An adorable one-eyed kitten is on the hunt for a forever home after being in a rescue centre for half her life.
Four-month-old Ana arrived at Battersea Cats and Dogs home in December, when she was just seven weeks old. The domestic short-hair was born with a cleft lip, and just a few weeks later her appearance became even more unique.
After she was taken in by the rescue centre, Battersea’s vets discovered Ana suffered from a rare congenital abnormality that meant one of her eyeballs was underdeveloped. The ailment caused the little kitten discomfort, so vets removed her right eye in order to ease the pain.
With an increasing number of animal lovers now searching for photogenic pets to show off on social media, Battersea staff are concerned Ana may not meet some people’s picture-perfect criteria.
Ana also has the odds stacked against her because she has black fur; a feature a lot of people are superstitious or wary about.
Speaking of the little one-eyed kitten, Battersea’s Cattery Manager, Rachel Saunders, said:
It is such a shame when people take animals at face value when searching for a new pet, rather than looking beyond their appearance to find unique quirks and personalities.
As well as her distinctive face, Ana is a black cat and too many people still have misconceptions and superstitions about that particular colour. We think she’s beautiful just the way she is, because the things that make an animal different are what makes them special.
Rescue animals may not be perfect, but they’re certainly worth it.
Rachel described Ana as being ‘soft and playful’, and her unique look only makes her a more interesting creature. She’d be fine to live with older children and teenagers, though would prefer not to have to share the spotlight with any other cats or dogs.
Kittens are usually snapped up from Battersea, but despite being given the green light to go to a new home three weeks ago Ana is still waiting for some new owners to whisk her away.
Rachel continued:
As with any rescue animal, Ana deserves a fresh start and has a lot to offer as a pet. She’s had a tough start to life, but she’s definitely still got eight of her nine lives left to live and we hope that her luck is about to change for the better. She may not have 20/20 vision, but we believe that this will be her year.
Did ANA find a home? I’d be interested.