughout the day but Cyprus eats her entire amount in one sitting. She stops, takes a big breath like you do after you’ve had too much Christmas dinner and continues eating. I now give her half in the morning and the other half when I come home – and she doesn’t let me forget her other half either! One day I came home with some groceries, put them down on the kitchen floor and went back out to my car to get the rest. When I came back Cyprus had gotten into one bag, pulled out a loaf of bread, opened it and had eaten the corner off a number of slices – I had to laugh. I watch her weight because she loves her food. She was a tiny 7 lbs when I got her and now a sleek 9lbs.
“She is allowed out in the completely fenced in backyard with supervision and just loves it – exploring etc. She has a favorite bush she loves to sit under for hours listening to the birds and different sounds. She caught a mouse once out there – didn’t kill it, just played with it until I noticed and took it away – she didn’t like that one bit. Not bad for a blind cat to catch a mouse! When it’s time to come in I just call her name to come in and she comes running, yes running! Only if she feels that she hasn’t had enough time outside does she become deaf as well as blind… Because she can’t see, she is very tactile and plays with the cat toys way more than the others. She doesn’t bat them around the floor but throws them up in the air, finding them wherever they land – except if it’s a high throw and they land on the stove or up on a piece of furniture – then she is quite perplexed as to where they have gone.
“She loves to sit on my lap when I read the paper or am at my computer. It’s very cute seeing this as she can’t jump up in one fell swoop like other cats, so she puts her front paws on my leg waiting to be picked up like a toddler would do. Or she tries climbing up my leg which really kills if her nails are too long ….. she hates having her nails cut – it’s like trying to lasso an octopus!
“She gets along very well with everyone and is not afraid of new dogs that friends might arrive with. She’s very quiet except when it’s time to eat and then she has a very cute, delicate meow. She chirps in acknowledgement if she comes upon you by accident or when you pet her when she not expecting it. She is sweet beyond belief, but nobody’s fool. She definitely is a survivor and I’m so glad that young couple found her and put her in the able hands of the wonderful animal hospital that nursed her back to health and gave her a future.”
Like Homer, Cyprus is also interested in drinking from the toilet (what is it with blind cats and toilets???), as you can see here:
