Matilda The 'Alien Cat' Just Wants To Cuddle

Many of us have considered the possibility that cats might be alien beings, but one Canadian feline seems to be confirming those suspicions.

Matilda, a 2-year-old cat who was rescued from a hoarding situation as a kitten, has enormous glassy eyes that give her an otherworldly appearance.

But Matilda, nicknamed the "alien cat," didn’t always look this way, her owner, Meghan, told The Huffington Post. When Meghan, who requested that her last name not be used to protect her privacy, and her fiancé adopted Matilda in 2012, she looked like any other adorable kitten.
Just after Matilda’s first birthday, Meghan said, she began to experience an eye issue where one pupil would dilate nearly to the size of the entire eye, then return to normal. Matilda was diagnosed with spontaneous lens luxation, meaning that the lens in her eye had detached. Her left eye soon became affected as well.

As it turned out, Matilda’s siblings suffered from the same condition, Meghan said. However, while their eyes stayed the same size, Matilda's began to get bigger and bigger, which Meghan says has puzzled multiple veterinarians.

“We’re still unsure as to why this made her eyes grow,” Meghan said, adding that her vet believes it has “something to do with her collagen structure.”

She said Matilda also suffered from secondary glaucoma while her eyes were still growing, but it’s now “cleared.”

Despite the fact that Matilda’s nearly blind -- she can see “light and some motion,” Meghan said -- Matilda has a sunny attitude.