need help amusing blind deaf boy please

hi
i have a blind deaf elderly diabetic kitty

he is starting to feel better which is good
but he is bored, which is not good, as i have no idea how to amuse a blind cat

he loves to go out but that is not an option in the winter

he can feel vibrations and knows how to track my movements using those plus the air currents i create when i walk
his nose is in great shape! but he is not too fond of cat nip


any and all suggestions, no matter how far fetched, welcome!
he needs things to do, and i need some peace and quiet, he is yowling like crazy and i know he is not sick or hurt, so he must be bored

thanks for any help!!

That's a tough one. How about "mousie under the blanket"? You can use anything with springs that vibrate - a bed mattress, sofa or chair. Knock or pound on the surface while moving your hand - just make sure that your hand is covered by a blanket or thick glove to avoid injuries. Another possibility is a plastic ball with holes in it (sold in pet stores) - put cat treats in it, place it near your cat, and let him push the ball around till the treats fall out of it. If he's a stoic cat that is not easily frightened, you could tickle his nose with a feather duster, and let him catch the duster. A lot of cats who don't react to catnip go nuts over valerian root - I'd suggest looking for it in tea bag form in a health food store. If you have a wooden floor in your home that "gives", i.e., vibrates fairly easily, you could try a battery-operated toy (dog, cat, pig, etc., that is fairly large and "walks") as "prey". I've never had the blind/deaf combination before, so my suggestions might be really stupid, but hopefully better than none at all.

I had the pleasure of having two blind kittens and they were amazing! They would entertain themselves all the time- Tag was especially skillful at catching flies in mid-air! Marbles loved the tract ball- turbo scratcher. She would follow the sounds the ball made when it was being pushed around and she would stop it with her paw everytime.

Your cat is yowling not because he is bored, but because he can't see and he is looking for you. Start putting on a pair of sneakers without socks and wearing them around the house, get them good and sweaty and leave them out for him to scent. Same goes with your sweatshirt, or socks, anything that retains your scent he will go to and lay on and be comforted. Play classical music softly in the background for him- that will help him as well.

Also anything that makes noise, crumpled pieces of paper on the floor, balls with bells inside, will stimulate your cat. I wouldn't advise you letting the cat outside even in good weather, unless you have him on a harness. Putting a blind cat outside is just not a good idea.

hissy
yes i had a friend who had 3 blind male cats (we used to sing 3 blind males instead of 3 blind mice!) and they did incredibly well
they *are* amazing!


but BJ is also deaf


he will yowl when he knows where i am (and he ALWAYS knows where i am! in fact, i have 3 cats, and guess who greets me at the door when i come home? my blind deaf boy! he feels the vibrations in the floor as i come up the stairs)
when i first got him he yowled when he didn't know where i was, but he doesn't do that any more.


oh BJ only goes out on a leash!! i have a leather harness for him - and a walking jacket too but he prefers the harness- and i take him out to sniff around. he gets overstimulated if he is out too long though so i have to remember that and bring him in before he gets cranky.



jcat,
BJ is pretty stoic, so i will try the feather - i will just get a feather cat toy
sometimes i try draping a string over him for him to try to catch but that actually seems to annoy him
i tried putting him in a big box with a ball so he could bat it around and not have it go too far, but he just wanted to get out of the box

i will have to try to do something more with textures etc
thanks guys for the ideas! any thing and everythign helps
hey if it doesn't work, it could lead me to something that will
i'm open to anything!! there are no stupid ideas here!

Does he like water at all?? My cats love when I put some ice cubes in a bowl they stick there feet in and splash all over. Him being blind and deal makes it really hard to think of stuff! You might want to try some different kinds of catnip, or maybe honey suckle or valarian root. I'll keep thinking about it and hopefully come up with some kind of idea for ya!

thanks Princess Purr

he does like water and i was wondering if he even might enjoy a bath?

he has a drinkwell fountain and since he is also diabetic and gets very thirsty he sleeps next to his fountain!
he will stick his face in the water spout and wash it off, then drink right from the spout.

i have a tiny honeysuckle sock but he shows no interest in that

do you know where you can get valerian? it comes in herbal teas doenst' it?
i will ask my daughter she gets herbal stuff all the time.

someone sent him some cat nip flowers on a stem, and he loved that! i have no idea where they got it and i lost their address

he just doesnt like dry cat nip leaves much.

well i will keep working on it
he was less bored today, it was sunny and he spent most of the day looking for the sunniest spots to nap!

I have a six pack sampler tin of catnips. It has catnip pellets, valerian root, honeysuckle, and other kinds of catnip. They are in little bags inside the tins with direction on how to use them. If you would like me to send you one (for free ) you can pm me on here or email me at [email protected]

You can get valerian tea (in bags or loose) at most health food stores, including GNC. Just be forewarned, it smells like dirty gym socks! But we all know how much kitties love things that smell!

Best of luck, and bless your heart for taking care of this kitty! You are an