Suddenly blind 10 year old cat

My mother's very healthy, if a little overweight, 10 year old cat abruptly lost her eyesight over the weekend and no one knows why.  She took her to a veterinary ER and they performed various tests- blood work, urinalysis, x-rays- and have said she's a perfectly healthy cat aside from the sudden vision loss.  The cat has an appointment with a specialist early next week (I think).  Mom is beside herself because the cat is depressed and not coping well at all.  She walks through the food and water bowls (mom has put out larger, sturdier bowls) and doesn't want to do much besides lie around in a cat bed.  The cat is normally very active, so of course it's heart-breaking to have watch her deal with a disability that seemingly came from out of the blue.

I've tried to tell her the cat will adjust and be back to her happy, fun-loving self before long but, of course, I lack expertise in this area and my words are only mean to comfort.  I was wondering if anyone else here has had to deal with the same situation and how they helped their cat adjust, how long it took for the cat to adapt, etc.  If you have any experience at all, or know of someone else who has been through the same, your words of wisdom are very much welcome!

Will the cat (Molly, btw) be able to get through this okay and maybe even be a happy, active cat again?  I know the prognosis also depends on what the specialist has to say, but I'm assuming the cat is permanently blind...and I just hope it isn't a sign of something worse.  If you have a moment, please send positive thoughts mom and Molly's way.

I don't have any experience of this myself but I know @StephenQ  has a blind cat.

I'm sending vibes Molly's way.

Do you know if they did a blood pressure check on her? The only thing I can think of off the top of my head that causes sudden blindness in cats is High blood pressure. There are others but I can't think about them right now. You can use double stick Velcro to stick the food and water bowls to the floor. You might want to get a water fountain so she can hear the water. I would restrict her space for now. Was she an inside cat? Had she had a recent antibiotic named baytril?

Thank you, Norachan and Quiet, for your responses.  Molly's condition worsened overnight, she lost motor function and began having difficulty breathing, so it appears to be a cancer or severe neurological condition of some type.  Her cats don't have access to any toxic substances and Molly hasn't taken medication recently.  I'm just mystified and shocked that this has happened so suddenly.  My mother took her to the vet today to allow her to pass peacefully.  

Thanks again.

I also was going to say high blood pressure (we had a cat who went blind suddenly due to this) but I assume that this is one of the first things that vets would investigate.

So sorry to hear that things have taken this turn! 

Give your mom lots of hugs and TLC.

I'm so sorry to hear this.

Big hug for you, your Mum and Molly.

 

I am very sorry.

the3rdname said:

 
Thank you, Norachan and Quiet, for your responses.  Molly's condition worsened overnight, she lost motor function and began having difficulty breathing, so it appears to be a cancer or severe neurological condition of some type.  Her cats don't have access to any toxic substances and Molly hasn't taken medication recently.  I'm just mystified and shocked that this has happened so suddenly.  My mother took her to the vet today to allow her to pass peacefully.  

Thanks again.

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I'm very sorry for your loss. Heartbreaking.

Thank you, everyone, for the kind words and thoughts.  I'll pass on your condolences to my mom; I know she'll be touched.    

I'm very sorry to hear about Molly.  Please pass along my condolences to your Mom.  I will close this thread now.  If you would like you can post about Molly in our Crossing over the Bridge forum.