Be more Jenny

Most people think that just because you don’t have something you are lesser or disabled, well I’m here to show you that’s just not true. Us blindies and purrfectly imperfect kitties are just as capable and able as any ‘normal’ cat, besides what’s normal anyway? As most of you know I lost my sight at a very early age and so I don’t really remember being any other way, I only ever remember being blind, to me that’s just normal. When you’re on the streets there’s no time to feel sorry for yourself, you’ve just had to get on with life, the way it was dealt to you. I learnt to follow my clowder round using my other senses to understand what was going on in the world around me. That’s how I developed my super blindie senses that help me be the adventure cat I am today.

I think that I even manage to do some things that ‘normal’ cats can’t or don’t want to do like going for walkies and exploring new places and yes, I know I always have mummy in tow but she’s just along for the ride really, I’m the leader of the adventures.

So just remember this when I tell you what I’ve been up to, in my mind I’m no different to any other kitty.

Mummy and I were out on our daily walkies in the garden and as usual I was listening to all the birds flitting about in the hedge, I love listening to the birds and trying to join in with their games but they don’t really like letting me join in. Still I play with them every day and secretly, whilst they don’t let me join in, I think they find it fun playing with me. Why otherwise would they fly away when I come towards them, then when I run the other way back to them they fly back to where they were to start with. I know they’re teasing me and mummy says it’s like a game of kitty in the middle. Every so often one of them gets close enough for me to try to play tag with it and as I listen to their little wings move and the branches twitch as they hop about I make my move and leap into the hedge but theys always just out of reach. Well, that was until one unlucky blackbird thought he could get the better of a blind cat, it thought that just because it was on the other side of the prickly hedge that I couldn’t reach it but it was oh so wrong! One big pounce and I had a mouthful of feathers, tickling my tongue and my nose, which was very lucky for the bird as one sneeze and it was free, it flapped off to the safety of the roof where I think it tried to get over its embarrassment of being caught by a blind cat whilst I could hear all the other birds watching on from around the garden. I bet they were giggling to themselves. I on the other hand was very proud of myself as was mummy who said she was proud and angry in almost equal measures. I think she was just mad with herself as usually, as I pounce, she’s there locking the lead and spoiling my fun.

I could play tag with the birdies all day long it’s so much fun.

Today was a little different though, mummy didn’t know it yet but as I was sitting there with my head in the hedge listening to the birdies there was a different sound, a sound that I recognised, a sound I’d heard before. So I started a new game, mummy was standing around letting me play laughing at my bottom sticking out of the hedge and saying how unladylike it was. I ignored her silliness and focussed all my attention on this new sound, this was serious business, I had found a new playmate.

As I patiently listened moving my head ever so slightly this way and that to focus my ears on the tiny little rustling sounds, I worked my way through the leaves, adjusting my feet ever so slightly to get the best purchase on the ground as the sound moved this way and that, just to say I wasn’t just wiggling my bottom like mummy said. I then deployed my whiskers forwards as much as I could within the hedge to help feel even the slightest movement of a leaf or branch. I slowed down my breathing so that I could hear better and with every deep breath I could detect the scent of my new playmate, I knew if it was getting close enough to play tag with and in that split second that everything lined up purrfectly I pounced.

Then as I backed out of the hedge and turned around I heard mummy gasp! Jenny, you’ve caught a mouse.

Then the real fun started as mummy tried her best to capture this historic moment on film whilst I tried my best to not let her take my new furriend away from me. Sadly for me I know mummy isn’t afraid of mice and so I knew there was no way she was going to let me keep my new furriend but I was going to enjoy having him whilst I had the chance. As mummy tried to wrangle both me and my lead whilst trying to prize my jaws open I was equally as determined to keep my jaws firmly as they were, right around the head of the little mouse. As I felt his fur on my tongue as mummy’s fingers clenched round my teeth I felt its little whiskers quiver and tickle my cheeks and his little mousie breaths waft across my tongue and in that split second I thought what it would be like to be in that situation, how scary it would be and just at that moment I released my grip, my mouth popped open and out dropped the mousie.

Despite being a bit damp having been sucked and slobbered on a little bit it was fine and scampered off up the path to dry off in the sun. I was desperate to say hello properly to my new furriend so I tried to run after it but mummy still had my lead locked so all that happened was me running but not going anywhere at all! Then off it scurried back into the hedge. I hope I meet it again soon, it was fun playing with a new furriend.

So I might be blind but I’m still all cat and if anypawdy ever tries to say that you can’t do this or you can’t do that then just think of me and just say to yourself, you know what I’m just gonna ‘be more Jenny 😺’