Marsibil Anna Jóhannsdóttir and her blind kitten, Óðinn Lionheart, have raised thirty thousand Krónur for the Icelandic Cancer Society. The diminutive puss is one of many participants in Moustache March – Men’s Cancer Awareness Campaign. Part of the campaign is an annual moustache competition where men, and in this case, felines, compete over who has the most elegant facial hair of them all.
Marsibil, who studies occupational therapy at the University of Akureyri, signed Óðinn up for the competition to commemorate her late father-in-law who died from cancer in 2012, and to raise money for what she considers a worthy cause.
“Óðinn has a little, grey patch over his upper lip that resembles a moustache,” she explains. “I had forbidden my boyfriend to grow one because it doesn’t suit him, so I figured Óðinn could take his place in the competition.”
Their goal was to raise ten thousand Krónur, which equates to 64 Euros, for the charity. However, the little kitten with the handsome moustache surpassed his goal on the very first day.
“I thought ten thousand was a realistic goal. I never expected us to exceed it but he’s already raised thirty thousand,” Marsibil says enthusiastically.
The kitten was hissing and scratching but calmed down as soon as she handed him to me. There was no turning back after that.
Óðinn’s backstory is truly a heart-warming one. He was one of seven kittens found last autumn near Eyrin, the old part of Akureyri town. Ragnheiður Gunnarsdóttir, who runs the local cat-shelter, found the litter and brought them home. Shortly after she realized some of them were either totally or partially blind.
“I’ve owned cats my whole life but when I moved from my home in the Westman Islands to Akureyri I had to leave my old cat behind due to housing difficulties. I befriended the local cat shelter on Facebook shortly after my move north and that’s where I found about the litter Ragnheiður had rescued. There was one kitten in particular that caught my eye so I tried to convince my boyfriend to adopt it. He finally gave in last December, which had been a difficult month for me; I’d been under a lot of stress because of my studies and was feeling a bit down about having to spend Christmas away from my family.”
The kitten Marsibil had set her heart on was a tiny, ginger named Dagfinnur. However, the kitten had become so attached to his saviour that Marsibil found it unthinkable to separate the pair.
“Ragnheiður and I agreed she would think about it for a fortnight. When I returned she was holding Óðinn in her arms, desperately trying to calm him down. The kitten was hissing and scratching but calmed down as soon as she handed him to me. There was no turning back after that.” She adds: “One could say he chose me and not the other way around.”
Marsibil describes Óðinn as a happy and healthy puss who scuttles around the apartment without any difficulties.
“To begin with he’d bump into walls and furniture but after he got to know his surroundings he’s able to run, jump and play like any normal kitten would. Occasionally he’ll crash into things if he’s in a big hurry or we forget to put things back to where they belong.”
“Watching him play, jump and scamper around, you’d never guess he’s blind. He’s quite the confident little fellow. His favourite toys are candy wrappers and balls of yarn. He loves to play fetch and whenever he hears a rustling sound he’ll immediately dart off to investigate. His favourite treat is pizza-crust – we haven’t been able to eat our pizza in peace since Óðinn joined the household.”
Watch Óðinn play around with his favourite toy, a candy wrapper, in this video:
Óðinn Lionheart the blind kitten from Iceland Mag on Vimeo.
The blind pussy cat, Óðinn Lionheart, raises money for the Icelandic Cancer Society. He’s one of many participants in an annual moustache competition held each March to create awareness about testicular cancer.
Marsibil Anna Jóhannsdóttir and her blind kitten, Óðinn Lionheart, have raised thirty thousand Krónur for the Icelandic Cancer Society. The diminutive puss is one of many participants in Moustache March – Men’s Cancer Awareness Campaign. Part of the campaign is an annual moustache competition where men, and in this case, felines, compete over who has the most elegant facial hair of them all.
Marsibil, who studies occupational therapy at the University of Akureyri, signed Óðinn up for the competition to commemorate her late father-in-law who died from cancer in 2012, and to raise money for what she considers a worthy cause.
“Óðinn has a little, grey patch over his upper lip that resembles a moustache,” she explains. “I had forbidden my boyfriend to grow one because it doesn’t suit him, so I figured Óðinn could take his place in the competition.”
Their goal was to raise ten thousand Krónur, which equates to 64 Euros, for the charity. However, the little kitten with the handsome moustache surpassed his goal on the very first day.
“I thought ten thousand was a realistic goal. I never expected us to exceed it but he’s already raised thirty thousand,” Marsibil says enthusiastically.
The kitten was hissing and scratching but calmed down as soon as she handed him to me. There was no turning back after that.
Óðinn’s backstory is truly a heart-warming one. He was one of seven kittens found last autumn near Eyrin, the old part of Akureyri town. Ragnheiður Gunnarsdóttir, who runs the local cat-shelter, found the litter and brought them home. Shortly after she realized some of them were either totally or partially blind.
“I’ve owned cats my whole life but when I moved from my home in the Westman Islands to Akureyri I had to leave my old cat behind due to housing difficulties. I befriended the local cat shelter on Facebook shortly after my move north and that’s where I found about the litter Ragnheiður had rescued. There was one kitten in particular that caught my eye so I tried to convince my boyfriend to adopt it. He finally gave in last December, which had been a difficult month for me; I’d been under a lot of stress because of my studies and was feeling a bit down about having to spend Christmas away from my family.”
The kitten Marsibil had set her heart on was a tiny, ginger named Dagfinnur. However, the kitten had become so attached to his saviour that Marsibil found it unthinkable to separate the pair.
“Ragnheiður and I agreed she would think about it for a fortnight. When I returned she was holding Óðinn in her arms, desperately trying to calm him down. The kitten was hissing and scratching but calmed down as soon as she handed him to me. There was no turning back after that.” She adds: “One could say he chose me and not the other way around.”
Marsibil describes Óðinn as a happy and healthy puss who scuttles around the apartment without any difficulties.
“To begin with he’d bump into walls and furniture but after he got to know his surroundings he’s able to run, jump and play like any normal kitten would. Occasionally he’ll crash into things if he’s in a big hurry or we forget to put things back to where they belong.”
“Watching him play, jump and scamper around, you’d never guess he’s blind. He’s quite the confident little fellow. His favourite toys are candy wrappers and balls of yarn. He loves to play fetch and whenever he hears a rustling sound he’ll immediately dart off to investigate. His favourite treat is pizza-crust – we haven’t been able to eat our pizza in peace since Óðinn joined the household.”
Watch Óðinn play around with his favourite toy, a candy wrapper, in this video:
Óðinn Lionheart the blind kitten from Iceland Mag on Vimeo.
