In 2012, a stray cat entered the home of a blind dog named Terfel, and became his seeing-eye guide.
Terfel had been diagnosed with cataracts and was finding it very difficult to navigate around the house. In fact, so bad was his condition the poor dog was confined to his basket to stop him from bumping into things.
However, after his owner allowed a stray cat to enter her home the dog was given a new lease of life and an incredible new friend.
“One night a tomcat arrived here. He just stood there outside my front door and looked at me as to say: ‘I want to be a house cat, ‘” the dog’s owner, Mrs Godfrey-Brown, from Holyhead, North Wales told the Daily Post.
Rather than fighting like the proverbial cat and dog, the cat immediately approached Terfel and seemed to sense his condition.
“I’ve never seen anything like it – most cats and dogs hate each other.” Mrs Godfrey-Brown said. “he seemed to know that Terfel is blind through some sort of sixth sense that animals have.”
From the very beginning Terfel trusted the cat, (subsequently christened Pwditat by her new owner) and followed his lead out of his basket and into the garden.
By gently nudging him around objects so he doesn’t bump into things, the cat has become the 8 year-old dog’s eyes.
“He uses his paws to help guide him around the house and into the garden where they play together,” the owner said.
With the cat lovingly taking on the role as Terfel’s guide, he even assists for trips down to the local park.
“They are glued to each other and even sleep together now.” Mrs Godfrey-Brown said.
A cataract is any opacity within a lens – they can blur the vision of the lens of an eye.
Dog cataracts can be caused by diabetes, the animal inheriting the condition, nutritional deficiencies, traumas, age – most commonly after the animal turns eight years old – and birth defects.
(Cancats.net - Dec 3, 2012)
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