A blind kitten had her eyelids sewn shut to save her life after an infection caused her eye to rupture when she sneezed.

Eight-week-old moggy Braille has racked up thousands of online fans as a “beacon of hope” for people with disabilities.

The kitten underwent bilateral enucleation surgery – where the eyes are removed and eyelids sewn shut – last month after being discovered on the streets of Philadelphia, US, as a stray.

But owners Erin Signor, 22, and 25-year-old Sara Konnecke, of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, say the kitten is an inspiration because of her “fearsome warrior spirit”.

The kitten had to have her eyes sewn shut

Mechanical engineer Erin said: “At first we were very reluctant to share photos of Braille due to the gruesome nature of the photos.

“But we decided to share her story when Sara’s sister Erika, who previously was too upset to look at her eye, saw her post-surgery photos and couldn’t believe how different she looked.

“To us, the pictures with her stitches are so much less gruesome that her ‘before’ photos and it just shows her fearsome warrior spirit.

“Fortunately, we haven’t had a single negative comment about her appearance yet – we think because everyone knows she’s going to get those stitches out and be a beautiful little girl! “We really hope Braille’s story will give as many people as possible in all situations hope.

“Hope to beat illnesses, live life to the fullest while facing blindness or other disabilities and even just to remember how precious life itself is.

Tiny Braille was set to be put down by vets

“She is so special to us due to her amazing drive and will to continue fighting, even while on death’s doorstep.

“We know she’s not out of the woods yet but have full confidence she’ll grow up to be a strong, healthy, blind cat.

“We also hope Braille will raise awareness of how normal having a cat with a disability is and persuade other people to consider fostering a cat or kitten with a severe upper respiratory infection.”

Stray Braille was discovered on the streets at five weeks old by a member of the public and was rushed to the Animal Care and Control Team of Philadelphia (ACCT Philly) shelter, where Sara works.

Braille’s infection caused her eye to rupture

She had an upper respiratory infection (URI) so bad she couldn’t see and could barely eat and breathe and she weighed just 317g – the weight of a two-week-old kitten.

One of her eyes was crusted shut while the other had gone into proptosis, which meant the tissue had died and was bulging out of the socket to try and expel itself from the body.

But Sara would not let the shelter euthanise the kitten – the only other option because of the severity of her health conditions – and agreed to foster her in a bid to save her life.

Braille required hot compresses and medication every few hours but couple Sara and Erin, who also live with cats Daisy and Lily, refused to give up.

Vets at ACCT Philly were force to operate on Braille to remove her eyes, despite her not meeting the minimum weight requirement, after her right eye ruptured while she sneezed.

But vets discovered the infection had also destroyed all sight in Braille’s left eye and so decided to remove both eyes to reduce the risk of infection or discomfort.

Braille is now recovering at her new home

Her Facebook page, Braille the Blind Kitten, now has racked up more than 1,600 online fans who follow the latest updates on her condition.

Erin said: “The first night we took Braille home I actually cried for hours because of how lethargic and distressed she was.

“We honestly had no idea if she would make it, and wondered if she should have been humanely euthanised to end her suffering.

“But Sara assured me she had seen kittens pull through incidents like this and she was determined we could save her.

“After Braille’s surgery we took her back home and she purred for the first time ever.

“It was almost as if we had brought home a new kitten!

“She has been improving and trying new things every day since.

“Braille is learning her way around our bedroom – with supervision – and loves to sit on our shoulders while we’re watching TV.

“She grooms us and herself very well and loves to put her head high in the air and sniff everything around her.

Braille with owners Erin Signor and Sara Konnecke

“Braille also has a tiny, quiet meow she saves for moments where she is extremely happy – these are becoming more frequent with each day of her recovery.”

The couple are currently fundraising to pay for Braille’s veterinary fees and to buy specials toys for blind kittens and a water bowl which will make a trickling noise to help the moggy orient herself.