Blind Steinbach cat stars in Stephen King film

A blind Steinbach cat put in a purr-fect performance after starring in a new blockbuster film.

Dory, a grey and white tabby cat, starred in the Manitoba-shot feature film The Long Walk. The nine-year-old cat was blind since birth due to a genetic condition that caused her eyes to not fully develop. Michelle Neufeld, Dory’s owner and also president of the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue, said Dory loved the attention from being on the film set last year in La Rivière, off Highway 3. Dory’s scene was shot in August 2024.

“She was amazing. She did exactly what she was supposed to do,” Neufeld said. “She was a trooper.”

The film, starring Hollywood heavyweight Mark Hamill, hit theatres on Sept. 12. Based on a Stephen King novel, The Long Walk is a dystopian film about a group of teens forced to continuously walk in a contest or be killed.

Dory was already popular through her role as ambassador for the Steinbach and Area Animal Rescue and frequently would do school visits to promote animal care, Neufeld said. Dory even had a dedicated Instagram page. When Neufeld got word that there might be a film role for Dory, she expected it to be a Hallmark-style film. She didn’t think Dory would star in a horror film.

When shooting, Neufeld described Dory’s scene as sitting on a mailbox, as the actors and military machinery go by. Because Dory was always blind, Neufeld said the cat “tunes in” with all of her other senses to track what’s going on around her.

“We heard the director go ‘Yes that’s perfect’ because this no-eyed cat looks like they’re watching the people walk by,” she said.

Dory was found south of Steinbach, coming out of the bush with her two sisters, nine years ago, said Neufeld. After receiving a call about the cats, she took them in and cleaned their infected eyes only to find Dory had none. She said Dory is the perfect cat and “very cuddly.”

“You would never know she’s blind. People would often ask me ‘Are you sure she’s blind?’ and I’m like well yeah, she has no eyes,” She said, with a chuckle.

Neufleld said she’ll have to see the movie again because she was so focused on waiting for Dory to show up on screen. She hopes to do a fundraiser with Dory for the animal rescue when the movie is released digitally.