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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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A blind tabby kitten has captured the hearts of tens of thousands of viewers online after her owner posted a photo of the newly adopted pet to Reddit, sharing the animal’s brave backstory and how she is adjusting after losing both her eyes to congenital glaucoma.
"Agnes is the best girl and appreciates all the love! She is going to be showered with kisses and snuggles forever," the kitten’s owner wrote in an emotional comment update to their viral Reddit post. It has garnered more than 63,000 upvotes since being shared on November 3 under u/peterprkers.
The post, which included an image of the tiny cat with a blank, eyeless gaze, was accompanied by a message that read: "Everybody say hello to our first girl cat! This is Agnes and she is perfect in every way."
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Reddit users quickly flooded the comments to gush over the charming kitten. Several shared tales about their own visually impaired pets.
"We have a blind boy," one viewer said. "Have had him since [he was] 4-weeks-old. He is 16. Opens doors, goes in the yard doesn’t bother a soul and is the sweetest and happiest guy. So loving so tender, so, so smart. He is the most amazing cat we have ever had. He is a gift we are so grateful to get to love him. Enjoy your sweet girl, Agnes."
"Sweetie! I’ve had two blind kitties and they were amazing," another added.
The post quickly propelled Agnes into viral status, prompting the owner to share more details about the kitten’s condition, her surgery, and how she is thriving, despite the loss of her vision.
"Agnes is 3-months-old! her and her three other siblings were fostered from bottle babies by my cousin and his girlfriend and have found forever homes," Agnes' owner said.
They added that Agnes was born with congenital glaucoma, which led to severely swollen, mostly sightless eyes. The condition, present from birth, can cause pain and irreversible damage if untreated.
"She had them taken out in the beginning of October as they were painful and no good," the owner wrote.
Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine says feline glaucoma is a condition that sees the watery fluid contained in the front part of the eye struggle to drain normally.
The resulting accumulation of this fluid puts pressure on the optic nerve. The nerve damage eventually caused by this pressure prevents normal vision and can result in partial or total blindness.
But Agnes, according to her owner, has proven to be fearless and full of spirit, despite all that she has been through.
"Being blind doesn’t stop her! she follows the toys better than our cats with sight and maps out the apartment very quickly," the owner wrote. "She has the best personality! she’s cuddly and silly and feisty and so very brave, nothing scares her!"
Newsweek reached out to u/peterprkers for more information via Reddit.
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