One-eyed Rescue Cat Finds a Loving Home
Bertie arrived in RSPCA care as a poorly kitten with a badly damaged eye. After treatment, surgery and adoption, he's now a confident family cat.
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Bertie needed our help
Bertie was around 12 weeks old when he arrived at RSPCA West Hatch Animal Centre in June 2024 with two other young cats. They’d been living in poor, unsanitary conditions, and their owners signed all three cats over to us.
Bertie was underweight and had fleas and worms, gingivitis and signs of cat flu. Most worrying was a painful ulcer on one of his eyes.
Before
Bertie arrived in our care with several health problems, including a badly ulcerated eye.
After
Bertie recovered from his illnesses and eye surgery and grew into a confident young cat.
He was a very sweet and gentle boy who quickly won over everyone who met him.
Learning to see the world differently
Bertie needed antibiotics to help him fight the cat flu and treatment for fleas and worms. A good diet helped him gain weight, while staff tried different eye drops to treat the ulcer on his eye.
Unfortunately, the treatment wasn't working.
“We realised the best thing for Bertie was to remove his eye,” says Kit. “It was a hard decision, but the sore wasn't going to get better.”
Bertie had surgery in July 2024. The operation went well, but learning to see with one eye took time.
“He had to take it slow,” says Kit. “We kept him in his cat pod for two weeks while he healed and gave him lots of fuss.”
Bertie had to get used to a different field of vision and learn how to judge distance. When the kitten he shared his pen with was adopted, he also had to adjust to being on his own.
“At first, he seemed anxious,” says Kit. “But bit by bit, he learned that people could be great fun too, and gave us all his love and attention!”
Bertie was just 12 weeks old when he came into our care and, after treatment and surgery, was ready to be rehomed around two months later.
Bertie makes himself at home
Hannah Lawson and her family had previously adopted an elderly cat called Jessie from West Hatch. When Jessie sadly passed away, the family were ready to love another cat in need.
Bertie joined Hannah, her husband Andy and their sons Ollie, then 16, and James, then 15, in August 2024. It only took a couple of days for him to settle in.
“Bertie is a superstar. He ticks all the boxes as a family cat,” says Hannah. “He has a great personality, is very playful and loving and will jump up for cuddles. In the evening, he’ll slump across me on the sofa, which is lovely.”
Having one eye certainly hasn't stopped Bertie's adventures. He chases toys and spiders, splashes water and loves hiding in cupboards.
“He’s an extremely playful kitten,” says James. “His favourite hobby is lying on his back and fighting with the air!”
And Bertie even has his own home office. Andy works from home, so the family turned an old cardboard box into an office for Bertie, complete with opening hours written on the front.
“We wanted to give Bertie an office too so they could work together, except all Bertie does is sleep in it!” says Hannah.
Hannah has nothing but praise for the RSPCA team who brought Bertie into their lives.
“We’ve had two cats from West Hatch now and I can’t fault them at all,” she says. “They do really good follow-ups and offer their support throughout.”
