Many cats have the capability of staring at you without blinking, but Butterfly the cat has a different problem. Butterfly was born without eyelids called bilateral eyelid agenesis, a congenital defect where the upper eyelids have not fully formed.
“This kitten is fantastic,” said Wendy Welch, spokeswoman for the Humane Society of Huron Valley. “She is really playful. Just a great spirit. She loves people. We’re just really happy BluePearl can do this for us.”
During a three-hour operation, a rectangle of tissue was taken from inside Butterfly’s upper lip and sewn against her eyeball to form a new “eyelid.” The tissue contains a mucous membrane like the inside of an eyelid. Overtime, Butterfly will learn to blink.