Everyone loves a little adventure now and then, especially when you are a 3-1/2-year-old black and tan tabby named Lucky from Lower Macungie.

Oh, and did I mention he is blind?

On March 1, Lucky began his adventure around 1:15 a.m., somehow living the life of an escape artist and leaving the comforts of his home in the Ancient Oaks West development.

A flier was placed on social media sites and sent to various news outlets asking for help in locating the escapee March 2.

On March 3, Lucky returned home with the help of Russ Beadle, of Lower Macungie, who spotted Lucky in Farmington Hills Park.

“My wife and I were out walking and we noticed a cat in the middle of the field,” Beadle said. “As we got to him, he was shivering and sitting in the middle of the field. We went home, got the cat carrier and brought him home. We gave him some food and started making calls to local shelters to see if anyone had reported a cat missing. As our children came home from school on the bus, a neighbor’s daughter mentioned a notice of a lost, blind cat on social media and we connected the dots.

“We’ve lost pets before and people have helped us, so it felt great to be able to give back in this way,” Beadle said.

I wanted to know more about Lucky.

Lucky was found along the side of the road in July 2013 by Scott Abbott, who promptly took the kitten to the family’s home.

The Abbott family called several nearby shelters to get help for the flea-ridden, thin kitten without eyes and researched how to care for a blind cat. What they learned is “caring for a blind cat is not that different from the care of a sighted cat.”

Forgotten Felines and Fidos Inc. was the first shelter to call back and encouraged the family to bring Lucky in for a checkup. On the way to the shelter, the family decided they were going to keep the kitten, joining their other cat, a large Maine coon named ToFu, short for “Tons of Fun.”

The family named the kitten Lucky, “because he is.” Later, Scott Abbott admitted he was listening to the Daft Punk song “Get Lucky” when he found the kitten.

Volunteers Stephanie Drey and Wanda Drey with Forgotten Felines and Fidos took care of the fleas, necessary shots and the ear mites, determined Lucky was leukemia negative and said, aside from being very thin, he was in relatively good condition.

“The ladies also assured everyone blind cats can live a long, happy life,” the Abbotts said.

Both volunteers assured the family caring for a blind cat would not be difficult.

“You need to keep furniture in the same spot so they know their way around the house as well as their food and litter boxes,” Stephanie Drey said.

Both Stephanie and Wanda Drey have volunteered at the shelter for more than 15 years.

Sue Bowman, shelter manager, Forgotten Felines and Fidos, said both Stephanie and Wanda knew how well blind cats can adjust.

“They go by smell. Initially, when they come into a new place, they change the position of their whiskers. It’s amazing how they adapt. They memorize where everything is,” Bowman said.

Dorothy Abbott said Lucky knows where the litter boxes are and can smell food at 100 yards away. She said his hearing is “as good or even better than his sense of smell.”

Dorothy Abbott said Lucky plays with ToFu, amuses himself with toys such as balls with bells, crinkled newspaper and a large cat tube. He has also been known to climb the Christmas tree.

Bowman said the no-kill shelter in Germansville first had a blind cat about 20 years ago when they learned how the animal compensated for its disability. They currently have two one-eyed cats, some senior cats and some three-legged cats – all of which are in need of forever homes.

If you find you are able to give one of these pets a home, please consider calling the shelter.

As for Lucky, no one seems to know what happened on his adventure and how he ended up in the park at Sauerkraut Lane and Periwinkle Drive, more than one mile away from the home.

“It’s just nice to have a happy ending,” Dorothy Abbott said.

To contact Forgotten Felines, visit forgottenfelines.org or call 610-760-9009.

For more on the adventures of Lucky and ToFu, visit their Facebook page, The Adventures of Lucky and ToFu.

Debbie Galbraith

editor

East Penn Press

Salisbury Press