From scaling trees to stealing hearts – a rescued blind adventure cat has been inspiring people all over Cumbria and beyond.
Jenny is a five-year-old former street cat from Cyprus who has been adventuring in Cumbria for the past year and more recently paying visits to her local pub.
Owner Lucy Stephenson, 48, of Kirkbampton, near Carlisle, fell in love with Jenny after spotting her up for adoption on World Animal Friends, an international pet rehoming charity, when she was just a few months old in 2018.
The feline was taken in by a rescue shelter after she developed a severe eye infection in both of her eyes causing damage that meant she required surgery to remove them.
The surgery was a success – but her new disability meant she needed a new home and family willing to give her extra care.
Lucy said: “We had a very elderly cat a few years ago and as she got older she needed extra care. So when she passed away we thought, actually, we could give a home to an animal that needs extra care because we have a bit of experience in it.
“We found World Animal Friends and they sent us a picture of Jenny from a rescue centre in Cyprus and asked us if we would consider rehoming a blind cat and we took one little look at her face and said yes.
“We haven’t looked back since, she’s really changed our lives.”
Jenny went on to quickly and confidently settle in with her new family in the UK and Lucy said her confidence made her wonder if she’d like to explore the outdoors.
Despite her blindness Lucy said Jenny has an incredible sense of adventure and can still run, jump, climb, hunt and play.
She added: “We originally lived in a flat in London and had quite big communal gardens so I bought her a harness and lead and from the first moment she went out she was off.
“She wasn’t shy or timid, she accepted the harness and was off exploring and we’ve been going out for walks every day since then.
“She’s a natural outdoors cat, but now we’ve been going out for around five years and there’s a very strong bond when we go out walking.
“We’ve learnt each others ways of doing things, if Jenny climbs a tree, she knows I’m at the bottom of the tree, so she trusts me to guide her down with my voice and tapping the branches.
“I can’t just call her straight down either, I have to follow the branches of the tree so she can follow my voice and her lead and harness act as a guide also because she can feel the pressure on her sides to follow her way out of bushes, we’ve just built that trust up over time.”
While Jenny does need some special accommodations as a blind cat, Lucy said that Jenny is unique and loves new environments and challenge.
She said: “She thrives on change and she needs quite a lot of stimulation and excitement so we do move things around her which normally blind cats like things to stay the same.
“When we moved from London to Cumbria last year, Jenny thought the boxes were just a giant playground. She can bump into things when running around all excited and playing with our other cats, but no serious adjustments were needed to be made for her.
“We have baby proofed sharp corners and netted our balcony because unlike our seeing cats she has no fear of climbing the balcony railing.”
Jenny’s zest for life was so amazing to Lucy and her husband that the pair ended up adopting another blind cat called Angelin and a three legged cat called Millie – both also rescued street cats from Cyprus.
Lucy added: “Much like people they have different levels of ability and confidence and going outdoors for walks is definitely Jenny’s thing, she loves being outside.
“Now we live in Cumbria, we have our own garden and she goes out everyday. We’ve recently been going out to Fingland woods and it’s just fantastic. I’ve also started taking her to our local pub, The Drovers Rest.
“I would take her on a Sunday or Monday and I noticed they had Furball Friday’s day for dogs so we ended up setting up Monkhill Moggies for people to come along and meet Jenny if they want to, we’re hoping it’ll turn into a regular feature where other people bring their cats.
“She also has her own backpack and bandannas and collars to get dressed up for the occasion. We’re really trying to promote blind and disabled cats as making good pets that can often do things other cats can’t do.”
Lucy is also currently in the process of adopting another street cat from Cyprus called Precious, who has had her ears and nose removed due to skin cancer.
She added: “Rescue from abroad is more expensive, but the disabled cats often don’t find homes as often as they do in the UK.
“The sun in Cyprus is very strong and some cats don’t get the shelter they need, so Precious got skin cancer because she’s also funny white. She just has this little look, she’s almost like a little polar bear.
“Cats with disabilities don’t realise they’re different and unlike people they don’t treat each other differently because they’re disabled. We can’t wait for her to be home with us so we can have our fully perfectly imperfect family.”
Lucy added that Jenny has her own blog, Facebook and Instagram where she shares her adventures with people all across the world.
She said: “We had a comment from one lady who said she was inspired to adopt a special needs cat and another lady from America who said she had sight issues and that hearing Jenny’s story had inspired her to be ‘more Jenny’.
“Cats with extra needs teach you more than you could ever teach them. It’s the most rewarding experience you could ever have looking after them. They get on with it and love life, they’ve just go so much love to give.”
