Cat McAuliffe
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When Aspasia Mazzocchi and her girlfriend discovered a homeless cat near their home in Tivoli, Italy, had given birth to a litter of six kittens — half of which were desperately in need of medical attention — they decided to rescue the feline family.
“Three of them were very ill,” remembers Aspasia. “You could see their eyes were full of pus and scabs.”
The sickest of the kittens, a fluffy black male cat Aspasia and her girlfriend named Wilson after a gorilla from the video game Overwatch, had infections in both of his eyes, while two of his sisters each had one healthy eye and one infected eye. “He was also full of bugs and had scabs on his legs,” says Aspasia. “He was so weak he couldn’t move and he was dying there on the street.”
While their mother was somewhat friendly, all of the kittens were fearful of people, so it took Aspasia and her girlfriend several hours to rescue all of the kittens that day in August 2019. With six former street cats of their own, the couple intended to find homes for the seven cats after getting them the medical care they needed.
A visit to the vet revealed the kittens were only a few weeks old, and Winston and two of his sisters’ eyes had been irreparably damaged by a relatively common virus. “He had the herpes virus and his eyes were infected by it,” explains Aspasia. “The infection degenerated and his eyes got swollen and he lost his sight.”
The vet recommended removing the kittens’ damaged eyes, but Aspasia and her girlfriend didn’t have the money to pay for the costly surgeries.
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Consequently, the doctor prescribed medication to put in their eyes multiple times a day. “Winston has to have two different ointments for his eyes four times a day and he really doesn’t always like to do his treatment,” says Aspasia.
Thankfully, Aspasia and her girlfriend have been able to get Winston to sit still long enough for his medication, and more than two months after he was rescued, this incredibly cute blind kitten is doing very well!
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Being a fairly typical kitten, Winston adores food and he absolutely loves to play, especially with toys that make noise. “The thing he loves the most is to play with our hands when he is in our arms and to play with his sisters,” says Aspasia.
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Over the course of the past few weeks, Aspasia and her girlfriend found homes for five of the kittens with the help of Facebook, but they were unable to find anyone who wanted to adopt Winston.
“At the end we decided to keep Winston because he was the least adoptable and maybe he would be happier living with other cats to keep him company,” says Aspasia. “We decided to give him the most beautiful and happy life that we could offer.”
Winston is thriving in his forever home, and aside from the cost and time associated with treating his injured eyes, Aspasia and her girlfriend have found him very easy to look after.
In fact the only issue he has struggled with is getting the hang of going up and down the stairs in the couple’s four-story home. “That’s not so easy,” says Aspasia.
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However, this relatively minor challenge — which Winston will almost certainly overcome — pales in comparison to the joy and happiness this very special boy has brought to Aspasia’s life, and she hopes other people will consider adopting cats who are often overlooked because they have imperfections.
“They don’t deserve to be rejected just because they aren’t perfect,” says Aspasia. “They just need someone who will give them the opportunity to live a happy life full of love,”
Fortunately for Winston, he has a forever home where he is loved and cared for. However, this special boy still has to have surgery to remove both of his eyes, so Aspasia and her girlfriend are raising money to get him and the care he needs.
Thankfully, this sweet and playful blind kitten isn’t in any pain, and he has two moms who absolutely adore him. “I feel lucky to have found him,” says Aspasia, “because he changed me by showing me how bravely and happily he faces life and obstacles.”
To learn more about this adorable kitten, you can follow Winston on Instagram.
If you would like to help Winston get the surgery he needs to remove his eyes, you can donate to his GoFundMe.
