Dilemma - stray cat that seems to be blind

Hectors_House

Hello peeps

over the recent bad spell of weather I started letting a local stray stay in the house during the day.

He was OK with my own cat (they don't fight as far as I can tell).

I didn't realise he had sight issues until I noticed him keeping close to the walls and walking face-first into tables/chairs etc.

Everything was going OK until this weekend when he start to spray in my bedroom (where my cat, Sweepy sleeps).

I'd love to take him in but can't afford the cost of a second cat.

And I'm reluctant to get Cat Protection or RSPCA involved as I think they will put him to sleep when they realise he's blind as he's also your standard pitch black mog and I hear they have problems rehoming them.

Does anyone know of any cat welfare societies for older or disabled cats?

I live in the East Midlands.

Thanks in advance for advice.

Froglet

Do you qualify for help with vets costs,PDSA or Blue cross? If not i am sure someone recently was on this site who had suggestions for other charities that may assist with vets fees.I am sure if the stray was neutered he would stop spraying.Then surely he would not cost much more than the one you have already in food etc ? He will soon adjust to being blind once he gets to know his way around your house.

Poor cat, it must have been a horrible struggke outside in this appalling weather lately.Well done for taking him in and caring for him.

Don't know if any useful info here http://www.catchat.org/adoption/mids.html but you could always explain the problem and see what help you get.

puppy999

I hav a friend who is on a low wage she rang the vet explained that she cud not afford to pay for him being neutered they give her a number of a cat charity and they paid and it wz not a stright forward op as 1 of his balls had not droped......... it may be an idea to ring round your local vets as once he is done it will stop him from sparying......... good luck do hope you can keep him

MacCavity

Cats Protection have a no kill policy. I'm Branch Secretary of my local Cats Protection and over the past couple years, we have successfully rehomed blind, deaf, diabetic and other medical/disability condition cats. It's worth looking up your local branch - most have their own website which should state policy towards stray and difficult to rehome cats.

If the stray cat has not been neutered, Cats Protection have neutering vouchers redeemable with certain local vets to cover the cost of neutering (this should help with the spraying problem) and if he is blind, he'll need to be an indoor cat, so may not require as much food as a lively, outdoor one that runs around like a maniac cat all day long.

In any case, it's definitely worth running a search for local animal shelters using your postcode and see what comes back.

madget_2

Please check catchat.org as there is a list of cat rescue charities, with many in the Midlands. There are certainly organisations who will take on a blind cat. Good luck!

spike7451

madget wrote: »

Please check catchat.org as there is a list of cat rescue charities, with many in the Midlands. There are certainly organisations who will take on a blind cat. Good luck!

Also try Purrs as well..

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php

Good luck on the moglet & thanks for careing!:T

Hectors_House

I'd just like to thank you all for the suggestions - I'm feeling so much better knowing that there are options for him out there.

In the meantime he can come and go (feeling his way with his little outstretched paws) through the cat-flap and get a feed (I moved the bowls onto a carpet so they wouldn't have to stand on a cold floor and the poor mite only found them when he walked straight into them!).

I really wish we could take him on but my own cat is a rescue and is showing signs of distress having another cat on her patch.

If he hadn't started spraying we might have got away with it but he's obviously been exploring the house and found Sweepy's space upstairs.

We will get him through this next stretch of bad weather and then looki into finding him a permenant home (and pay for him to be castrated of course).

Hectors_House

Well we've had no luck with cat rescues - all are full to bursting with long waiting lists so my sis (who I live with) relented this morning and we're looking at ways we can adopt him.

He's very much a wanderer so I'm not sure he'll ever settle down with us completely but we can offer him a open cat-flap where he'll find a warm bed and plenty of food when he wants it and somewhere to sleep at night.

Cats Protection did offer us a £20 voucher towards getting him castrated which is great and our friends have rallyed around helping us get the rest of the funds together for his jabs too.

Our Chrimbo this year isn't going to be big as we have both had to take pay cuts to keep our jobs but taking in a blind stray will more then make up for the lack of gifts!!

huskypup

Hector, Merry Christmas to you and your sister, reading your last post, has brought tears to my eyes, you both sound so lovely, thank you for giving him his forever home, for as long as he wants it.

Have you decided on what you are going to call him?

Hectors_House

Thank you huskypup.

He's called various names (none of which he responds to) including Blacky and Minxsey.

I'm tempted to call him Sooty to make up the set!

bellajack

Good luck and a Happy Christmas. We took in a stray in Spring and now have a cat and 4 kittens to look after as mum was pregnant. We have had her spayed with help of CP and they have taken 2 kittens away to help us. We have 3 indoor kittens but the mum and other kitten will not come inside and so we have to make them as comfortable as possible in our garage even though it's soooo cold!!