‘Gentle,’ blind cat struggled in SC shelter — then family answered ‘urgent plea’
A blind cat was struggling — then came an “urgent plea” for help in South Carolina.
The Greenville Humane Society put out calls for someone to give Jett a break from shelter life. A family quickly stepped up, and now the “gentle” cat is getting a fresh start in a foster home.
“We had noticed a decline in his mental health,” Katie Wofford, marketing assistant for the shelter, told McClatchy News in an Oct. 20 email. “We suspect that being in the shelter so long had been hard on him, and his appetite and energy levels seemed to wane. This realization led to us putting out our urgent plea for a foster/adopter, a plea which we are so grateful our community heard, and responded to.”
The shelter celebrated the good news after Jett was originally found as a “feral cat just trying to survive.” He arrived at the humane society, where he faced a health scare while under anesthesia.
“During what should have been a routine neuter surgery, Jett’s heart suddenly stopped,” the shelter wrote in a Facebook post. “Our team moved fast — working tirelessly to bring him back. They did. But in those few critical moments, something changed forever. When Jett woke up, he could no longer see.”
The shelter said it originally planned to return Jett to the streets as part of a “trap, neuter, release” program for strays. But after he lost his vision, the facility decided it would train him to be a house cat.
As the 2-year-old cat adjusted to life without sight, he became known for being affectionate. But he also grew overwhelmed and “scared” in the shelter environment, sparking the desperate push for him to get a new home.
“Jett is too sweet and gentle of a boy to have to struggle through such a monumental life change without the love and support of a comfortable home and patient family,” Wofford wrote.
Three days after the shelter posted Jett’s story Oct. 17 on Facebook, Wofford shared the heartwarming news that he had landed in a foster home. If his foster family decides he’s the right match, they may adopt him.
