A cat with no eyes who was overlooked at the shelter and called “weird” by visitors has been given a second chance, and now his owner insists he’s just like any other pet.
In late summer 2024, multiple kittens who were only thought to be around 13 weeks old were taken to Yellowstone Valley Animal Shelter in Billings, Montana. Not much is known about why they wound up there, but thankfully most of the kittens were rehomed quickly.
All except for Echo, who was in in terrible shape. His owner, Kay Minzel, 26, told Newsweek that Echo had an ulcer in one eye and an infection in the other, so shelter staff made the decision to perform a bilateral eye removal.
“This left Echo with no eyes and, at the time of adoption, he had a shaved face and two big scars,” Minzel said.
Minzel was at the shelter on September 12, 2024 to adopt an injured kitten she’d found on the side of the road. It had been receiving medical treatment for a few days, but she finally returned to take it home.
As it turned out, another family adopted that kitten before Minzel could get to the shelter, leaving her “a little distraught.”
Then, she looked at the other cats waiting for their forever homes, and that’s when she met sweet Echo (full name, Echolocator).
“I looked over and saw an odd-looking fuzz-ball named Sugar Skull (the shelter’s name for Echo). I don’t have a firm belief in fate, but it’s hard to explain it in any other way,” Minzel said.
She continued: “I asked staff if I could say hello to him. They cautioned me that he could be a bit scared and said to just be slow and quiet with him. He almost immediately tried climbing on my shirt, so I picked him up and he curled up on my shoulder and started purring. The world works in mysterious ways.”
At the time, staff at the shelter were concerned that Echo would struggle to find someone willing to adopt a blind cat. Indeed, when Minzel was there, she saw plenty of people admiring the small kittens and even some interest for the senior cats, but none for Echo.
Instead, she only saw people look at Echo with “sad looks” before walking past him.
Minzel said: “One person said that they couldn’t imagine adopting a cat like that. While I was getting to know him, someone else said it was good that there was someone there to adopt the ‘weird animals’.”
There was no doubt in Minzel’s mind that Echo was meant to be hers.
Adopting a blind cat wasn’t without its challenges though. Initially, Minzel had to clean Echo’s incisions and administer pain medication while he recovered from surgery. Helping him navigate his new home was even harder, as Minzel had to come up with solutions to help Echo find his way around.
As it was hard for Echo to find his water bowl, Minzel got him a water fountain so he could hear the trickling water. She would also supervise him on the stairs because he lacked confidence when coming down.
Gradually, Echo grew in confidence and now he runs around without any hesitation. He occasionally bumps into things, but generally has a good gauge of where everything is.
“I couldn’t imagine how scary it would be to be so small and not see if there is a step below or if it’s a ledge. I think the main thing was just getting his confidence back up,” Minzel told Newsweek.
After seeing how far Echo has come, Minzel couldn’t resist sharing his adoption story on TikTok (@whatdoyoumeanbithat). The post has gone viral with over 336,500 views and more than 83,500 likes at the time of writing.
The response has been incredibly supportive, and Minzel hopes it will inspire other people to take a chance on an animal that’s a bit different. Echo may look unique, but all he wants is love, attention, and of course belly rubs.
“Taking the leap to adopt an animal that is different can be so rewarding,” Minzel said. “While intimidating, you might be surprised how adaptive and amazing they can be. Even though there is a preconceived idea that these animals are weird or hard to care for, there is a loving forever home for all of them.”
Many internet users took to the comments to praise Minzel for giving Echo the life he deserves. This has led to more than 3,400 comments on the TikTok post so far.
One comment reads: “Thank you for giving this sweet boy a loving home!”
Another TikTok user wrote: “Echo is such a perfect name for a perfect little blind bean.”
While one commenter added: “no eyes needed to be loved and love in return fur friend.”
