Jackson: A Cat With Sense

When Banfield Pet Hospital in Lexington asked us to take a blind cat, we were willing, but also somewhat apprehensive. We've never had a blind cat in foster care before, and because the cats in our program do not live in cages, we were uncertain how to go about familiarizing Jackson with his new environment.

Jackson suffered blunt-force trauma to the head which left him with a crushed nasal passage, complete blindness in one eye, and only the ability to see shadows in the other eye. He has absolutely amazed us, though!

We started him out in a large dog playpen in a room, showing him where the food and water was, the bed, and the litter box. This was mastered easily and quickly by Jackson. Within the first few days in residence here, Jackson had stood on his hind legs to reach a volunteer's face, pat it with his paws, and then give a cat kiss on the chin. It seems that when he does this, he is feeling what we look like, because he only does this the first few times he meets a person.

Jackson walks a bit more cautiously than other cats, so that when his whiskers feel a door or a wall, he has time to stop and change direction. Otherwise, he is as normal, healthy and happy as any other cat-except that unlike other cats, Jackson actually comes when called by name. He is very voice oriented, and he appears to follow our footsteps and voices more than relying on his shadowy sight. However, he would benefit greatly by getting into a permanent home where things are not always in flux.