Penny's Cataracts

I gave  Penny a bath today. It was not a pleasant experience for either of us. I wouldn't have gotten any more scratches that if I had been in a fight with a dozen rose bushes.  She sure has some claws on her and still acts like a cat after 16 years. She looks so fluffy and smells so nice though.
The sad part came when I was brushing the hair on her face and blowing her dry. I notice that she flinched ( more so than usual) every time I started to touch her face. Upon closer inspection I noticed that she had clouding (cataracts)in both her eyes now. She has had them in her left eye for some time but now they are in both. This explains why she has started to hesitate more when walking and jumping up or down from the couch. I noticed it more in the past two  or three weeks that she seems to be disoriented but now I think she just couldn't see where she was going.
It makes me so sad for her. I know what it's like to have cataracts. I had them removed from my right eye two years ago because I was 98% blind in that eye.Now I need my left eye done but it will have to wait a while due to finances. Medicare will not pay for cataract surgery until you are 65. I guess they figure you can stay blind until then. It is upsetting when you have worked and paid all that money in to a system that doesn't want to give back when you need it.
I guess Penny and I will just have to continue to look out for each other. I will be her eyes for her as long as I can. After all she is my heart.