In Tampa, Florida, Joshua Hiebert was tidying up his yard in June of last year when he noticed a figure crouched in his driveway.

Hiebert told The Dodo, “I saw this small lump of an orange cat sitting up against our garage door as I was heading back to the house. It was around 90 degrees outdoors and he was sitting in the sun on the concrete.

Hiebert checked the area, but there was no sign of the kitten’s mom, so he quickly took a video to show his husband, Jose Tortolero. Hiebert knew that a feral cat colony lived in his neighborhood and had tried to be kind to them when they were around.

The kitten stumbled inside the garage after Hiebert unlocked the entrance, where it squatted in a corner. Hiebert remarked, “He was really feeble. “We saw he wasn’t really interacting with us since he couldn’t even really hold his head up. For example, he didn’t appear to care whether or not we relocated. But we explained it away by saying that he was very dehydrated.

When Hiebert and Tortolero gave the kitten a dish of water, they saw that he tested the depth of the liquid by dipping his paw into it and tapping it. They discovered the orange kitty was blind at that point.

The couple rushed to the pet store for supplies and hand-fed the kitten, who seemed grateful for the meal and a comfortable place to sleep. The next day, the kitten, whom they named Whiskers, was full of energy.

They brought Whiskers to the vet for a checkup, where he was given eye drops, eye lubricants and antibiotics.

Although medication improved Whisker’s eyes, he is still essentially blind and can only detect light and motion changes. His parents are doing everything they can to assist him in the hopes that his vision would get better with time and attention.

At the age of six months, Whiskers is a playful and independent kitten who enjoys playing with both of his dog siblings and parents.

“He’s the sweetest,” Hiebert said. “He’ll never put his claws into you when he’s playing. He’s very gentle.”

“He gets excited every time he’s done eating,” he added. “He gets the zoomies and runs around the house.”

Whiskers is content as long as he is close to one of his fathers, despite the fact that he still needs to mend and develop. And Hiebert and Tortolero are happy to have him as a part of their family and home.

We adore him so much, added Hiebert. He is unquestionably a member of the family.