Luna, or Lu for short, is a blind tortoiseshell kitten from Charlotte, NC, born without eyes, but she lives happily with sisters Ruby and Maggie, the dog. There are also foster babies she meets in the home. Although she’s blind, there’s “no need to worry, as nothing can stop” the little one.
Veterinarians diagnosed the tortie kitten with rare congenital anophthalmia and malformed eyelids. One day when she’s ready, she’ll need surgery. In her case, it was caused by a genetic mutation, but sometimes, exposure to a virus during fetal development can cause the condition. With veterinary care, these kitties are amazing, doing things like other cats but with limited or no vision.
Mom’s Office Assistant and Gardener
Lu climbs her cat tree and navigates the home easily, enjoying play like any kitten. Meanwhile, she’s also Mom’s office assistant while she’s working. Sometimes, the kitten is a gardener who rolls in the dirt when Mom works on her plants.
![Kitten born with no eyes due to anophthalmia, blind kitten sits with plants in the background](https://coleandmarmalade.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Lu-the-gardener.jpg)
Images via Instagram/lu.can.do
Tackling the Stairs with Ease
As we’ve seen before, blind kittens and cats are incredibly adaptable. Many times, you wouldn’t necessarily know they had any vision problems at all. For instance, here’s Lu playing on the carpeted stairs with sister Ruby in early July.
Seeing the kitten in action led to creating the “Lu Can Do” page on Instagram.
“People often ask Mom what blind kittens can do. She says the shorter list is what we can’t do 💗.”
Ruby Helps Lu Find Her Way
Ruby or RuRu, also a tortie, was once a feral street cat. Now, she serves as the kitten’s seeing eye cat, helping her when she gets lost. It’s something we’ve seen before and truly remarkable behavior. RuRu is sassy, and her human nicknamed her “sour patch kid.”
Aggressive Optimism
For this kitten and her mom, life is all about staying positive. Quite often, Lu offers words of encouragement and love. According to her mom, Lu believes in “aggressive optimism.” And Ruby is always there to back her up.
“Ru believes in aggressive optimism 💥. Ruby wanted to join me for my next video but it turned out a little different than usual…”
“Hi. Lu here. Here’s your reminder to go and smell the flowers every once in a while 🌼 Featuring my big sissies Maggie and Ruby 🐶🐈⬛”
Lu and Maggie, Her Giant Protector
The kitten also has a sister Maggie, a big loveable dog. The two love to snuggle together.
“Nap time is always better when big sissy Maggie joins 💗. She gives the best snuggles.”
Maggie is protective and helps keep her safe.
“I love my big sis Maggie ✨😻 Wherever I go, she’s never far behind. And everyone knows not to be too rough with me, otherwise they’ll have to answer to her 💗.”
Luna Gets a New Bed
In late July, Luna got a new bed, and her mom had a time trying to assemble it. It was all a fun game as she thought the instructions were a toy. When it was all done, the kitten had a place of her own that was low to the ground and so soft.
Later, Lu learned to climb high into a combination scratching post/cat bed. But one day, she needed help getting down.
“Just a reminder that it’s okay to ask for help. It may be uncomfortable, but you don’t deserve to handle it alone. Sometimes, you just can’t. And that’s okay 💗.”
For more, you can follow and support “Lu Can Do” on Instagram. She’s a great example of why adopting cats with special needs could be the best thing you ever do. And what an amazing human these furbabies have to care for them.
“Lu here! Just a reminder to say “I love you” often and freely. You never know who needs to hear it 💗 Life isn’t always easy, but love makes it all worthwhile.”