One fall day, a woman was feeding her feral colony when she spotted a new and mysterious cat searching for food.
After taking one look at the cat, the woman knew something wasn’t right.
When she discovered the truth, she was shocked.
It was worse than anyone could have imagined…
Keep reading to discover how this mysterious cat’s desperate cry for help was miraculously answered!
Mysterious Appearance
Sarah Richardson, a cat rescuer in Little Rock, AR, was feeding her feral colony of TNR cats when a new cat suddenly appeared.
Sarah knew something wasn’t right. The cat was acting strange and seemed to have trouble navigating the area.
When Sarah attempted to get closer to the cat, he got startled and ran off.
Sarah was determined to help him, but she had to be strategic.
Since she knew something was wrong with him, she set up a gentle trap.
After 5 nights of waiting, the mysterious white cat finally walked into the trap!
Once Sarah was able to get a closer look, she was shocked…
A Shocking Discovery
It was now clear to Sarah that the cat could not see or hear. In fact, he didn’t even know he was trapped.
He roamed around the trap bumping into the sides as if he couldn’t see his surroundings.
If he was blind and deaf, how had he made it this long on his own?
While he was definitely malnourished, she could not find any other damage to his body.
However, his eyes were in terrible condition.
“It was really, really bad,” Sarah shared. “They were pretty much shut.”
While he was clearly in pain, his sweet demeanor and beautiful white fur reminded Sarah of Olaf from Frozen. So, that became his name!
Sarah took Olaf to the vet the next day to get some answers and much needed medical attention.
A Mystery Solved
Sarah’s suspicions were confirmed – Olaf was both deaf and blind.
The vet said Olaf suffered from a rare eye condition called entropion that caused his eyelids to fold inward. Consequently, his eyelashes grew inward too.
This condition caused damage to his eyes everytime he moved his eyelids.
There was no doubt he had been in excruciating pain.
Because his eyes had already been damaged significantly, they were unsure of how much vision Olaf would gain back.
As a temporary fix, the vet sewed Olaf’s eyelids in place to inhibit any more damage to his eyes.
It was clear Olaf was much more comfortable without the constant irritation.
Olaf still needed to be taken to a specialist to have eye surgery. Sewing his eyelids was only a temporary solution.
However, Olaf’s surgery was going to be very expensive.
Getting the funding for the surgery would be challenging.
In the world of cat rescue, cats like Olaf are usually euthanized because rescuers don’t have the funding for expensive surgeries.
uRR to the Rescue
Once again, Sarah was determined.
She reached out to Susan from FuRR, Feline Rescue & Rehome in Central Arkansas.
When she asked if they could help Olaf, they were more than willing and accepted him with open arms.
Through FuRR, Sarah was able to find the right specialist to do Olaf’s eye surgery.
After his surgery, Olaf was freed from the constant pain of his condition and gained partial vision!
“After his surgery, his eye looked a little rough for the first two weeks,” Sarah said. “But, when he opened his eyes, they were beautiful, big blue eyes.”
The Road to Recovery
Every vet that saw Olaf was amazed at how Olaf had managed to survive in the wild for so long, being both deaf and blind!
At the time Olaf he was rescued, he was estimated to be 2 to 3 years old.
With this in mind, it’s clear that Olaf is a survivor with a strong will to live.
Having gained part of his eyesight back, things would only get better from here.
As he recovered from his surgery, Sarah coordinated with FuRR to find the best place for him to live.
Olaf had not had much exposure to humans before he was rescued.
He was still skittish and needed to be socialized.
It would be challenging for him to find a home, so FuRR came up with great solution.
Happily Ever After
FuRR determined it would be best for Olaf to be adopted by the organization because of his special needs.
“He got to move to a sanctuary for cats,” Sarah shared. “Now, he lives in a cat room with a catio and his own cat roommate! He looks phenomenal now.”
At the sanctuary, Olaf has grown plump and spoiled and will continue to be pampered for the rest of his days!
Thanks to Sarah and FuRR, Olaf was rescued from an uncertain fate and given a wonderful home where he will always be safe and loved.
Olaf will never have to worry about being sick and on the streets ever again!
