Hearts Melts As Blind Kitten Learns To Trust New Family After Surgery

A social media video that chronicles how a poorly kitten was found in a woman's barn, only to be taken in, nursed, and later adopted by the woman and her family has led to tears across the Internet.

The viral video, which has been viewed more than 16.7 million times to date, introduced the world to the blind kitten who has been healing from corneal ulcers at his new family's home. He's been given the name Simba.

"I found a kitten in my barn, he has corneal ulcers," the woman wrote across the post while a montage tracked the kitten's journey from looking frail and timid with a dangerous eye infection to looking healthier and happier.

"One eye quickly got worse and had to be removed," she wrote.

A corneal ulcer is an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea in an eye. It is often caused by infection.

The video's creator went on to share that the kitten has been receiving plenty of love and care in his new home and that the pair had forged a sweet bond as time passed.

"He became more attached and trusting, I became attached too," the creator explained.

Over time, Simba can be seen becoming more and more playful and adventurous. While he remained blind, his hearing improved as did his energy levels. He gradually learned how to play with the toys that he couldn't see.

According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, around 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters every year.

"Of those, approximately 3.2 million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011," the ASPCA wrote on its website.

What Do the Comments Say?

The kindness of the family that has adopted Simba has led to an outpouring of emotion from viewers in the post's comments section. Since it was first shared on the social media platform on August 8 by @Brich1126, the TikTok post has been liked by over 4,300 users and commented on more than 100 times.

"Thank you for loving him. He's the cutest kitten in the world," one user wrote.

"He is so cute I hope he gets even better," another user added.

The TikTok post can be seen here.

Newsweek reached out to @Brich1126 for comment via TikTok.

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