Love is Blind: Rae's Story

We first met Ray, a nine-month-old calico in February of 2020. She’d come to Dakin from a situation where there were many cats and a caregiver who became ill and could no longer give Ray the care she needed.

We quickly discovered she was suffering from a flea infestation, dental issues, an upper respiratory infection, and severe damage to both eyes. Ray was very fearful after such an abrupt move to an unfamiliar place. She received pain medication for comfort and began treatment to get her issues under control.

It was soon time to address Ray's biggest issue - her eyes. The existing ruptures and infection left her with no vision in either eye and the condition was very painful. It was then that the vet team scheduled Ray for a bilateral enucleation, which is the surgical removal of both eyes. $1,525 was generously donated to a Facebook fundraiser to help offset the cost of Ray’s surgery.

After recovering from surgery, it was clear that Ray was a lot more comfortable. She enjoyed the added benefit of recovering in a foster home. Ray was adopted in March of 2020 and her adopter, Roisin has kindly kept us updated over the years.

Roisin worked in a hospital when she adopted Ray, now Rae. Days after the adoption, the COVID-19 pandemic began. Roisin told us, “You can imagine no one wanted to be around a hospital employee during the pandemic, so I like to think Rae rescued me. She was my one constant. She gave me purpose in an otherwise lonely time.”

Rae quickly made herself at home. “I marveled at how intuitive this blind kitten was”, Roisin recalled. “It took her about 5 minutes to master the layout of our loft.” After about a year, Rae became curious about what lay beyond the front door, so Roisin began taking Rae on leashed daily strolls in their building.

“Rae has provided me with unconditional love. I’m grateful to Dakin for choosing me to adopt Rae. There should never be any doubt in peoples' minds about adopting a blind cat.”