Little Canada, Minnesota - Recently, photos on the animal rescue center's Instagram page caused a stir for the obvious reason: Dorito the cat's eyes look like giant marbles. But she didn't always have this strange medical condition.

She looked completely normal when she and her sister were found behind a dumpster.

Although the two cats' ears were bleeding and they had a cold, the kittens were otherwise unremarkable.

But while Cheeto the cat quickly recovered at The Bitty Kitty Brigade in Little Canada, Minnesota, her rescuers were very surprised by the health journey of her sister Dorito.

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Recently, photos posted on the animal rescue center's Instagram page caused a stir for the obvious reason: Dorito's eyes look like giant marbles!

Since then, some users have suspected fraud and believe that these are AI-generated fake images – but they're not, and there are experts to vouch for it.

Mandy Dwyer, the head of the Bitty Kitty Brigade, has now faced up to this criticism in an interview with The Dodo.

"Her eyes weren’t enlarged when she first arrived," the woman explained to the animal site. They only swelled up a few days later, according to Dwyer.

Fortunately, a vet was able to quickly find out the reason for this, as immediate action had to be taken.

It turned out that Dorito's oversized eyes were the result of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), a dangerous disease that causes inflammation.

However, the eyes only swell in about a quarter of cases – but rarely to the extent that Dorito's did.

"Treatment for FIP has only been around for about eight years," Dwyer told The Dodo.

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"[It] didn’t become legal in the US until 2024," she added. If left untreated, FIP is almost always fatal.

But the treatment worked for the 5-month-old kitty.

"The pressure in her eyes is back to normal," said Dwyer. "She gets over-the-counter eye lubricant drops to help keep [her eyes] moisturized since she can’t completely close her eyelids."

Unfortunately, it is currently unknown whether Dorito's eyes will ever return to their normal size, but it is certain that her vision will remain severely impaired forever.

Nevertheless, there is a happy ending for the brave furry friend: her foster mother has fallen so much in love with her and her sister that she has adopted them both.

"She's a cuddle bug," the cat mom said of Dorito. "She's very excited to explore everything all the time. She's extremely gentle and loves to give kisses. Even when she fully attacks my hand during playtime, she never lets me feel a single claw."