Written by Lize Müller, founding member of Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg, Gauteng
We named her Bin Laden because she was as elusive, cunning and impossible to trap as any feral-cat trapper can find.
But we knew that, somewhere in the overgrown shrubbery surrounding the Heidelberg Mall, was a well-hidden litter of kittens – her latest offspring. Bad weather was on the way and we simply had to find those babies…
Soaked to the bone
Days of unrelenting rain and terrifying flash flooding marked February 2017 and the search for the kittens continued. They were young – not even old enough to be weaned – and the weather was so bad that we feared for their survival. We pictured them out there, so small and defenceless, and knew we couldn’t give up.
Then, one stormy night, Donna Gertenbach, the feral cat carer minding the “Mall Rats” colony (as the Heidelberg Mall ferals had been dubbed) for the TNR programme Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg, made a discovery in one of the dripping-wet hedges.
A tiny, tortoiseshell kitten – Bin Laden’s only surviving baby – lay shivering, soaked to the bone, in a muddy flowerbed. She was pulled from the shrubs, wrapped up and rushed to our vet.
A bleak outlook
The outlook was extremely bleak: the kitten was only a few days old and barely clinging to life; she had a bulging, ulcerated eye and severe infection in the other, with an “exploded” eye causing severe pain to this tiniest of babies.
Our vet advised that her eye had to be removed immediately. She was only 13 days old, weak and underweight and, as an unweaned baby, the possibility of her dying was extremely high.
A difficult decision
The decision had to be made to either let the little one slip away or fight to save her life; she was hanging on and so the decision was easy. Despite Feral Cat Assist not having had the finances to afford such an effort – that spark of soul was not giving up, so how could we?
Two veterinarians we consulted made it very clear that they did not support our decision. They advised us to euthanise her humanely, because she’d either die under anesthetic or have little to no quality of life as a partially blind cat with possible underlying health issues.
But we kept our heads down, firmly believing that every life is worth saving, or at least worth trying for. After everything she’d survived this far, we had to give her a chance.
Big surgery for a little girl
On the morning of her surgery we decided that she needed a name; if she did cross that Rainbow Bridge, she would not do so as an unnamed kitten. With the hope that she would recover, we named the tiny, moaning bundle “Phoenix”, so named in hopes of a glorious new life emerging just like the mythical Phoenix, the bird who continued to rise from the ashes of previous lives.
It was a big surgery for a puff of breath so very small. But, true to her name, she rose from the ashes of that past life and by 16h00 that same day she was wide awake and squealing for milk at the top of her voice; our spirits soared.
The damaged eye had been removed and she was sent home with medication for the infected eye. We were told that there was a very real danger that she could still lose the remaining eye.
Leaps and bounds
Phoenix was placed into foster care with Irma Gouws, a gentle, dedicated slip of a lady with patience and perseverance. Within two days, Phoenix was up and took the household by storm – nothing could hold her back.
She recovered in leaps and bounds, spurred on by the companionship of another bottle-fed baby, Sylvi, who was found in the street, umbilical cord still attached. The two of them became firm friends and a combined power to be reckoned with!
Phoenix was happy, healthy, brave and determined to bulldoze her way through life with cuddles and a stubborn disposition. Had you not known that she’d lost an eye and that her remaining eye was also compromised to an extent, you would never have guessed it when you watched her bolting around the house, terrorising dogs and climbing curtains.
Devastating news
When Phoenix was 10 weeks old, we decided to start the search for her forever family. We knew it wouldn’t be easy – even under normal circumstances, trying to home a “perfect” cat without any physical compromises, is challenging, so we were worried that she would never find her humans.
We owed it to Phoenix and her potential adopters to be honest and transparent, so we had to know what her future held for her health-wise. We consulted the excellent specialists of the Johannesburg Animal Eye Hospital in Fourways.
The news was devastating: Phoenix had less than 1% sight in her remaining eye and was technically blind. There were also no guarantees that she wouldn’t lose her sight entirely somewhere down the line. As it stood, though, she could only distinguish light, shadow and blurry movement, so entire loss of sight would make no difference.
We were heart-broken, but just one look at that bouncy, joyful kitten, so loving life and everything that every day brought, could lift anyone’s spirits. Clearly, Phoenix wasn’t held back by her situation so neither would we be.
No interest in a less-than-perfect kitten
Phoenix’s appeal went out on Facebook. It was an appeal for an extra-special home for an extra-special kitten, accompanied by beautiful photos of little brat-face at her very best and most cheeky.
Four weeks of networking yielded nothing, no interest… With so many desperate, “perfect” cats and kittens out there searching for homes, who would want a less-than-perfect kitten who couldn’t see?
But we were determined to find that home, even if it took forever and the networking continued unabated.
My partner-in-feral-cats, Jennifer Hunter, is the principal founding member of Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg; it is her tireless efforts that ensured Cassie’s trips to the vet clinic for check-ups and she was the one who personally saw to Cassie’s safe boarding of her flight to a new life.
Special cats need special homes
One fine day at the end of May 2017, I received a message from my long-time friend, Nikki Botha, an extraordinary human, animal rights activist and Sea Shepherd crewmember (Sea Shepherd is a marine conservation organisation). It was a short sentence, asking: “Lize, is Phoenix entirely blind?”
I explained the situation and prognosis. Knowing the history and loss of Nikki’s three beautiful furry family members – Mai, Jack and Mary Queen of Cats – it never even crossed my mind that she may be asking for a reason other than just concerned interest.
Another five messages followed, each with more urgency. Two days later, Nikki applied to adopt Phoenix… because a blind kitten was exactly what she wanted. Before Phoenix could pack her little bags, Nikki had an important job to do for animals: she was heading to China to document the terrible Yulin Festival. Once she was home, toys would be bought and she’d be waiting at the airport for a “special package”.
Many would ask why someone would want a blind cat; simply because they are the same as every other cat but in a more special way. They don’t know they’re different. Instead, the qualities they have are even more extraordinary and amazing.
A perfect ending
On 11 July 2017, a blind kitten found on the streets of Heidelberg arrived at Cape Town Airport to a new life; a new chapter was about to start. In four months, she went from a tiny spark of life nearly dying in our hands to a healthy, happy cat, purring against the chests of the two most wonderful humans she could ever find.
Even before they reached home that day, Phoenix was no longer. That identify was left behind forever to make way for a new name: Cassie, a name that suited a brave, strong and charming kitten who’d beaten incredible odds and is continuing to do so, bringing only tremendous joy to the lives of those who never thought her to be less than perfect.
Instead, they saw her as embodying absolute perfection.
Fabulous ferals
Thank you, Happy Tails Magazine, on behalf of Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg, for this opportunity to share Cassie’s story with animal lovers out there.
It’s so extremely important for people to realise that feral cats aren’t an alien species; horrible, diseased, vicious cats roaming streets and feeding from garbage bins.
They’re just normal cats, the very same as the cat in your home, but they’ve never had the luxury of love, safety, care and a soft touch. They are out there, homeless and starving, not through any fault of their own, but because of the ignorance and irresponsibility of humankind.
There are many Cassies out there, just waiting to be rescued.
PS: Cassie’s mom, Bin Laden, is still alive and well; she was finally trapped and sterilised many months later and continues to live “wild” in the hedges outside Heidelberg Mall where she’s happy.
A SPECIAL HOME FOR A SPECIAL CAT
By Nikki Botha, Cassie’s new owner
We were not planning on adopting Cassie at all. I’d been away in Mexico doing anti-poaching work when our previous cat, Mai (who was blind and deaf), passed away. I was broken to say the least and so was my husband. I expected to come home to snuggles and purrs; instead I came home to a jar of ashes. It’s still difficult to talk about it.
Having lost Jack in 2013, after he went missing and was never found, and Mary Queen of Cats, who passed away in 2014, losing Mai in 2017 was too much – my husband and I vowed never to have another animal in our lives.
Both Jack and Mary had been able-bodied cats and their loss hit us hard. But there’s something about the passing of a special-needs cat that really, really hits you deep. I never envisioned my life without animals, but Mai's passing did the trick. Neither of us was willing to go through the pain of losing an animal again. It was just easier to have an empty home.
We could give her a home
I saw Cassie (then Phoenix) looking for a home on Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg’s Facebook page. Because she was blind, I thought about adopting her – for a very, very brief second.
I tried to measure my husband’s state of mind by showing him a photo of her; he didn’t even look. He simply said: “Don’t even think about it!” His reaction confirmed what I was feeling: we both wanted to stick to the “not ever again” vow.
But then I noticed how Cassie struggled to find a home. Weeks went by with no offers. I couldn’t let my own selfishness cost her. We could give her that home. It took many a night’s discussion with my husband and we fluctuated between “okay” and “no way”.
Then, Lize messaged me and said, “Look Nix, I know you said you weren’t ready, but you KNOW how to work with blind cats!” Despite trying to find a real reason not to adopt her, the reason remained elusive. So, we finally buckled and said yes.
A friend in need…
It took a month or two for Cassie to come to us as I was overseas in China and she still needed to be sterilised. She was in Gauteng and we are in Cape Town, so transport had to be arranged.
In the months leading up to joining us in Cape Town, I was riddled with anxiety and doubt. The entire thing left me in tears quite a few times. It felt like I was about to make the biggest mistake of my life.
I wasn’t ready for another cat and I didn’t WANT another cat. But Cassie needed us and what I felt was of no consequence. Ready or not, she was coming.
Head over heels
Feral Cat Assist Heidelberg organised for her to relocate to Cape Town. When we fetched her at the airport, I literally burst into tears when I saw her. Both my husband and I were instantly head over heels in love with this beautiful, strong cat.
In the car ride home, she was so curious about everything around her and wasn’t stressed out at all. We were amazed. On arrival home, she hopped right out of her carrier and immediately strolled around as if she belonged. Even her local vet said he’d never seen such a sweet-natured cat.
Belonging
Cassie belongs with us, that much is clear. We dote on her. In fact, our entire lives revolve around her. Because of her blindness, she’s an indoor cat and living with her in such close quarters has afforded us an opportunity to really, really bond. She is our world! The sun rises and sets with her.
Our apartment looks like a recycling heap. We bought Cassie all the toys in the world, but she loves boxes, papers and bells. So, needless to say, we have boxes galore all over the show and more bells than we can count.
Cassie is also incredibly intelligent; she taught herself to “fetch” and follows our verbal instructions like human language is second nature to her. My husband and I sometimes have to communicate with each other non-verbally because Cassie, as bizarre as it sounds, understands what we are saying.
Cassie isn’t a cat to us; she is our child, our best friend, our family!
