Cat McAuliffe
When Devin Coffin’s boyfriend saw a picture of a blind kitten online, he immediately wanted to adopt the fluffy grey and white cat who had lost his vision to untreated congenital glaucoma. While Devin wasn’t a big fan of felines, she knew her partner would provide the special needs kitten with a wonderful home. “I was not a cat person in the slightest, but agreed to adopt him anyways to make my partner happy,” explains Devin.
The couple’s adoption application was approved, but the kitten was too young for Devin and her boyfriend to bring him home, so they had to wait until he was eight weeks old. Smitten with the adorable blind kitten, Devin’s boyfriend was eager to share pictures of his new cat with friends and family. “He was so excited, and showed everyone photos of the kitten on his phone for weeks,” remembers Devin.
Tragically, shortly before the couple was scheduled to bring the little kitten home, Devin lost her partner suddenly and unexpectedly in May 2017. “Unfortunately, my boyfriend ended up passing away in a motorcycle accident two days before we were supposed to pick up the kitten,” says Devin. However, Devin’s friend who was facilitating the adoption was unaware of his death, so she reached out to Devin to make arrangements for the kitten’s adoption day.
“After I told her what happened, I basically just said ‘screw it’ and drove over and picked up the kitten anyways because I knew how excited my boyfriend had been to get him,” remembers Devin, naming the two-month old cat CJ. Just days after losing her partner, Devin — who didn’t particularly like cats — found herself caring for a blind, 8-week-old kitten who was desperately in need of medical attention.
“The people who had him before I adopted him never took him to the vet to get him checked out,” explains Devin, “so when I got him his right eye was basically exploding from the build up of pressure.” Devin did everything she could to save CJ’s right eye, but nothing the vet prescribed helped, and it ultimately had to be removed due to the risk of infection.
While CJ had to recover from the surgery, he’d already adjusted to being a blind cat, having lived most — if not all — of his life without vision. More than two years later, this handsome one-eyed boy is doing great, so well in fact that it’s sometimes hard for his mom to believe he’s actually blind.
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“I don’t think CJ’s blindness limits him, and I’m always amazed by how well he gets around,” says Devin. “Sometimes when he does things like climb on counters, or drink from the toilet bowl, I swear he can see even though I know he can’t.”
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Despite being blind, CJ is a fairly typical cat who doesn’t require a lot of special care or accommodations. However, he does need daily eye medication to control the pressure in his remaining eye, so if Devin goes out of town, she has to get someone who will administer the drops to CJ in her absence.
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Other than this relatively minor inconvenience, Devin has found CJ to be very easy to look after, proving blind cats are often a lot more capable and independent than people think.
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“I wish people knew that cats like CJ can live normal lives just like any other cat,” says Devin. “There’s no reason why he couldn’t or shouldn’t be happy, healthy, and loved. The fact that some cats like CJ would just be put down breaks my heart.”
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Without a doubt, CJ is a very happy boy who loves his life, whether he’s sleeping on his cat tower, meowing for food, or playing with Devin’s dog. “Sometimes I think he might think he is a dog,” says Devin.
When Devin met CJ a little over two years ago, she didn’t have any experience caring for a cat, much less one with special needs, and she almost certainly wouldn’t have adopted a blind feline had it not been for a commitment she and her boyfriend made before her passed away unexpectedly. “After he died, I couldn’t back out of the promise that I had made to adopt him,” says Devin.
Over the past two years, CJ and his mom have formed a very special relationship, and Devin credits this remarkable boy — who entered her life during an incredibly difficult time — with changing her perspective on cats and even turning her into a self-described cat lover.
“He brings me so much happiness and joy, even if he’s just sleeping,” says Devin. “I never cease to be amazed by all the things he does. He means the world to me.”
To learn more about this handsome cat, you can follow CJ on Instagram.
