Stray kitten without eyelids to get vision-saving surgery

Butterfly, a five-month-old kitten, can meow.

But she can’t blink.

That’s about to change Monday when the kitten, rescued as a stray from the streets by the Humane Society of Huron Valley, undergoes surgery to correct bilateral eyelid agenesis, a rare condition where a cat is born without eyelids.

The surgery will take place at the BluePearl Veterinary Hospital in Ann Arbor. Veterinarian ophthalmologist Dr. Gwen Sila will remove tissue from the kitten’s inner lip and transfer it to her eyes — creating, in effect, new lids.

“The condition is rare in itself,” BluePearl spokesperson Curtis Krueger said. “But this is even rarer. A lot of kittens will have some form of eyelid, but this kitten has none, so this is pretty involved.”

“The kitten needs this, or she is not going to have good eyesight, so the need is great.”

Butterfly, a black and brown, tiger-striped kitten, is living with a foster family and requires eye drops several times a day to keep her eyes from drying out. The humane society contacted BluePearl for assistance with the rare condition, who volunteered its services to help the little cat. Once she has recovered, she will be available for adoption.

“She is very playful,” said humane society director Wendy Welch. “She’s a super social cat.” Welch said it was unclear how long her recovery would take, but those interested in helping with the cost of her care, and those of other pets in foster care to contact HSHV.org/foster.

The hospital is part of BluePearl Veterinary Partners, a specialty veterinary service based in Tampa, Fla., employing more than 2,600 people, including 500 veterinarians nationwide.

Contact L.L. Brasier: 248-858-2262 or lbrasier@freepress.com