Blinky came to us by way of a request from animal control who had come upon her during the raid of a suspected dog fighting ring in an outlying Bastrop county. When she was found, Blinky was emaciated, dehydrated and close to death with little chance for survival; basically she was about as sick as a kitten could possibly be and still be alive.

It was immediately obvious though, that there was more than her neglected and malnourished state to also be concerned about. It was discovered that at some point there had been an attempt to blind the kitty, and as a result of this cruel act, her eyes became horribly swollen and infected. It is quite difficult for any normal, compassionate person to imagine the absolute terror this poor cat experienced at the hands of these callous people.

Once in our care, we took her straight away to our vet for immediate medical attention and that's when the veterinarian confirmed our worst fears, that her eyes were beyond saving or even repair and would need to be removed. So surgery was performed and both eyes (what was left of them) were removed and she was spayed at that time as well. Why the attempted blinding of this kitty even took place is still a mystery. We can only surmise that the soulless, heartless excuses for human beings wanted the kitten totally helpless when thrown to the dogs for their so called bloodlust sport. For someone to take a small animal like a cat that would already be defenseless against a large dog provoked into violence and then go and blind her before throwing her in with them, is certainly one of the more disgusting and senseless things we have encountered.

We don't know how many other cats, kittens and other helpless animals were subjected to senseless brutality like this at the raided residence where Blinky was found. But we do know that we are very grateful to have been given the opportunity to give this cat another go at life and be able to show her the love and compassion she was denied at her start in life. And that is exactly what has been happening since her rescue.

During Blinky's post-op care for her eye surgery she resided with director Cathy Taylor and bonded with her, and the two have become quite inseparable. We have decided that in Blinky's best interest she shall remain as one of our permanent special needs residents. At this point it would be much too stressful on Blinky to be put into an unknown environment where everything and everyone would be foreign to her and she'd have to start from square one in learning a new living area and trusting a new person, not to mention the sadness for our director to be separated from Blinky. So, now Blinky is being given all the care and love she's always deserved to have.

Blinky is an amazing cat. She has totally learned the layout of the home she lives in. She knows where all the food/water dishes are along with litter boxes and she even climbs up and down the 7ft. indoor cat tree by herself. She loves to hang out on the top level for long naps. The first time she was sighted up there was a jolt to our nerves but when we realized she likes to climb up to her post and have normal cat naps, all was and is good. Whatever makes Blinky happy, makes us happy! Blinky also enjoys spending time outside (supervised of course). She enjoys rolling in the grass and dirt and she climbs trees like it is something she knows she should be doing and enjoying. Luckily she doesn't climb very high, usually 12-16 feet or so before coming back down after her happy climbing exercise. The trees are one of her favorite scratching posts. And when she is outside and not ready to come in the house when playtime is over a merry game of "IT" is on and she usually wins resulting in outside time being extended until she is ready to go in and nap on her favorite spot atop the cat tree. Our director is only too happy to oblige since we all know what a totally different and horrible fate this cat could have had.

We want Blinky and other special needs cats like her to always be cherished and shown love and just be able to live out the rest of their lives in happiness and comfort with as much of a good quality of life as possible. Blinky is now living a fulfilling life and goes to adoption days where she serves as an ambassador to help educate the public about dogfighting cruelty.

Blinky enjoys visits from her growing number of admirers that stop by our weekend adoption venue and who are in awe of her loving personality and resilience. Any donations made in Blinky's name will go toward her care and other special needs cats like Blinky in our rescue that have been subjected to cruelty and require expensive medical care.

We have entered Blinky into the New Beginnings Story Contest a few times from Petfinder, which is a portion of The Animal Rescue Site Shelter+ Challenge that awards the chance to win a $3,000 grant to help other animals like Blinky, but so far the Petfinder finalists have not chosen her story. However, if you have ever adopted a special animal, you can also enter this contest and share your rescued pet's rescue story with the world and still give us a chance to win every year! Before you enter the contest, just read the New Beginnings Story Contest Rules & Conditions and get a chance to win a grant for Catz Jazz Rescue by sharing your heartwarming rescue story!

To make a donation in Blinky's honor, you can send a donation by PayPal or mail and we will list your name on this page as part of Blinky's supporters. Contributions can be made towards the "In Honor Of Blinky" fund c/o Catz Jazz. We also gratefully accept items from our wishlist. Thank you so much for helping Austin's abused cats.

Checks can sent to our rescue headquarters: "In Honor Of Blinky" c/o Catz Jazz Rescue 170 Marjess Dr. Cedar Creek, Tx. 78612 Please make checks out to Catz Jazz. All donations are tax deductable.

You can make a Paypal Donation of ANY amount "In Honor Of Blinky" Use this button to Donate a $500 Big Heart Medical Sponsorship of feline survivors of abuse "In Honor Of Blinky" Donations can also be made in person during adoption days at Lakeline Petsmart ACROSS From Lakeline Mall, near Best Buy. Meet Catz Jazz Rescue Every Sat/Sun from 12-5pm! 11066 Pecan Park Blvd, Cedar Park, Tx 78613 Any amount is sincerely appreciated, thank you so much!

All donations are tax-exempt, we are a registered 501(c) (3) charity recognized by the IRS. We do not have paid staff; all administrative duties and hands-on work are performed by volunteers. Expenses incurred for our volunteers to fulfill administrative activities like fund raising, public relations, marketing, website and hosting services as well as hands-on work such as transporting animals, promoting animal welfare, fostering and 24 hour care are funded out of pocket by each volunteer. Every dollar contributed to Catz Jazz Rescue is applied directly in fulfilling our mission statement – to provide safety, shelter, veterinary care, medical rehabilitation and socialization for abandoned or abused cats (and sometimes dogs) until good permanent homes can be found for them. We cannot be a success without the encouragement of compassionate people who are committed to providing financial assistance and support to help us continue our work.