Local blind cat goes viral after hopping her way into a foster family

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — The Beatrice Humane Society rescued a 7-week-old kitten found in the middle of a road in Wymore with a severe infection in both eyes.

The kitten, named “Lil’ Bit”, underwent surgery to get both eyes removed, leaving her with a new way of navigating life.

Amanda Diekman, who is already a cat owner herself, saw Lil’ Bit and decided to take her in as a foster.

“There are obviously things she has to go through to learn our space, but she’s doing so well, and it’s so much easier than I ever thought it would be,” Diekman said.

Diekman’s 18-month-old cat, Teddy, quickly made friends with Lil’ Bit despite her inability to see.

The family posted a TikTok video showing how the 7-week-old is adjusting to the world around her.

The video captured the hearts of 1.1 million people, who are now cheering on Lil’ Bit and her friends.

“Immediately it started getting a lot of views, and so I knew it had been pushed onto the main page,” Diekman said. “When I woke up the next day, it was like half a million views. From there, it just keeps going; my notifications still have not stopped.”

The kitten is even getting national attention when Newsweek posted an article about her.

For Diekman, she said it has been a fantastic experience getting to see just how smart Lil’ Bit is, and the kitten has stolen their families’ hearts.

“It’s honestly been a lot easier than I thought it would be,” she said. “The idea of it and also just fostering in general, it feels like this big feat, and it’s really not. They want love and a warm place.”

According to Carlee Fiddes, the Executive Director for the Beatrice Humane Society, they receive around seven or eight blind rescues a month.

Including Zoey, one of the Humane Society’s blind dogs, who is waiting for her forever home.

Fiddes said Diekman’s TikTok might help Zoey find it soon.

“Every one of those small publicity things, or 1.1 million publicity things, those all help change the perception around rescue animals, change their perception about life and love and all of those things,” she said. “I just love seeing them get that little bit of spotlight that they deserve, even if they can’t see that spotlight.”