Keller, His ‘Seeing-Eye Cat’ Mama, And His Adopted Kitten Friend Surprise The Shelter Staff

Keller, a blind cat, and his mother came at an Iowa shelter, and their story is unlike any other they’ve ever heard.

The Sioux City Animal Center received a report regarding two stray tuxedo cats on a Monday in August. They turned out to be the most tightly linked pair of cats the shelter’s vice president had ever seen. One is considered to be his protective mom, who is 1-2 years old, and the other is a 9-12-month-old male cat who looked to have been born without eyes.

“At the time, it was clear that the man had visual impartation, to the point of being blind.” “He’s only got the sockets where the eyes were,” Chris Wall explained.

The two cats waited to see if an owner would come forward to claim them because they were nice.

“They appeared to be fantastically nice cats,” Wall recalled, “and they were very, very lovey.” They came forward as soon as I opened the cage door and demanded to be loved, but I couldn’t separate them with a crowbar.”

The pair’s owner, however, has yet to come forward after a month. By late September, the story of the remarkable duet had resurfaced in the press, but this time with renowned names and a new cat added to the mix.

From KCAU-TV in Sioux City, here’s what happened:

The blind cat is now known as Charles or Keller, and he came before his mother, Anne “Annie” Sullivan, according to a subsequent KCAU story.

Sullivan was a prominent American teacher who was an instructor and longtime companion of Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf. Keller went on to become a world-renowned author, educator, humanitarian, and co-founder of the ACLU. Sullivan lost her eyesight later in life. After Sullivan’s death, their secretary, Polly Thomson, became Keller’s constant friend.
Keller was “extremely bewildered” and perplexed when he arrived. The cat then assumed his mother had come a day or two later. Their remarkable relationship strongly suggests that they were most likely mother and son.

Staff discovered Keller’s mother wasn’t doing well soon after she arrived and needed veterinary treatment for life-threatening health concerns. Keller was also not neutered and had not been spayed.

Cindy Rarrat, the director, explained:

“We discovered that something was wrong with her mouth after she was spayed, so we brought her back in and she had to have all of her teeth out, as well as a big tumor in her sinus cavity.” This has subsequently been taken down. They wanted to put it to the test, but we didn’t want to know,” Rarrat explained.

Thankfully, the mom cat recovered, and the shelter chose to pair the two up with another cat. This mama, on the other hand, was fiercely protective of Keller. As a result, the shelter considered Trixie, a special 9-week-old kitten with a huge personality.

“We got a kitten since the mother wouldn’t allow any other cats because she’d been protecting him his whole life.” And it was one of our kittens that stood out; he was, he has a lot of personality, and he was just a distinct and unusual personality. So we placed him in with them, and they get along swimmingly. “I’ve been here 37 years and have never seen anything like this,” Rarrat remarked.

Trixie had been sobbing a lot before, but the couple accepted her as one of the family.

Trixie was quickly accepted into the three, and she appears to be learning to assist Keller. Rarrat says she notices how Anne Sullivan walks with Keller when she speaks.

“We use bells, a ball with a bell in it, so he can hear precisely where this ball is,” says the speaker. It’s wonderful to see them move together because they walk in sync, particularly him and his mother, and the kitten is learning this as well. So it’s just learned behavior; they know he has an eye problem,” Rarrat explained.

This amazing foursome is now looking for a home at the shelter. There is someone out there who can provide a loving home for these three indoor kitties. Their story is unquestionably remarkable. They should now be living together in a safe and loving environment.

The shelter stated, “We can’t explain to you how amazing these boys are.” They never want to separate them now.

You may read more about the numerous cats available for adoption and how to apply on the shelter’s website. You may also support Keller, Annie, and Trixie by sponsoring them there.

More from Sioux City’s KCAU-TV: