Three years ago, we lost our cat Edmund after he got hit by a car even though we live in a very quiet rural area. Shortly after, my wife Lisa met a cat at 'Wrexham Cats Protection' who was blind after being abused, and we decided to adopt her.
She had been abandoned on the streets of Wrexham until she was rescued, and her eyes were so badly damaged that they both had to be removed before she came to live with us. We named her Gertrude after a character in the TV show Blackadder, and for a long time she was very nervous after her former life.
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Meet Gertrude, a cat rescued by Wrexham Cats Protection and later adopted by my wife Lisa
Gertrude's eyes were so badly damaged that they both had to be removed before she came to live with us
For the first year, we would spend as much time as possible with her in the bedroom, which she refused to leave
We tried to keep things as quiet as possible for her so she wouldn’t be frightened by sudden noises and avoided moving things around
She now moves around the house, but still occasionally bumps into things, especially when she is feeling stressed
She likes to lie on us and rub her face against us as this seems to help her relax
We try giving her toys to help prevent her from becoming bored, but she generally prefers different kind of activities
Gertrude loves to go outdoors and we take her out on a harness so she can explore
Sometimes during her walks she meets other cats, like her friend Melchett
Surprisingly, she seems to enjoy it most when there is lots of noise such as next door’s dog barking and people using power tools nearby
Gertrude loves listening to all the sounds in the garden and hunting some bugs
We try to let her know she is safe now by giving her fuss when she wants it, but it is a long, slow process to help her feel relaxed
The only advice I can offer anyone with a cat with similar problems is to have plenty of patience
Gertrude can be very demanding but is very affectionate in return, which is surprising, considering how she has been treated by humans in the past
She is now living the best life we can give her, and hopefully she is happy with us
Adopting Gertrude highlighted an aspect of our perception that most people instinctively recognize. While she cannot see with her eyes, Gertrude's ability to adapt to her surroundings might be similar to the way we perceive non-existent faces in inanimate objects.
This phenomenon, known as seeing patterns in everyday items, reveals just how adept we are at recognizing meaningful shapes even when they aren't there, a trait that Gertrude exhibits through enhanced auditory senses.