With her angelic face, sprightly ways and creamsicle-colored cuteness, Bellis is the belle of the ball at Tabby’s Place. Spend a few minutes with her, and it’s almost easy to forget that there’s anything “missing” from this little girl.

But Bellis is unique in ways beyond her enchanting personality. When this petite sweetie first arrived at Tabby’s Place, she had severe micropthalmia, a condition in which her eyeball eyeballs are much smaller than normal. This can occur in newborn kittens whose mamas received certain medications while pregnant. It was clear to our vet that Bellis’ eyes would never be functional, and had already irritated her to such an extent that, in scratching at her head, she’d worn her right ear flap ragged and rumpled.

Following surgery to remove her eyes, our little girl was more comfortable, and adjusted quickly to a gleeful life in the lobby. “Gleeful” is quite the appropriate word for Bellis, as she has an abundant, ever-present sense of joy. Whether wrestling with her buddy Tashi, chasing a toy or purring at high volumes in a favorite lap, Bellis is about as happy as any cat we’ve met. She seems to especially enjoy surprising folks by playing with a wand toy. Although she can’t see her “prey”, she’s as engaged in the game as any cat.

So, it came as no surprise when Bellis was happily adopted after a short time. Sadly, Bellis’ adopters returned her to us in summer 2009, reporting that her inappropriate elimination was too much to bear. At first we were surprised, as Bellis had never exhibited bad bathroom behavior at Tabby’s Place. But, sure enough, this time she seemed to consider the whole world her litter box. A thorough examination revealed no obvious medical cause, so our vet began to suspect something more…hidden.

Bellis is gleefully enjoying every minute of her life at Tabby’s Place. In addition to high-quality food, a cozy suite and lots of affection, our little belle receives regular examinations from our veterinarian. Due to her history of inner-ear issues, blindness and multiple spay surgeries, she receives more veterinary attention than the average non-Special Needs cat. In addition, keeping Bellis’ environment clean, cozy and sanitary requires extra staff time, given her inappropriate elimination issues.

We adore Bellis and hope our little sprite finds a happy forever home. In the meantime, if Bellis has touched your heart, please help us to care for her as her loving sponsor.