Abandoned Kitten Without Eyes Rescued By Family Of Adopted Children

For Ilene the kitten born without eyes, she didn’t have an easy start at life. She was discovered wrapped in a bag in a trash bin in California on a rainy day. But what’s worse is that she was an abandoned kitten who didn’t even have the ability to see the world. Surely she must have been terrified, but she didn’t let this break her spirit. Ilene knew there were better days ahead.

It was reported that, “A good Samaritan heard her cries for help, wrapped her in a t-shirt and brought her to the local animal shelter in Madera, CA.”

But for Ilene the abandoned kitten born without eyes, she didn’t let this break her.

From the moment she was transported from California to the Oregon Humane Society, she was nothing but sweet. This girl was born to love and she wasn’t going to let her disability stop her from being a playful kitten.

Mia Heaslet, OHS Second Chance Program Manager, says that: 

“When we got the call to help with Ilene, we immediately said ‘yes’…We are fortunate at OHS to have a great medical team who are well versed in unusual conditions.”

It was determined shortly after her arrival that she’d need to have surgery on her eye region to prevent infection from spreading. And not long after that, this little girl was ready for adoption.

But who would be the purrfect family for this sweet girl? Well, it seems that Alanna Lundin and her three adopted children Cassandra, Eliha, and Samantha were the match made in Heaven for Ilene.

See the heartwarming clip here shared by KGW8 News:

Cassandra, 18, Elijah, 14, and Samantha, 13, came into Lundin’s care three years prior in poor shape. The three children were reportedly scared, malnourished and and ultimately neglected through the foster care system. Ms. Lundin said that:

It was heartbreaking. I probably cried every night for a year straight, just because it would come up that they would share with me about their life that was so wrong to me. A lot of us are raised with families where we have a mom, or we have a dad and we go to school and we go to the doctor and they had never experienced any of that.

After three years in Ms. Lundin’s care, the three children were officially adopted by her this past fall.

So, how will the now lucky kitten with a forever home do in her new family? It seems that she’s adjusting just fine. And best of all, she’ll have some other four-legged friends to keep her company, too. The family reportedly helps with fostering animals through the Oregon Humane Society. So, they are always playmates to be found at all times.

Image Courtesy of Oregon Humane Society

The three siblings don’t mind fostering the animals, and they’re happy to help participate in the responsibilities:

“They’ve learned empathy, because that’s something that’s very difficult to teach when you don’t come from a home that has made that a habit and then also unselfishness,” their mother said.

“There was definitely an instant connection when mom and Eli came and brought her home, just because she had been without love for so long,” Cassandra told KGW8 News.

Image Courtesy of Oregon Humane Society

On Saturday, December 14th, Ilene came to live the Lundin family and we know that she’s in good hands. The family said they felt an instant connection with her from the moment they heard her story. Samantha told the news that:

“For me, when I heard about it, it connected with our story. We weren’t treated well, and didn’t have stable food. We would go weeks without eating sometimes and just hearing about her being found like that, when she was just a baby, in a dumpster wrapped in a taco bell wrapper, it was terrible. And I felt like we can give her a home that she could enjoy and love. So, I feel like that is what our new mom has done for us and we can do that for her.”

Image Courtesy of Brittany Falkers on Twitter

Here’s to many years together! And a special thank you to Alanna for stepping in and giving these sweet children the life they deserve. You are their angel.