Bernice is one special kitty. She crawled out of a culvert in Hamilton, IL and landed in the caring hands of a canine rescue. When she was found, Bernice looked like this:

Her eyes were completely crusted over with infection, she was dirty, flea-covered, and extremely thin. The kind people at the dog rescue got her immediately to the veterinarian, who worked diligently to clear up Bernice's infected eyes. About a week later, this sweet kitty landed in the loving arms of Tenth Life.

But Bernice has another, more serious, condition in addition to the blindness resulting from the infection. She has something called hydrocephaly, or "water on the brain". Basically what this means is that there is an excess of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricular system of her brain, causing abnormal general movement and a very grim prognosis. Cats with hydrocephaly almost never live more than a year or two because, as they age, they develop seizures that worsen over time. Eventually, her seizures will become more frequent and severe than her little body can handle.

There is no real treatment for kitties with this condition so, sadly, it's a matter of making Bernice as comfortable and happy as we possibly can for as long as we possibly can. And for this sweet kitty, it means lots of snuggling