Homer

We were lucky enough to have Homer join our family on April 19, 2001. He's a wonderfully affectionate and playful eight month old boy, and he shows us every day just how special he is. He was unfortunate in his first parents, who never treated an eye infection he got as a kitten. By the time Homer was surrendered to MEOW his eyes were so badly damaged they needed to be removed surgically, a procedure called eye enucleation. Fortunately he is now pain-free, probably for the first time in his life, and so playful it's easy to forget he's blind.

When Homer first came to our home he was called "Norman." He has been re-christened "Homer," since legend has it that the Greek epic poet was blind. Homer started out his life with us in our guest bedroom, where his adoptive sister Meche and her family were fostered for MEOW. He was happy from the moment we got him home, purring up a storm and playing as much as he could. He was oblivious to the other three cats in the house at first, being separated from them by a closed door so they could get used to each other slowly. The other cats were not oblivious to him! Ellen, a 9 year old torti, hated everybody, passionately, and wasn't ashamed to tell us. Lily, a 5 year old tabby, was spooked, running around with her eyes all big. She got a good look at him through the open door, and gave him a hiss and a growl. Meche, a relative kitten at 2 years old, had no idea what was going on, and was just a bit curious about the strange smells on our hands.

We had to make some special arrangements to accommodate a blind kitty. We're going to have to be careful about rearranging furniture and leaving things on the floor. And he's very averse to being picked up, as it is very disorienting for him. Which is too bad, because he's such a soft purr-boy it's hard not to scoop him up! We added another litter box in the upstairs bathroom, and feed Homer there as well, so he won't have to navigate the stairs. He's still not really sure he's allowed in the bathroom, so he's pretty cautious about approaching his food dish. He's getting used to the feeding schedule, though, and will be waiting nearby at breakfast and dinner time.

Since Homer's been let out into the wide world beyond the guest bedroom, he's had some exciting adventures. April 25th he had an Odyssey of his own, making it all the way into the living room. Lily wasn't so sure about that.

Homer is most comfortable in the hallway, of all places, and this was where he spent a lot of time his first week or so.

Fortunately, the hallway is a great place to play...

...and to interact with the other cats! Meche likes Homer's feather toy so much that sometimes they play with it together. Homer plays with the feather end, and Meche attacks the other end. It's very funny when Homer picks the feather end up in his mouth and takes off with it - with Meche running after him! It's given them a great opportunity to start to get comfortable with each other. They'll sometimes give each other a playful poke, but it usually startles both of them!

Homer has also added the bedroom to his territory. We got him a special little bed of his own, since he won't jump up on the big bed yet. Of course, he prefers to sleep on Ellen's pillow, or Lily's special soft coat.

We're looking forward to Homer getting more comfortable in the living room, but until then we're spending lots of time playing with him on his own territory. He loves to wrestle, and to chase after our feet. He loves a good snuggle, and will curl up next to us if we sit on the floor with him...although we still have to watch our toes, because he's a feisty one! He and Meche are getting to be better friends every day, and Ellen and Lily are getting more and more used to him, too. I can't imagine our family without him now. He's definitely a special cat, and I feel very lucky that we have the opportunity to get to know him. I think he feels lucky, too!

May, 2001

June 24, 2001 update

Homer is now very used to our home. He can move around just fine in the whole upstairs. He can jump up on the table and the chairs, and will sit in our laps while we're sitting on the couch. He sleeps on the bed almost every night, purring up a storm and licking our faces.

Homer is just starting to think about the downstairs. He can hear the other cats getting fed down there, which makes him very interested. He has started coming down onto the top stair, but is still uncomfortable with the lower stairs. The occasional cat treat lure helps remind him that it's worth exploring!

October 29, 2001 update

Homer is now a fully functional member of our feline household :) He is familiar with the whole house, upstairs and down, and now eats his meals with the other cats. He and Meche still love to play together, and Lily has to stay verrrry quiet or he'll chase her around. He's getting along great with everybody - except Ellen! - and enjoys sleeping at the foot of the bed. He's such a good boy!