Charlie

My story

I arrived at my forever home in October 2022 with a bit of a headache. Apparently, I’d been hit by a car, which not only left me with a fractured jaw and no sense of smell, but I also couldn’t see anything. One eye had been removed and the socket sewn shut, and the other was useless to me. I was completely blind. In the space of a few seconds my life had changed completely and I had been left in the dark. I spent what seemed like an eternity in recovery at the local vets where I had to be fed through a tube due to my broken jaw, but when I was adopted, I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t able to chew like I used to. Mealtimes were a very messy affair, but gradually, I slowly and painfully began to learn how to eat again. I started with nice, soft mousse before transitioning to pâté, small pieces of wet food in gravy, bigger chunks in jelly, crushed biscuits mixed into wet food, crushed biscuits only – and now unbelievably I can eat whole biscuits and wet food like everybody else.

When I arrived here, I had no idea why everyone was so obsessed with what they call litter trays. I could hear the other cats trying to build sandcastles only to knock them down again, before someone came along and took the whole construction away, so what was the point of all that effort and work? Fortunately for me, I’m a lot cleverer than that and exercised my freedom, but unfortunately for my humans, I left them lots of surprises – some hidden, some not so hidden. It took me a while to get used to the idea of a litter tray because without being able to smell, I couldn’t understand what it was for and didn’t know why I was being encouraged to stomp around in a tray full of tiny pebbles.

Finally, no thanks to whoever ran me over, the accident did, in a strange twist of fate, mark the start of an exciting new chapter in my life and I have had to learn how to eat again, how to navigate my way around the house in the dark and use a litter tray. I am lucky to have so many friends to show me the way.

Life today

I am blind and highly unlikely to ever regain my sight in the one remaining eye. On a positive note, I love biscuits and always listen out for my humans so I can follow their footsteps in the hope of receiving more biscuits. I have high levels of phosphorous so I am on a special daily supplement until my next blood test to see whether my levels have returned to normal. I also have stomatitis so my gums bleed and it’s a bit sore. I’m on cyclical medication for that too.
I quite like my regular trips to the vet though as once the nice lady has finished prodding me with a needle to rob me of my blood, I get to follow her footsteps around the clinic and sit quietly under the table. Despite the odds, I’m a very happy chap.

My future

Who knows whether my sense of smell will ever fully return, but for now I don’t seem to be able to smell anything, despite the fact that my whiskers have grown back. A good way of testing that is at mealtimes – when my food is put down, I can’t locate it as I can’t smell it so my owners have to tap the bowl to let me know where my food is, even if I’m standing right in front of the bowl.
As of September 2023 my phosphorus levels are perfect and my gums are much better. Life is good.

Stats

My estimated age on arrival: one year old.
In October 2022 I only weighed 2.4 kg.
In February 2023 I weighed a triumphant 4.6 kg.

I tested negative for both FeLV and FIV.
I am neutered and fully vaccinated.

Star Qualities

I heard my transformation has been amazing and apparently I’m quite a catch!
I’m very quiet and mellow, but I also love to play with toys and Popcorn.

Habits

I’m a bit obsessed with Leia the dog and like to follow her everywhere, but I follow my owners everywhere even more, so much so that when they turn round I almost always succeed in tripping them up!
When I’ve finally run out of steam, I like to curl up on the sofa. I used to have problems getting down and had to rely on cushions, the ramp or yelling to be rescued. I am very happy to report that I have finally mastered the art of getting down from the sofa all on my own, hurrah! It's taken me almost a year, but I did it!
My favourite toys are furry mice and ping-pong balls