Taking In A Blind Kitten
Rosario had already adopted a kitten with special needs before. Two years before adopting Lime, she took in another blind cat named Lemon. Lemon became part of the family back in October 2016 but his time with Rosario would prove to be short. It turned out that Lemon had heart problems.
Among them were an atrial septal defect, as well as a ventricular septal defect, according to a Facebook page where Rosario chronicled the cat’s life. But Rosario wanted to give Lemon the best possible life in the short time he had. “My time with Lemon is going to be short but the sweetest”, she explained.
Saying Goodbye To Lemon
“When he starts showing signs that he’s not happy or that he’s in pain is when I will say goodbye.” So before the day came, Rosario made a bucket list for Lemon. The list included scaling a tree and using his paws to create art. In nearly three months, they had a lot of experiences together.
Unfortunately, just after Christmas in 2016, Rosario had to make the tough decision to put Lemon down. “He was truly an amazing cat,” she told Meow. And nearly two years after that she would bring another cat into the family.
Rosario Found Lime
Rosario had two tabby cats named Deadpool and Rajah, a pit bull named Letty and a Yorkshire terrier named Jordin. And on March 26, 2018, a kitten came into the world that would steal Rosario’s heart and would soon join her group of fur babies.
Through a pet fostering page, Rosario saw a picture of a woman holding a steel gray kitten that was blind and was love-struck. “I couldn’t believe it! That little nugget in the photo looked exactly like Lemon,” she wrote on Instagram.*
Lime Was Blind But Healthy
The Jacksonville Humane Society in Jacksonville, Florida, had taken in the days-old kitten, along with her sister. Initially named Rosita, the cat’s “eyes were completely infected and eaten away – this is probably what had happened to Lemon’s eyes,” Bryanna explained on Facebook.
Luckily, the cats recovered quickly and they became normal kittens with heightened senses, since they had lost their eyesight. The good news was that Rosita had a stronger heart than her predecessor, which meant she could undergo an operation to remove the dead tissue from her eyes.
Their First Meeting
Rosario became obsessed with following the blind kitten’s story that her foster mom was sharing. And on June 1, 2018, her admiration for the kitten became official.
She packed her dogs into the car and made the five-hour drive to Jacksonville to meet Rosita for the first time. But the pet owner felt some trepidation about their first meeting.
Mixed Feelings
“Even though I was so excited to meet little [Rosita], I was nervous,” Rosario explained in an Instagram story. “I felt guilty as I didn’t want to replace Lemon and didn’t want to have any expectations about [Rosita]. I felt very guarded", she added. Luckily, as soon as Rosario met Rosita, all of that fear was gone.
However, as Rosario had other pets, nothing could've prepared Rosario (or Rosita) for what happened next! "I knew she wasn’t replacing Lemon, Lemon just sent her my way,” Rosario wrote. However, as a tribute to Lemon, Rosario changed the kitten’s name from Rosita to Lime.
Lime's New Life
The day after she officially adopted Lime, Rosario shared the news on Facebook with those who had previously followed Lemon’s bucket list journey. “There were many emotions yesterday, and I’m still very emotional,” she stated.
"No one could ever replace Lemon. Period. Lime is a different kitten with a different personality, but I get a second chance with a little gray, blind kitten. Lemon was such an epic soul that touched many people and changed my life so much. I can’t wait to continue my journey with Lime by my side", Rosario said.
Lime Became Part Of The Family
Her experience with Lemon also thought Rosario that Lime would quickly adjust to her new life since her first blind cat had proven to be resilient and adaptable. Lime quickly became part of the family, just as Rosario predicted.
Lime came into Rosario’s home, “confident, brave, playful and happy,” according to Meow.af. She spent her days following her new mom around the house by relying on her other senses since she couldn’t see.
First Days In Her New Home
Her other senses came in handy in many ways. “There is no sneaking around this little one. When she hears a can of food open, everyone better move out of her way,” Rosario said. That is why she told Meow.af, “You can’t leave any food out or Lime will find it!”
Rosario did her best to make the transition as smooth as possible for Lime. For example, the pet mom tried to not move her furniture around the house all the time, allowing her to walk around without bumping into anything. But Lime was a fearless kitten. She even tended to sleep “at the highest spot of the cat tree"!
Lime's Relationship With Other Pets
Lime reportedly “[adored] spending time with Rajah and Deadpool,” since all three cats came from similar backgrounds.
Each of them had been rescued and bottle-fed as kittens. But of all the new friendships that Lime made, perhaps the most unexpected one was with Rosario’s pitbull, Letty.
Lime And Letty
Less than two weeks after she brought Lime home, Rosario declared on Instagram that the duo had “become BFFs very quickly and love each other so much.” Five months later, Rosario told Meow.af that the pair had become totally entwined with one another.
> "Lime loves her sister, Letty. Lime loves to chase Letty’s tail and play with whatever toy Letty has. They truly are best friends,” she said in an interview.
The BFFs
Over time, Rosario decided that she would use her pets’ special relationship and her social media account to do something good. “I wanted to show how amazing it is to adopt a special needs kitty,” she wrote on Instagram.
“But what’s even more amazing is breaking the stereotypes about dogs… and cats being best friends", Rosario said. Lime and Letty most certainly have had plenty of stories to tell from their short time together.
Lime The Nurse
In October 2018 Rosario heartbreakingly shared that Letty had slipped a disc, which injured her spinal cord and ultimately caused her to suffer a stroke. Fortunately, the dog didn’t need surgery – only intense physical therapy.
“The prognosis is good,” Rosario later wrote on Instagram. She also revealed that Letty had a very special caretaker. “Of course Lime is happy to play nurse,” she wrote. And all of that helped Letty remain in good spirits on her road to recovery.
Everything Turned Out Fine
Lime waited patiently for Letty to heal so she could play with her best friend once again. Toying around with their strings was all she longed for!
And as soon as the pit bull felt a bit better, the besties resumed their favorite activities, like sharing treats and bird-watching.
Adopting Lime Was The Best Decision
The special moments Lime and Letty shared only proved to Rosario that adopting Lime was the best decision she could have made. “Lime is just an amazing, loving, playful, funny, confident little fluff!” she told Meow.af.
“I love her so, so much that I can’t fit it into words. Lime makes our whole lives full", Rosario posted on Facebook. Of course, that didn’t mean that Lime had come in to replace Lemon. In fact, Rosario also confessed that “I think about my little Lemon every day and miss him always".
Lemon's Memory
Sometimes, watching Lime grow up felt a bit bittersweet. “I start to think how Lemon would’ve looked or how he would be at Lime’s age,” Rosario went on.
However, she couldn’t understate the “huge impact” Lime has had on her family. And she could only thank Lemon for that.
Lime Makes Their Lives Full
"Without Lemon, I probably wouldn’t have adopted Lime,” Rosario explained on Facebook. So we could even say she has Lemon to thank for Lime coming to their lives!
“Now, don’t get me wrong, Lime is a completely different cat with her own personality and quirks, but she was absolutely the best decision I ever made", she added.
Blind Cats Are Just As Capable
Both cats have demonstrated to Rosario the capabilities that blind cats have. They can still live lives as fulfilling as any other seeing cat. “A lot of people feel bad for blind cats, and they shouldn’t,” as she put it to Meow.af.
Rosario reminded pet lovers everywhere not to ignore the possibility of adopting a feline-like Lime. “Blind cats are amazing creatures that should be celebrated!” she said. “They need love just like other cats do.” Rosario appeared to take her own words to heart, too.
LemonAide Rescue
Just after losing Lemon in early 2018, she started the LemonAide Rescue. The organization was set up “to try to keep [Lemon’s] memory alive.” The charity strove to “focus more on the Lemons”, Rosario explained, referring to the animals that had imperfections as Lemon had.
While her efforts were “emotionally tolling,” she continued to take on the most critical of cases in order to give the animals better lives. However, as of August 2018, Rosario had to pause her efforts with LemonAide after experiencing a loss in her family. However, she vowed that she would “never stop helping animals in need.”
The Happy Pet Mom of Five
Rosario’s efforts in just eight months were enough to save more than 70 pets! “ will continue to do as much as I can. Maybe in the future, I will start over again” the amazing pet owner said.
However, it is clear that she has already made a huge impact with all of the special pets she’d saved, including her blind kittens Lemon and Lime.