Sanctuary Rescues Blind Cats From Euthanasia
As its name states, the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary is a place for blind cats that would be put down at a lot of other shelters and animal welfare organizations. Its creation was inspired by the founder Alana Miller and her family’s experiences with a blind cat named Louie, who proved to be likable enough that they proceeded to take in another blind cat and then another until they were running a full-blown shelter. Nowadays, the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary serves as home for numerous blind cats that have received what amounts to a second chance to live that few other places would afford them.
Why Is What the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary Doing So Important?
Quality of life is a serious issue in bioethics. In short, it is the standard of health and happiness that someone can expect under a particular set of circumstances. For example, someone who suffers chronic pain has a lower quality of life than someone without said issue because it is bound to have a negative impact on their health and happiness. This is particularly true if said individual suffers from more severe pain on a more frequent basis. Naturally, changes in quality of life is a major factor in a wide range of medical decisions.
A sufficiently severe fall in the quality of life can serve as an argument for euthanasia. This is a rather controversial topic when it comes to humans, but much less so when it comes to animals. After all, if an animal has some kind of condition that causes horrific suffering that has no realistic chance of being cured, most people see it as a mercy for that animal to be put out of its suffering.
Of course, this argument isn’t applicable to blind cats. Sure, blind cats can’t see. However, the important thing about blind cats is that they are perfectly capable of living healthy and happy lives because the loss of that particular sense is nowhere near as crippling as what one might imagine. In fact, it is interesting to note that a blind cat’s other senses can actually sharpen to make up for some of that loss, with an excellent example being how its whiskers will get more of a work-out than ever before. Regardless, the most important point to take away is that blind cats are by no means guaranteed to suffer horrendously for no purpose, which is why it is a real shame when blind cats are euthanized.
Some people might be horrified to hear it. However, it should be noted that this isn’t an uncommon occurrence. Simply put, shelters and other animal welfare organizations have limited resources at their disposal. As a result, while most of them will do their best to care for the animals that are entrusted to them, they need to conserve their resources for those animals that have a better chance of a healthy and happy future. Unfortunately, blind cats are not very popular with people who have never interacted with them on an extended basis, meaning that their prospects in this regard are not particularly good to say the least.
As such, the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary is doing a lot of good by providing a place to go for cats that would otherwise have to be put down. This is particularly true because the shelter isn’t limited to blind cats. For proof, look no further than the fact that it takes in other cats with special needs such as those with Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and those with Feline Leukemia Virus as well, which are even less popular because of the potential for infection.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, there are some things that interested individuals can do to help out. For example, they could lend their support to shelters and other animal welfare organizations. Sometimes, this might mean money. Other times, this might mean lending a helping hand as a volunteer from time to time. However, interested individuals might also want to look into the information campaigns that said organizations push on a regular basis. Generally speaking, there is a very good reason for the existence of such campaigns, meaning that those who pay close attention can get a lot of useful information by doing so.
