You're story about Holly doesn't surprise me in the least. I've gotten over
being surprised by what some people will do.

You're Duffy is an inspiration as is the story of your introducing them. You
don't know how many people have heard their story. Duffy always comes up
when we are doing an adoption of a cat/kitten with vision problems. This
last summer we adopted out a kitten with cataracts and another with
glaucoma. Both of those adoptive parents heard how well Duffy has adapted.

Our rescue group is really lucky in that we have a feline ophthalmologist
who works with us gratis. He built eyelids for one kitty and consulted on
the other two that I already mentioned. It helps to have an expert discuss
the cat's long term prognosis.

The last word I got was that all of these cats were doing really well in
their adoptive homes and their people just rave on about how sweet they are.

Wendy



You are absolutely correct about Holly. I'm afraid I often overlook her
when I post to this group because this NG is "health+behav," so I tend to
emphasize Duffy because he is blind and has been so remarkable in living
without sight. But Holly is truly a wonderful cat. She is my little
shadow -- everywhere I go, Holly goes. Everyone I know says she is
clearly a "one person cat," and there is no doubt of her love. She is
also gorgeous with her beautiful eyes and glossy black coat. I don't know
anything about Duffy's parentage, but I do have some information (although
anecdotal) about Holly's. My previous cat had died (Amber, age 16-1/2),
and I was ready to adopt another. I went to the animal shelter the day
after Thanksgiving, but they were closed. So I went to a pet supply store
that sometimes had kittens (for adoption, not for sale) but there were
none at that time of the year. I was talking to a woman who worked there
and told her that I would also be happy with an older cat, and she said,
"Would you consider..." and told me Holly's story. According to her (but
an account that I never verified), a local breeder had deliberately mixed
two breeds in an attempt to get a specific type of cat. She bred an
Oriental shorthair and a Persian. Holly was one of the results, but this
"breeder" also specifically wanted gray and Holly is black. The breeder
planned to destroy Holly solely because of her color, so the woman I was
talking to talked her into letting her take Holly and find a home for her.
I adopted Holly the next day, and she has been my true love ever since!
She was born in early June, so she was about 6 months old when I adopted
her 12 years ago. Incidentally, I asked my vet if Holly's physical
characteristics would fit the story I was given, and he said they would.

I adopted Duffy on Jan. 31, 2003. He was estimated by three different
vets to be between 3 and 5 years of age at that time. He is much smaller
than a Ragdoll, but I can see how you might see that possibility from his
pictures. He weighs about 8 pounds, and Holly is 9 pounds. He does not
actually have blue eyes. In fact, there is no iris or pupil at all. What
you see in the pictures is a blue glaze across his eyes caused by his
blindness. I took Duffy to a feline ophthalmologist at Texas A&M
University College of Veterinary Medicine shortly after I adopted him. I
wanted an evaluation because he could get along so well that I thought he
might have some vision, and I wanted to know if there was anything I could
do to preserve it. I learned at that time that Duffy is completely blind.
If there is any residue of vision at all (which is "minimal to nothing"),
it would only be the merest light/dark perception. He would not even be
able to see broad shapes. His condition was described as "anterior
cleavage syndrome." His eyes are much smaller than normal. Since the eyes
did not grow correctly, the eyelids also did not grow. It seems that the
eyelids grow to accommodate the eye. I was shown a model of a cat's eye.
There should be space between the iris and the cornea, but there is no
space in Duffy's eyes; the two components adhered together. This probably
happened in utero, and possibly was caused by infection in the mother.
However, Duffy does not have any infection; and this was not caused by
herpes (in Duffy) or anything similar.

Thanks for asking about Holly. These are my two furbabies, and -- just as
you said -- each is equally special, in their own particular ways.

MaryL