Cat McAuliffe
Jacqueline Bond adopted a blind black and white kitten, whom she named Sarah VAL Serendipitous, before meeting the special cat in person. In fact, Jacqueline — who had been trying for a while to adopt a blind cat — submitted an application for Sarah without even seeing a picture of the adorable cat who had recently lost her vision under tragic circumstances.
Sadly, Sarah, along with her brother Calvin, had been neglected by their former owner, and both of them developed severe eye infections. Instead of seeking treatment for the two kittens, Sarah and Calvin’s former owner attempted to drown them in a drainage ditch.
Thankfully, a neighbor intervened, and Sarah and Calvin were taken in by a local animal rescue. Tragically for Sarah, her eyes had already ruptured, but Calvin received treatment before he went blind like his sister. In addition to losing her sight, Sarah developed asthma and breathing difficulties after the attempted drowning.
When Jacqueline learned about Sarah through Karena, her friend on Instagram, she was eager to provide the special cat with the love and security she deserved. “I knew I wanted to give a completely blind kitty a home,” Jacqueline explains.
Both Jacqueline and Karena belong to an Instagram group called the Kitty Saving Bishes — KSB for short — that is dedicated to rescuing cats from kill shelters and hoarding situations, so she was well aware of how difficult it can be for special needs cats to find good homes. In fact, Sarah’s brother Calvin is still available for adoption. “He has a cloudy eye,” explains Jacqueline, “so nobody wants him.”
On July 2, 2016, Sarah was delivered to Jacqueline’s home when she was less than three months old, and this special black and white kitten quickly demonstrated that she can do pretty everything a sighted cat can do. In order to get around, Sarah makes noises, which Jacqueline calls “chortles” and “purrtles,” to bounce sounds off of objects in her environment. “That’s her sonar system,” says Jacqueline. “Coolest thing ever. Seriously.” Also, despite not having eyes, Jacqueline can tell when Sarah is sleeping because she blinks and opens and closes her “eyes” like any other cat.
While Sarah can’t see, she uses her other senses to pounce on the 10 cats in her home, catch bugs, race around the house with Bella, the resident dog, and even climb the walls. However, this special black and white cat is also incredibly loving and sweet, often making muffins, purring, and cuddling with her mom. “She’s an awesome snuggler,” says Jacqueline. “She’s seriously the happiest cat you’ll ever meet.”
Sarah’s indomitable spirit serves as inspiration to Jacqueline who — at just 41 years old — has lost both of her parents and her two younger sisters. “I’ve had days where I’d honestly feel sorry for myself,” says Jacqueline, “but now I look at Sarah. This beautiful little girl inspires me each and every day.”
Not only is Sarah incredibly happy and positive despite suffering abuse and neglect that caused her to lose her vision and develop chronic breathing problems, Jacqueline says she’s just as easy to take care of as her sighted cats. “Sarah gets around better than any of the seeing cats,” Jacqueline explains. “Sarah sees with her heart. No eyes, no problem.”
It’s been more than a year since Sarah was delivered to her forever home in West Columbia, South Carolina, and Jacqueline is convinced blind cats give more love than their seeing counterparts, and they don’t want pity or need special care. In addition to Sarah’s “epic lady beard,” her incredible purr, and her zest for life, Jacqueline says there’s so much more she adores about her beautiful blind cat.
“I’m so very thankful that I was honored with the title of her HuMom,” says Jacqueline. “There are literally a million reasons why I love this little girl with everything in me.”
To learn more about Sarah, you can follow her and her family on Instagram. If you’re interested in adopting Sarah’s brother Calvin, please send Jacqueline a direct message on Instagram.
