Caboose - Blind and Frightened

toomany

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Hello....

I have a 9 year old kitty named Caboose. I chose that name b/c he was supposed to be the last kitty I took in....well it didn't work that way.

At any rate, last week I discovered he is completely blind. Vet said he probably had a stroke...b/c the week before he was still jumping up on the counter.

This week has been very hard on me and Caboose. So far he (with my help) can still find his way to his litterbox (God love him)...to the water dishes and food dishes. He bumps into the other cats and gets scared...b/c they don't understand yet why he is bumping into them and they think he is attacking.

He can find his way back to the living room and with a struggle...can get back on the couch with me.

This is all new to me...so wondered if anyone else has a cat...that they have had for some years, and then the kitty goes blind.

Thanks for help.

Toomany

Don't know if this will work, but if you check this site:
http://hometown.aol.com/thaddypuss/m...age/index.html

there is a picture or him. Just learned how to do this AOL site and don't know it well...since I can't post a picture on this site yet.
 

strange_wings

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Aww, poor thing.

All I can suggest is don't move stuff around and talk to him a lot.

I believe there's at least one person on here with a blind kitty, hopefully they'll comment soon with more suggestions and tips.
 

goldenkitty45

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Yes, do not move furniture around. Hopefully the other cats will adjust soon to the disability. I've never had a blind cat - only a deaf one.
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by toomany

Hello....

I have a 9 year old kitty named Caboose. I chose that name b/c he was supposed to be the last kitty I took in....well it didn't work that way.

At any rate, last week I discovered he is completely blind. Vet said he probably had a stroke...b/c the week before he was still jumping up on the counter.

This week has been very hard on me and Caboose. So far he (with my help) can still find his way to his litterbox (God love him)...to the water dishes and food dishes. He bumps into the other cats and gets scared...b/c they don't understand yet why he is bumping into them and they think he is attacking.

He can find his way back to the living room and with a struggle...can get back on the couch with me.

This is all new to me...so wondered if anyone else has a cat...that they have had for some years, and then the kitty goes blind.

Thanks for help.

Toomany

Don't know if this will work, but if you check this site:
http://hometown.aol.com/thaddypuss/m...age/index.html

there is a picture or him. Just learned how to do this AOL site and don't know it well...since I can't post a picture on this site yet.
I didn't have a blind kitty, but I did have a blind dog. Our beloved Sambo was blind about 3 or 4 years before we had to put him to sleep last year. Sambo went blind due to cateracts in both eyes.

Sambo could get around as long as I didn't move anything around in the house, and if we went somewheres and he went with us, (which he usually did), it would take him about 15 minutes to figure out where everything was and then he would be fine.

I am sure Caboose will be fine, when you see him being scared or something, just reassure him and let him know that you are there. Also talk to him when you see he is fixing to bump into something. I think he just really needs to know that it will be ok.
 

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python

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I sympathise with you as we too have just been told our lovely cat Lucy is blind. She had a stroke just over a week ago. She is very elderly (somewhere between 17 and 20) as is very ill just now.

I read a really heartwarming story about a little blind cat sometime last year. I can't for the life of me remember the URL of it but here's the story as I remember it. There is a lady who does rescue work in America. She got a kitten that was critically ill with cat flu and his eyes had been severely affected, so much so that one had burst and the other was severely ulcerated. He had to have one eye removed and a few weeks later, despite the best efforts of the vet, the other eye removed. The lady who rescued him decided to keep him herself as an indoor cat. She would carry him upstairs at night and downstairs in the morning. The little cat made a full recovery from his cat flu apart from the loss of his eyes.

One day she went down to the kitchen and forgot to close her bedroom door. To her amazement the little cat was making his way downstairs, putting one paw out and feeling his way as a blind man would do with a stick. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, made his way to the kitchen and was quite pleased with himself. He learned very quickly how to get up and down the stairs and goes up and down the stairs like a sighted cat.

The next thing that he did which completely flabbergasted his owner was to come into the kitchen and attempt to jump up on the worktop. He missed the first time but didn't miss the second time and jumps up and down like a normal cat. There isn't anything he can't do. A beautiful story of a wonderful, brave little cat and his truly loving owner. If I can find the URL I will post it.

Cats are renowned for their ability to get around in the dark, even in complete, pitch darkness. Cats have the ability to sense electro-magnetic energy in people and objects - a bit like bats have a form of sonar. This is why cats can get around easily in the dark. On top of this, most cats have a superior sense of hearing and smell - way superior to a dog's.

I would think your cat will soon be able to get around. Not moving furniture is a good idea so Caboose will become familiar with everything. Cats are extremely adaptable and I never fail to marvel at them. When a human would have long given up, cats just seem to get on with things. They are truly amazing, wonderful animals.
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by Python

I sympathise with you as we too have just been told our lovely cat Lucy is blind. She had a stroke just over a week ago. She is very elderly (somewhere between 17 and 20) as is very ill just now.

I read a really heartwarming story about a little blind cat sometime last year. I can't for the life of me remember the URL of it but here's the story as I remember it. There is a lady who does rescue work in America. She got a kitten that was critically ill with cat flu and his eyes had been severely affected, so much so that one had burst and the other was severely ulcerated. He had to have one eye removed and a few weeks later, despite the best efforts of the vet, the other eye removed. The lady who rescued him decided to keep him herself as an indoor cat. She would carry him upstairs at night and downstairs in the morning. The little cat made a full recovery from his cat flu apart from the loss of his eyes.

One day she went down to the kitchen and forgot to close her bedroom door. To her amazement the little cat was making his way downstairs, putting one paw out and feeling his way as a blind man would do with a stick. He made it to the bottom of the stairs, made his way to the kitchen and was quite pleased with himself. He learned very quickly how to get up and down the stairs and goes up and down the stairs like a sighted cat.

The next thing that he did which completely flabbergasted his owner was to come into the kitchen and attempt to jump up on the worktop. He missed the first time but didn't miss the second time and jumps up and down like a normal cat. There isn't anything he can't do. A beautiful story of a wonderful, brave little cat and his truly loving owner. If I can find the URL I will post it.

Cats are renowned for their ability to get around in the dark, even in complete, pitch darkness. Cats have the ability to sense electro-magnetic energy in people and objects - a bit like bats have a form of sonar. This is why cats can get around easily in the dark. On top of this, most cats have a superior sense of hearing and smell - way superior to a dog's.

I would think your cat will soon be able to get around. Not moving furniture is a good idea so Caboose will become familiar with everything. Cats are extremely adaptable and I never fail to marvel at them. When a human would have long given up, cats just seem to get on with things. They are truly amazing, wonderful animals.
That is a wonderful story


Thank you for sharing it.
 
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toomany

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Thank you Python....I looked at that link...and it was very informative.

By the way...what am I doing wrong here? When I respond to an individual post, it doesn't show who I am responding to and who I am thanking.

I have been using the quick reply.

I'll get used to all of this....after a while.

Thanks....Toomany
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by toomany

Thank you Python....I looked at that link...and it was very informative.

By the way...what am I doing wrong here? When I respond to an individual post, it doesn't show who I am responding to and who I am thanking.

I have been using the quick reply.

I'll get used to all of this....after a while.

Thanks....Toomany
Maybe you want to use the quote button? I am not really sure, I am computer stupid sometimes
 

lsulover

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Originally Posted by toomany

Thank you Python....I looked at that link...and it was very informative.

By the way...what am I doing wrong here? When I respond to an individual post, it doesn't show who I am responding to and who I am thanking.

I have been using the quick reply.

I'll get used to all of this....after a while.

Thanks....Toomany
Keep us posted on how Caboose is doing too.
 

white cat lover

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I have a blind cat. Her loss of sight has been progressive, though. A few things I have learned:

1) NEVER move things, ever. It makes for one upset kitty
2) Teach Caboose to come to his name as well as a sound. For Damita, it's the snap of fingers.
3) When you feed him, make noise with his food bowl on the floor.
4) Make sure Caboose can find the food & is actually eating. Damita every once in awhile has issues finding her food bowl.
5) Same with water, Damita cannot find a bowl of water, so I have several running water fountains.
6) You might want to add a little scented litter to the litterbox every time you add fresh litter. I noticed when I clena the box completely, Damita cannot always find it even though it never moves.

As for the cats fighting, they just have to learn. All mine wear collars with bells. Every cat has a different bell on their collar. That way Damita can hear them coming. I also put nail caps on all the kitties front feet for a few months until things settled down, that way, at least no one was getting scratched.

I'd invest in a Feliway diffuser or two, that can help Caboose calm down & adjust. Also get a ton of noisy toys. Damita still likes her plush toys, but goes for the noisier toys hands down. One other thing is to have "ritual" cat nip sessions. That helps keep my Damita sane...relieves a ton of stress & relaxes her.

Any further questions, drop me a PM!
 

kluchetta

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You got a lot of great answers. My Smudge the First went blind shortly before he died (from FIP) and he actually adjusted pretty quickly. I remember reading that they don't always like to jump up on things, so we put a bunch of cat beds around on the floor. He really liked that. He found his litter box just fine. (What a sweet boy.) A couple other things - don't just pick him up & carry him - he'll get disoriented. And let him know before you pick him up or reach to pet him. Just say the same thing each time and then he'll know after a few times. There was also something about leaving the TV on all day long to some music or something. I can't remember that one, I think maybe it was something about if there is ambient noise in the room they can use it like sonar??? and hear the sound waves sort of bouncing off the furniture? I hope Caboose continues to improve!
 
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toomany

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Originally Posted by white cat lover

I have a blind cat. Her loss of sight has been progressive, though. A few things I have learned:

1) NEVER move things, ever. It makes for one upset kitty
2) Teach Caboose to come to his name as well as a sound. For Damita, it's the snap of fingers.
3) When you feed him, make noise with his food bowl on the floor.
4) Make sure Caboose can find the food & is actually eating. Damita every once in awhile has issues finding her food bowl.
5) Same with water, Damita cannot find a bowl of water, so I have several running water fountains.
6) You might want to add a little scented litter to the litterbox every time you add fresh litter. I noticed when I clena the box completely, Damita cannot always find it even though it never moves.

As for the cats fighting, they just have to learn. All mine wear collars with bells. Every cat has a different bell on their collar. That way Damita can hear them coming. I also put nail caps on all the kitties front feet for a few months until things settled down, that way, at least no one was getting scratched.

I'd invest in a Feliway diffuser or two, that can help Caboose calm down & adjust. Also get a ton of noisy toys. Damita still likes her plush toys, but goes for the noisier toys hands down. One other thing is to have "ritual" cat nip sessions. That helps keep my Damita sane...relieves a ton of stress & relaxes her.

Any further questions, drop me a PM!
Thanks for all the advice...for some reason, my Caboose has quickly overcome so many things in just over a week. Hope you saw my post about him...."The Bravest Little Cat in the Word".

Thanks to EVERYONE on this forum.

Toomany and Caboose
 
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