The Cat With No Eyes

[greenvet-hanoi]

THE CAT WITH NO EYES
By Mike and Jude Kelly

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We have all heard of animals who lose their sight because of illness, disease, trauma, but rarely does one hear of an animal born with no eyes. We would like to introduce you to our cat, whose name is Brock. Brock was born with no eyes. Not even a hint of eyes, only empty watering sockets. He also was born with a cleft plate, which makes his story all the more remarkable.
We have always been animal lovers. Our family and children have grown up knowing that we have been given dominion over the animals of this earth, which means that we are not to dominate and be cruel to them, but to care for them and be humane. We have had hamsters, a challenged duck, rabbits, a cockatiel, a parakeet, many fish, 4 dogs, and 25 cats, and I might add, not all at one time. Most of our animals have been abandoned, or miss treated.
The way we got Brock happened this way. Brock’s mother was a cat that we adopted and feed regularly because the family she was with didn’t take very good care of her. We had been doing this for about 10 years. One day she came across a very busy street to our house and in tow was one of her kittens.
Our daughter was the first to see him and came into the house and announced that there was a kitten outside with no eyes. So we went to check it out and sure enough there was the mother with her kitten. He was about 9 weeks old and his face was wet with the liquid coming from his sockets. His head was raised listening for his mother and for signs of danger.
We opened our door and he ran under the car that was in our driveway. We decided then and there that the mother cat had brought Brock over with her because she could no longer nurse him. It was time to see if she could find him a home. She knew that he would not be able to survive on his own and she knew us.
So we filled a bowl with soft food and brought it outside by the car. I walked past the front tire and waited for the kitten to come out for the food. We didn’t want him running around and possibly getting in the street. So we waited. The mother cat started to eat and soon the kitten came out and came to the bowl and started to eat. He was very hungry. It was at that time I moved quickly, gently but firmly pressed the kitten to the ground and then picked him up and said, “Now you are mine!” The mother cat looked up at me, then finished the food in the bowl and went back across the street, but not without looking back with what I could say was happiness at knowing her kitten would be o.k. It wasn’t long after that her owners left the neighborhood and took her with them. We never saw her again.
We took Brock that day into our house and into our hearts. We took him to our Vet and the vet was so surprised to see only sockets. No eye buds and that his cleft plate had healed spontaneously with only a slight deviation of his left nasal passage.
We decided early on that even though Brock had a handicap we were not going to make him disabled. We had three other kittens in our house at that time and we let them play with each other just like they were all ‘normal’. We did not move our furniture around and we left the water and food and the litter box in one place. We walked Brock through everything and let the other kittens help him. Soon Brock was acting like the other kittens. He would hide beside the couch and ambush the other kittens as they came into the room.
We found his sense of hearing and smell was exceptional, far greater than the other kittens. His whiskers grew longer than the other kittens which seemed to help him navigate around objects in all the rooms. We made it a choice to keep things in the same place so as not to create problems and chances of him getting hurt. From that point on, only windows with screens were opened and the outside doors of our house were never left open for any reason. We did everything to make his environment safe and the entire family made it their special job to keep Brock safe. Being outside was NEVER an option.
He grew well, and at 10 months we had his sockets enucleated and the openings sewn shut. We also had him neutered at that time.
Brock is now almost 4 years old. Because of his exceptional hearing he is able to play with a small ball, and he chases his favorite toy which is a mouse. Brock loves to wrestle and he still hides beside a chair or couch and jumps out to scare us.
When we arrived in Hanoi, we were concerned about how we would get medical care for Brock should that need arrive. We were in contact with our Vet in America, but we felt the need for someone here. A friend of ours introduced us to Dr. Bau. We called Dr. Bau explaining our situation with Brock and he came to our home to meet Brock. From that meeting we have come to know Dr. Bau as a compassionate, passionate Vet. He has been so kind to Brock and keeps telling us how special Brock is.
We agreed to tell Brock’s story so that people every where can come to an understanding that animals that are born with handicaps don’t need to be destroyed. Blind animals, animals missing a leg, animals who suffer from partial paralysis, or other handicap can have happy lives if there are people who will take the time to understand the handicap. Yes, it may take some of extra thinking on our parts as to how to make it work, but in the end the relationship you will build with the animal is worth all that work.
Brock makes us laugh and that is so important on those days when laughter is difficult. Brock is happy to see us when we open our door and he lets us know that with his meow. We just ask that you give some thought to what we have shared. Caring for a handicaped animal is not for everyone and that is o.k., but open your heart and your mind to the possibility.

Brock- The cat with no eyes and his parents Mr & Mrs Mike and Jude Kelly

Brock, his vet and Mrs. Kelly​