Pawsitively adorable! Near-blind feline earns Instagram fame as Sunglass Cat thanks to her INCREDIBLE collection of bedazzled shades that her owner has specially made for her
- Bagel, a six-year-old feline who has over half a million followers on Instagram, lives in Los Angeles with her owner, Karen McGill
- Her viral Instagram page features over 4,000 images of the cat wearing a variety of different bedazzled shades
- She wears sunglasses to protect her eyes, as she was born with a rare eye condition called eyelid agenesis
- The condition saw Bagel being born without eyelids and unable to produce tears
- Each pair of shades features a band that straps around the cat's head, making it easy for the glasses to stay placed on her head and not fall off
A cat that suffers with a rare eye condition and regularly wears sunglasses to protect her eyes has gone viral on the internet for her bedazzles shades.
Bagel, a feline who lives in Los Angeles with her owner, Karen McGill, has taken the internet by storm and garnered over 600,000 followers on Instagram for her extravagant appearance.
The cat's social media account sees a variety of different images that show the feline wearing a variety of different sunglasses, as well as some extravagant ensembles.
Adorable: Bagel, a Los Angeles-based cat that suffers with a rare eye condition and wears sunglasses to protect her eyes, has gone viral for her bedazzles shades
Hilarious! Known as Sunglass Cat on the internet, Bagel boasts over half a million followers on her Instagram page where there are over 4,000 images of her wearing different shades
Sweet: Bagel's owner, Karen McGill, regularly shares photos of the cat wearing different shades that she places on her to protect her eyes
Bagel's viral Instagram page is now home to over 4,000 images that show her wearing different pairs of sunglasses, most of which have been decorated with jewels and brightly-colored beads.
The grey and white cat's bio on the social media platform details that she is a 'pet influencer' and 'global traveler'.
Tough: The six-year-old cat has a rare eye condition, eyelid agenesis, that saw her being born without eyelids and unable to produce tears
Bagel's bio also states that her 'eyes never close'.
The six-year-old cat has a rare eye condition that saw her being born without eyelids.
Similarly the feline, who lives in a house with five other cats, was unable to naturally produce her own tears.
But despite Bagel's conditions, her owner told Metro that it was 'love at first sight' when she met the now internet-famous kitten.
'She stuck her paw out,' Karen said, 'She was very cross-eyed and so cute.
'It was love at first sight. I knew she was special,' she added.
Bagel's funky glasses attract people who gush over her cute appearance.
However, Karen said she often has to explain that the reason Bagel wears shades is to protect her eyes, rather than simply as a fashion statement.
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Sad: Bagel cannot blink or get rid of debris that may get caught in her eyes, which is why she wears the glasses, that are made by one of Karen's friends
Clever: The sunglasses she wears act as a barrier between her sensitive eyes and any obstruction that might come in contact with them, including dust and dirt
Journey: Karen said it was 'love at first sight' when she adopted the cat, however, she wasn't initially aware of Bagel's condition
But despite the fact that Karen is now aware of the condition, this wasn't always the case.
She explained: 'I didn't know about her eye condition until she was about four months old.
'At [the] time we were living on a boat in Venice Beach and I was taking her to the beach every day, unaware that she couldn't develop tears.
'I noticed she was keeping her right eye half closed often.
'I took her to an eye specialist once I discovered she had an issue,' she added.
According to the Washington Post, Bagel suffers with eyelid agenesis, which is also known as eyelid coloboma.
The condition prevented her eyelids from properly developing.
As a result, she cannot blink or get rid of debris that may get caught in her eyes, which is why she wears the sunglasses, which were made by one of Karen's friends.
The glasses have an elastic band attached to them that sits tightly around Bagel's head, making it hard for them to slip off her face.
Aware: After adopting the cat when she was just a small kitten, Karen said she notice that Bagel kept her right eye half open, so she took her to a specialist who discovered her condition
Problems: As well as her eye condition, Bagel is unable to regulate her body temperature. Therefore, Karen often dresses the cat in different outfits to keep her warm
Amazing: Karen, who is eager to show others that animals with disabilities are equally as entitled to a great life, said: 'She has overcome so much in her short life'
Karen admitted that the cat boasts 600 pairs of different sunglasses, adding: 'We have different colors for holidays, with skulls and pumpkins and hearts.'
As well as her eye condition, Bagel is unable to regulate her body temperature.
Therefore, Karen decided to begin dressing the kitten shortly after she adopted her.
'We were at the beach. It was 80 degrees, and Bagel was shaking. So I bought a cute little dress. The next day I took her to the beach and she was fine,' she said.
The owner, who is eager to show others that animals with disabilities are equally as entitled to a great life, added: 'She has overcome so much in her short life.
'I wanted to put her on social media to show how amazing she is.'
'She is the most loving, kindest, gentlest cat you’ll ever meet. She brings so much joy and has touched so many lives,' she added.
Karen explained that she believes if she hadn't adopted Bagel, she might have been put down because of her complex health issues.
'She's incredible and amazes me every day. I can't imagine life without her,' she said.
Cute: 'She is the most loving, kindest, gentlest cat you’ll ever meet. She brings so much joy and has touched so many lives,' she added
Grateful: Karen explained that she believes if she hadn't adopted Bagel, she might have been put down as a result of her conditions
Love: 'She's incredible and amazes me every day. I can't imagine life without her,' Karen said of the Instagram-famous cat
