Blind, special needs cat returned in box to shelter: ‘She was so confused’

GREENVILLE, S.C. (WHNS/Gray News) – A special needs cat was recently returned to a South Carolina shelter in a box without explanation.

The Greenville Humane Society said a box left on their front steps in July contained a familiar face.

The white-and-gray cat had originally come to the shelter in January when she was 3 months old. She was the runt of her litter.

The little kitten, which the shelter named Elena at the time, was terrified and confused. Their vets determined she was completely blind and later discovered she also has hydrocephalus, a rare birth defect that causes increased fluid in the brain.

Hydrocephalus can cause cats to appear constantly wobbly and unable to control their movements. It often causes a gait that is uncoordinated, spastic, and clumsy, according to the National Kitten Coalition.

Despite the challenges the kitten faced since birth, the Greenville Humane Society said she was incredibly sweet and was adopted shortly after she first arrived at the shelter.

Shelter staff members were heartbroken when they found the cat returned to the shelter, left in a box without explanation.

“We don’t know why she was brought back to us,” Greenville Humane Society posted on Facebook. “Why she was left. She was so confused. She didn’t know where she was.”

She continued to beat the odds, though. After her return, she started learning her way around the shelter’s cattery and bonding with other cats.

The shelter renamed her Mabel “because she’s no longer that scared, blind baby we used to know. She’s strong,” the Facebook post said.

The shelter pleaded to find Mabel a forever home that can handle her special needs. She requires daily medication for her hydrocephalus that she will need for the rest of her life. It costs about $25 per month.

“She is completely worth it,” Greenville Humane Society said. “She has so much love to give, and she deserves to find a family that will give her love in return.”

Thankfully, in an update posted Monday, the shelter said Mabel was adopted.

To learn more about other adoptable pets at Greenville Humane Society, visit their website.

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