Moet the blind cat started life in Oman, and it’s thought that she was bred by an unregulated pet shop owner.
Animal rights legislation is limited in the country, and Moet’s current owner Emily said, ‘she was left untreated to die – often without food and water, a dirty cage, no bed to lie on, no toys.’
Due to the neglect she experienced, the champagne-coloured Persian cat’s sight deteriorated, and eventually, she went completely blind.
Thankfully she was picked up a woman who gave her to a local charity doing pro bono vet work for charities, and Moet later went on to meet Emily.
Emily told Metro.co.uk: ‘They nursed Moet back to health and removed her decaying eyes to save her life.
‘I had been looking for a companion for my first rescue, Luna, and the vets mentioned that they had a 1-year-old blind Persian. I was resistant at first, but they persuaded me to ‘just come and meet her’…
‘I hadn’t ever met a blind cat before and didn’t really know what to expect. I kneeled down to stroke her cheek. She instantly rolled over for a belly rub. I was sold!
‘She purred and purred and was so sweet-natured and seemed so happy. The instant connection I felt was so strong.
‘I couldn’t take her straight away as she was still being medicated and didn’t yet have her stitches out, so I had to wait three days. Even though I’d only spent 20 minutes with her, I couldn’t stop thinking and talking about her.’
Moet’s now six years old, and lives with Nottingham-born Emily in Oman, with her previous life just a distant memory.
She loves chin rubs and being brushed, as well as chasing bugs, sleeping, and pestering Emily for attention when she’s watching films. Moet even has a boyfriend cat in the UK called Basil, whose mum Emily has met twice.
Not only that, but Moet has become a social media star, and has over 33,000 followers on Twitter and 45,000 on Instagram, with fans in all corners of the globe.
‘I mainly wanted the world to see just how amazing blind cats are (and, although biased, I think Moet is very cute),’ said Emily.
‘But very soon after I did sign her up to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (and more recently TikTok), I realised that I could do more and felt a sense of responsibility around the awareness she could create.
‘There are loads of blind cats in shelters who are unnecessarily euthanised every year because people think they are ‘unadoptable’. This is simply not the case, which is what we try to show so that more are adopted into loving, caring homes.’
Emily has a non-profit merchandise store where you can buy everything from Moet mugs to cushions for your house.
Although these items are incredibly cute, they’re for a purpose. All the money raised goes to helping the strays of Oman, so other cats never have to go through what Moet did.
Emily is also on a mission to help other people get over any hurdles they have about rescuing cats that have disabilities or a past.
She does say it isn’t always easy, and it’s important to recognise that all cats need care, but especially those with extra needs.
‘As long as they are willing and able to provide a loving and caring ‘forever’ home and a safe environment for them, then they should go for it!’ she said.
‘I’d go far beyond saying I have no regrets, but rather that this has changed my life in ways I could not have imagined. Not in big ways (yet), but in significant ways for me personally.
‘It’s important, though, to remember that so-called ‘special needs’ cats are a responsibility and may require care over and above a ‘normal’ cat. As long as people go into it with their eyes open (pardon the pun) and for the right reasons, they will be richly rewarded.
‘They are amazing, capable, loving and most of the time, like normal cats.
‘For me, now, adopting has a different meaning. I think I’d go out of my way to adopt a cat that had behavioural or physical challenges, one that had maybe had a rough start in life.
‘I’m very interested in feline behaviour also and believe that every cat deserves love, security, a full belly and much more.’
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source https://metro.co.uk/2020/02/07/cat-went-blind-neglect-now-social-media-star-raising-money-animal-rescue-12195491/
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