Written by Vanessa Courtenay – Media Relations, Harties Feral Cat Rescue
Professional photography by Top Shot Photography
On the 8th of April 2022, a volunteer at Harties Feral Cat Rescue, Wilmi Kloppers, was called out to collect a tiny kitten with no mom in sight from a well-known golf estate. Imagine her absolute surprise when it appeared as if this little kitten had no eyes! Wilmi returned home and introduced her to their current kindle of foster kittens.
Over the next few days, Wilmi had her examined by two different vets and both determined her eyes had indeed never developed.
Wilmi and her wife, Elanza, named her Mienkie. She was lovingly cared for, but sadly she couldn’t keep up with her now sighted and boisterous kitten siblings. She was listless and feared to be unresponsive. As a result, Joanne Kontaxopoulos-Rabe was called in to come and undertake an assessment. She felt that a calm environment would make a huge difference.
On Joanne’s recommendation we put Mienkie up for adoption with very specific conditions. The response was overwhelming! One our Facebook followers, Simeon Watson-Stoch, wrote:
“This baby doesn’t know she’s blind, she will map her space like a true cartographer.”
After sifting through the adoption applications, Joanne settled on Reinette, and the rest, as they say, is history!
Reinette du Plooy, Mienkie’s new owner, shares...
One day in April there was a post in our local community WhatsApp group about a special needs kitten looking for a forever home. She was born without eyes. I immediately fell in love with her, and so did the rest of the family. We just knew that she was meant to be part of our family.
She was the most beautiful little thing. Her little face made my heart crumble. We made the decision to adopt her. We already have a disabled girl – our Yorkie, Issabella – so we had an idea of what it was about.
Mienkie was rescued from a resort, obviously left behind by her mom as a result of her disability. I have no idea how it must have been for her, being on her own, fending for herself, looking for food, all while being blind. Luckily, she was found and she found a very special foster mommy to take care of her.
The day that foster mommy Elanza brought Mienkie to me, she was so tiny she fit into Elanza’s jacket! When I saw that adorable face, I started to cry. She was so perfect.
I must admit that I cried for the first two days every time that she lifted her little face to “look” at me. It was heartbreaking to see. Once I got used to it, it became the most beautiful face ever! Her imperfection makes her even more endearing.
I was expecting that she’d struggle a lot, bump into things, not finding her food, and so on. I was prepared for the worst-case scenario. She quickly, however, proved me wrong! She got to know the house really quickly and learnt exactly where everything is. She plays with her toys and even tries to catch flies. I know, it sounds crazy. She’s amazing! I’ve actually asked Joanne twice if they’re SURE that she has no eyes. Joanne confirms every time that the vet is quite certain that her eyes didn’t develop at all.
She follows me everywhere. She’s also made a plan for when I don’t pick her up when she’s ready to be picked up – she simply climbs up my pants, then my shirt, and makes herself comfortable on my shoulder! We work like this, watch TV, and do our diamond dotting.
Mienkie has brought so much love into our home with her beautiful little soul. It’s the best feeling in the world when she looks at me and I see the love in her beautiful little face. Mienkie was meant to be part of our family, and we’re truly blessed!
