Wheatie, a sleek black cat with striking yellow eyes, isn’t usually one for affection. She tends to keep her distance from strangers — and even from other animals.
But when it comes to her best friend Zelda, she’s a completely different cat.
Zelda, a 19-month-old toddler who is blind, has formed a remarkable bond with Wheatie. The cat walks beside her down the hallway, gently brushing against her legs.
When they nap, they do it side by side, sharing the same pillow. Wherever Zelda goes, Wheatie isn’t far behind.
“When I was pregnant with Zelda, I was really worried about how Wheatie would react,” said Alexis Wiggins, mom to both Zelda and Wheatie.
With three cats and a dog already in the home, Wiggins knew Wheatie was the most unpredictable of the bunch.
But the moment baby Zelda arrived, Wheatie surprised everyone.
“She was the only animal who would stay close to us and be near Zelda,” Wiggins said. “As Zelda grew and started exploring, Wheatie never ran. She’d just lie beside her, letting Zelda touch her head, tail — everything. And she never flinched.”
Now, Wheatie is endlessly patient and gentle with her toddler companion. She appears to guide Zelda to different places around the house, almost as if she knows her young friend needs a bit of extra help.
Zelda’s blindness was discovered when she was just 5 weeks old. After a doctor initially dismissed her red, swollen eyes as allergies, a specialist diagnosed her with chronic bilateral detached retinas. For a brief and terrifying moment, doctors even suspected eye cancer.
“As hard as it is to find out your child is blind, it was a relief compared to thinking she had cancer,” Wiggins said.
Whether or not Wheatie truly understands Zelda’s condition is unclear — but what’s certain is her devotion. Zelda lights up when she hears Wheatie’s paws padding across the floor, reaching out with giggles to greet her.
And Wheatie always responds, rubbing her face against Zelda and staying close by, especially when other pets get too curious.
“She gets fussy if Wheatie isn’t in her room at bedtime,” Wiggins said. “She knows something’s missing — her sleeping buddy.”
Soon, Zelda will be fitted with her first mobility cane. And while it remains to be seen if Wheatie will help her navigate the world officially, she’s already filling the role of guardian and friend in every way that matters.
“When I watch them together, just being themselves, it’s the sweetest thing,” Wiggins said. “It’s two young beings who found love and comfort in each other.”
To follow more heartwarming moments between Zelda and Wheatie, check them out on Instagram!
