Cat going blind

SnowyOwl_2

My wee Dylan has just returned from the vet...and the diagnosis is partial blindness. The vet offered to put me in touch with the neurologist and/or opthamologist in the vet school in Dublin, but also said that they probably wouldn't be able to do anything.

Poor Dylan...after the misery he went through with his megacolon (he was officially on borrowed time for a while, but I found a way to manage it), now this. I'd suspected he was having trouble as he has started bumping into things and occasionally misses when he jumps onto a chair.

At least he's always been an indoor cat - the vet said that his other senses will help him compensate and there will be little or no loss of quality of life.

If anybody has any experience with a blind or partially sighted kitty I'd really appreciate some advice on how to help the situation, and some reassurance too wouldn't go amiss!

Mayflower10cat

((Sending hugs to Dylan)). I haven't had a blind pet but I've had a several internet friends who've had blind and partially sighted dogs and cats. The simplest advice from them would be - don't change/move your furniture about! Not even a few inches when you're vacuuming. Also, one friend made a 'cat-super-highway' through her house using those plastic-y ridged mats, laid end to end from littertray, to various comfy beds and to food bowls. Her cat could feel the ridgy plastic matting (as opposed to carpet) and so knew where he was in the house. Clever and very simple. The best of luck to you xxx

spike7451

Snowy,I'm really sorry for your news & hope Dylan has many more happy years to come.I can't offer you advice but I found this thread on Purrs..

http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,35747.0.html

Torry_Quine

I have had a blind cat. She was elderly and had developed kidney problems. However she had no problems adjusting and it could be quite cute to see her stop just short of an obstruction but she rarely banged into anything. The main thing is don't move things around especially food plate and litter tray. Her quality of life was in no way diminished so I would reassure you that she shoud be fine.

rising_from_the_ashes

Sorry to hear your news - good advice already about not moving furniture etc as they will learn their way around quite quickly.

My elderly lab has really poor vision in one of his eyes (but the other is still, touch wood, ok) and he tends to walk with his head bent towards the "bad" side.

Another thing is to always speak to them and let them know where you are - how I actually noticed was a couple of times when I walked past the "bad" side, he got the fright of his life as he'd obviously not seen (or heard me) coming. I now always talk gently when coming into a room/moving around in case he doesn't know I'm there and he seems much more comfortable.

Are his food bowls etc on the floor / at a height? I'd recommend keeping everything at ground level so he can easily get to things and not risk a fall with jumping.

Wishing Dylan (and you) all the best.

Paradigm

SnowyOwl wrote: »

At least he's always been an indoor cat - the vet said that his other senses will help him compensate and there will be little or no loss of quality of life.

If anybody has any experience with a blind or partially sighted kitty I'd really appreciate some advice on how to help the situation, and some reassurance too wouldn't go amiss!

No experience with cats but I did have a Boxer who was suddenly blind due to a severe eye infection.

It was heartbreaking to see her confusion as blundered about at first but my vet, like yours, insisted she would cope.... & she did

After a few months she could find her way about the house almost as well as when she could see.

I don't know if it's true or not but I was told that the other senses become more acute to make up & this certainly seemed to be the case.

If Dylan has a gradual blindness condition then he will have time to adjust & I wouldn't be surprised if you're surprised at how well he adjusts

Best wishes to the little man.

Griizelda

I've had a blind cat (she went blind in her later years and lived until the ripe old age of 21). She coped very well and even went outside (although she stayed in the garden). She just walked more slowly and used her other senses to compensate.

scaredy_cat

my Sugar (in my pic) is blind, she stopped asking to go out when it happend but apart from that she's coped fine. she still gets on the sofa, she finds her food and the litter tray ok. She's old now, 22 in aug so she is less active but i scatter some treats about for her to find, which she does quite successfully!!.

I have also found her on top of a plie of clothing asleep so she's not afriad to explore!!

SnowyOwl_2

Thanks for all the information and tales about other cats (and dog) who have had eyesight problems. Dylan isn't 100% blind but it's anyone's guess how blind he actually is. I have to get used to the fact that this is how it's going to be for him and just deal with it. It's reassuring to know that other cats have coped without their sight.

Some smart alecs have advised strapping a piece of foam to Dylan's nose so that he doesn't hurt himself should he bump into something. Another very clever friend told me that I shouldn't get Dylan a guide dog. What a pair of comedians!!

scaredy_cat

they walk cautiously after a while. i've got a body harness and lead so i can take my Sugar outside for a walk. that way if she gets startled i've got her if she wants to run. i've been thinking of getting one of the extendable leads to clip on so i can sit on the grass and read, and she can roam about a bit safely.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I had a cat that developed cataracts, but was already dealing with permanent double vision due to nearly losing an eye in a road accident when she was a kitten. Think she must have been about 18 at the time.

She spent every night sleeping on the top of the wardrobe in winter, throwing herself onto my ribcage to wake me up in the morning. In summer, she slept hanging over the skylight frame.

The only difference I noticed in her was that she only brought in toads and pigeons once she lost her sight, so the small birdies were finally getting away from her. As did the spiders at last.

She never had a problem finding her way around, spent days sitting on my shoulders being carried round the house like a snaggle-toothed parrot and didn't manage too badly when she went deaf, either, as we used vibrations, like banging on the floorboards, to get her attention and nice smelly snacks to brighten up her days.