Poor Oomi endured some serious medical hurdles in her short little life. At just 4 weeks old, the stray was dropped off at the ASPCA Kitten Nursery in New York City. It was immediately obvious that there was something different about the little tortie; her eyes bulged from what was most likely a bacterial infection.
But that day, Oomi met Cerena, an employee at the rescue who would soon be her new mom.
“She was dropped off at the front desk of my job and sent to me and my team at the kitten nursery,” Cerena told Love Meow.
Little Oomi may not have known that she’d found her forever family, but it didn’t take long for Cerena to realize they belonged together.
“I went to meet her and the moment you picked her up, she just wanted to cuddle and be loved. I fostered her when she was a little more medically stable and my fiancé (Anthony) and I just fell in love with her the first night,” she said in the Love Meow story.
Despite her medical condition, Cerena and Anthony applied to adopt the cuddly kitten. Her eyes would have to be removed, but only when she was big enough. In the meantime, the couple happily cared for this special girl and showered her with love.
“I always took some extra time to cuddle with her during medication time,” Cerena told Love Meow. “She just has such a ray of positivity or ‘pawsitivity’ about her. It was hard not to fall in love.”
After an unexpected emergency, the eye removal surgery had to be done sooner than expected.
“Her eye had ruptured in the middle of one night, so we brought her to the hospital and they decided they needed to do the enucleation a few weeks earlier than they planned,” Cerena said in the story.
Thankfully, this little fighter made it through the procedure. What’s more, she made a quick recovery, acting like her old, energetic self in just a few days!
“Her doctor said they’ve never seen a kitten bounce back so quick after surgery! You would never know she’s missing her eyes,” Cerena told Love Meow.
Little Oomi loves to climb, explore, and play, just like any other kitten! This smart kitty had become a pro at navigating around her new home despite being completely blind.
“Other than occasionally running into a wall, you would never know she was blind. She runs and tackles her toys like she has 20/20 vision!” Cerena said in the story.
There’s one more wonderful twist in this story: while the couple nursed Oomi back to health, the little tortie gave Cerena a reason to continue her own recovery.
“I have been dealing with quite a few medical problems along with recovering physically and mentally after a very bad car accident in July. She has kept me going… she’s there to make me laugh!” Cerena told Love Meow.“She came into my life exactly when I needed her.”
It’s truly amazing when the stars align and things are timed just right! We’ll continue to root for sweet little Oomi and her forever family.
Follow @oomithekitten on Instagram for more pictures and updates!
(h/t: Love Meow)
