I had already taken blind cats in when very few people were willing to. I was encouraging them to live as cats, and I had learned how to do that well. But the losses had taken their toll.
Now there was another kitten who needed help.
I wanted to say no. I had said no more blind cats.
But that quiet voice — my unseen friend — said, help.
So I went.
The owners brought him to the vet. They were Turkish, so we worked through translations. They didn’t know what to do with him. His mother and the rest of the litter had rejected him.
The carrier door opened, and a scruffy, fluffy head appeared.
I held out my hand.
Just like Furby, he came straight into my arms and relaxed.
The mother and daughter were taken aback. They hadn’t expected him to respond like that. I never assume how a blind kitten will react. You hope for the best, but you never know until you try.
Frodo on arrival
Surprise turned to smiles. Relief. We exchanged numbers, and I promised to send updates as he grew.
That was that.
He went into quarantine, as they all do. He didn’t mind. A bedroom, a bed — and as with every blind kitten before him, he quickly discovered that my bed was better than the one I had bought him.
It was summer, and hot. My bedroom wasn’t popular during the day. They sought out cool floors, breezes, shade.
Not long after, a WhatsApp message arrived from a friend further down in the village. She and her husband, Julie and Ray, were deeply involved in animal rescue. They had a blind cat of their own.
Two kittens had been born in the harbour — brother and sister. The brother was nearly blind. The sister was completely blind. The rescue centre was full.
Any ideas?
By then, I understood something important: blind siblings draw strength from each other. They should not be separated.
“Yes,” said the voice again.
Dipper & Mabel
They came home.
I put all three together in my bedroom.
It was instant.
Friendship. Confidence. Movement. Noise. Life.
Everything shifted.
Had they all been boys, they would have been Frodo, Merry and Pippin. Frodo stayed Frodo. For the brother and sister, I went looking for a pair of names that belonged together.
Mabel and Dipper.
It fit.
Enter Dipper.
I had said no more blind cats.
Now, somehow, I had three new babies.
All named. All settled. All bonded.
Strange how life turns.
Maybe it was meant to be.
Frodo left, Mabel centre, Dipper right. An instant friendship