Sunglasses Cat

Cats don’t usually wear sunglasses. Bagel, more commonly known as Sunglass Cat, is not your usual feline though. Born without eyelids, she’s a special needs animal who wears bejeweled sunglasses (think of them as fancy protective goggles) and travels the world with her caretaker Karen in an effort to change what it means to be a normal cat. Bagel loves the outdoors and is not content to waste the day staring at birds by the window. She has graced the red carpet, attended cat meet-ups on both coasts and has even made a special appearance on NY City Public Transit. We caught up with Karen and Bagel poolside at their home in Los Angeles, and discussed the ins and outs of living (and traveling with) a special needs animal.

When did Bagel first come into your life? I adopted Bagel when she was 2 months old from Carson Animal Shelter. Bagel AKA Sunglass Cat, is often seen out and about wearing sunglasses – are these simply a fashion accessory or do they serve a specific purpose? Sadly, they’re needed for medical purposes. Bagel was born without eyelids and cannot develop tears. Her sunglasses help protect her corneas from being scratched by debris. If she didn’t wear them, and her corneas were scratched, she’d end up going blind after a period of time. She doesn’t wear them inside since I have air purifiers going for any particles or debris. She also has to have artificial tears put in her eyes on a daily basis. The amount of times varies based on what we’re doing and/or where we’re going. If they weren’t put in her eyes, they would get severely dry, which can cause blindness. You have two other cats that are slowly rising to fame; a sleek tuxedo named Pinot and a fluffy Persian named Sorbet. What makes them unique? Sorbet, a.k.a. Sir Sorbet, I just rescued in April. He’s done meet-and-greets with Bagel and helped out CatfeLA with their IndieGoGo campaign video. He has a hysterical personality and is a lover. He had to be taught how to play, and to this day he’s still learning from the other 2! Just tonight, I had a breakthrough with him and the red laser light. Before, he would never chase it, or even know what to do. He’s been watching the other 2 run after it, jump up on walls to get it, and he finally did the same thing tonight. I’ve been trying to get him to go for the red laser since I rescued him.

I’m still discovering things about Sorbet as time goes on. He will stand on his hind legs for treats and he’s starting to walk on them. He sleeps right next to me every night, and when I stop petting him he puts his paw on my face so I continue. He’s not fluffy anymore since I shaved him down to a lion’s cut because he was having issues with his long fur. Also, Sorbet can’t really smell due to how smushed in his face is so I have to put food right under his nose in order for him to eat it. And he can’t eat wet food without it getting up his nose so I spoon feed him it as much as I can.

Pinot is downright hysterical! He loves to play fetch with his toys, and recently has been playing tug of war with me with a string. I’ll sometimes wake up in the middle of the night because I’ve rolled over on a toy that he’s brought me because he wants to play. He would play non-stop if it was up to him! He especially loves to play catch with his treats. I’ll say “Pinot play catch, ” and he will go in the middle of the room and wait for me to toss up a treat so he can catch it with both paws and put it straight into his mouth. Recently, if I throw his treat off to the side, just like a line drive coming at you he’ll jump, dive for it sideways with both paws. I’m trying to get that on video because it’s just unbelievable! Also, I’ve been leash training him since he always wants to go outside. He loves all animals, and has no problems with any species, just like Sorbet. They’ll both walk straight up to any other cats or dogs to play.

Sorbet is increasingly appearing at public events; is she as easy going as Bagel? Will you ever venture outdoors with Pinot? Sorbet is laid back, but not as much as Bagel. I often take him out with me for coffee or shopping in Santa Monica. So far he’s been fine with it, but he has to be on a harness and leash since I’m not too sure how he will react to everything. Before Sorbet, I’d take Pinot out on excursions with Bagel, and he was fine until something scared him. I still don’t know what it was, and that’s why I’m now working on leash training so I can walk him on the beach one day soon! What’s a typical day like with the trio? Besides the typical eating and sleeping, Bagel and Pinot will run around and chase each other. They’ll play chase as well as wrestle for what seems like the longest time. Sorbet watches them since I believe he is still learning how to play with other cats. When Sorbet first entered our home he would just jump on top of Pinot thinking that was wrestling, and Pinot would get mad. He never tried that on Bagel, but he finally stopped doing that to Pinot. I’ll try and play with all 3 of them at once, but usually Pinot will fall on one of them since he’s so crazy when he plays that after, neither Bagel or Sorbet will want to play. I’ve discovered one of the best toys to incorporate all 3 of them is a string. However, Pinot will take it in his mouth and play tug of war with me and walk around with it while the other cats chase it. Your relationship with Bagel seems to be built on mutual trust. What makes your connection so strong? Bagel and I have such a strong bond; our connection is unlike any other I’ve ever had with a cat. It’s been that way ever since I adopted her. She’s had some close calls with death, and I was always there nursing her and doing what it took to keep her alive. Since she was so fragile after I adopted her, she went with me wherever I went. She even came to work with me, and I believe this was what made our bond and her trust in me so strong.

We’ve lived in some very untraditional places, and one night Bagel was non-stop licking my face and arms. She was making what I like to call “her complaining noise” which isn’t a meow (she doesn’t really meow). It’s a combination of a meow and an “errr” noise. Well, that night she was doing that over and over and licking me. This wasn’t like her, but I was working the late shift and it was my night off to sleep so I ignored her and forced myself to sleep. When I awoke in the morning I discovered that we had had an electrical fire that ended up smoldering itself out, and to this day I believe that was her way of trying to tell me to get up because there was something wrong. When I told this to others they all believed she was trying to wake me up because she knew something was wrong. Even when I told “dog” people the story they agreed she was trying to warn me and wake me up. This just made our bond even stronger than it ever was!

Usually cats are either outdoor or indoor; Bagel seems to straddle both worlds. Do you find that people have a difficult time with that? Yes, there’s still so many people that have the stereotypical thoughts about cats. That cats should just be indoors eating, sleeping and that they like being alone at home. When people see her out and about many will ask questions, and then you’ll have some that will say cats don’t belong outside. I believe the opposite; cats love going outdoors to watch birds, chase bugs or just to relax in the grass and eat it. What lessons have you learned from living with a special needs animal? Bagel is my very first special needs cat, and it’s taught me how to be very patient. I’ve had to learn how to read her breathing patterns since she can’t regulate her body temperature. No one knows why this is a problem for her, but either she gets too hot, too cold or it’ll be just the perfect temperature for her. If it’s 70 degrees out with a breeze that’s too cold and she’ll be shivering until I put a sweatshirt, sweater or something on her to keep her warm. I know when Bagel is getting overheated by her breathing, and then she either needs to be put in water or iced down. I also have a large battery operated fan for her as well as a small one.

Bagel has always been on a special food diet since she has food allergies, and it was easier just to make the other 2 go on it as well. She’s allergic to carpeting as well as wood, and so when she’s playing she gets overheated pretty quickly. So when I’m not home I close the door to my bedroom so that doesn’t happen to her. I also have to pluck her eyelashes out that have grown back after her 3rd eye surgery as well as put artificial tears in her eyes on a daily basis.