Lucas is going blind:-(

Hello everyone, I don't know if I should post this here but I'm so desperate, don't know what else to do. This is my baby Lucas, he is 9, he has an autoimmune disease and now he is going blind. I've taken him to two vets, they said it was keratitis and he has been on treatment for two weeks now, now they say maybe is something else and referred me to an ophthalmologist, a specialist that is like 3 hours away. I have to take him there but I wanted to know if someone else has had this problem, I'm so worried...

Poor Lucas! I don't have any experience with that. :cross: we have some members who do. for him!

OMG, poor Lucas.  He (and you) certainly have been through the wringer.  And now THIS . 

Isn't there any way YOUR Vet could discuss his case with the opthamalogist via video conferencing with Lucas in your local Vet's office?  That would make it so much easier on you and Lucas.

Momto4kitties said:

Hello everyone, I don't know if I should post this here but I'm so desperate, don't know what else to do. This is my baby Lucas, he is 9, he has an autoimmune disease and now he is going blind. I've taken him to two vets, they said it was keratitis and he has been on treatment for two weeks now, now they say maybe is something else and referred me to an ophthalmologist, a specialist that is like 3 hours away. I have to take him there but I wanted to know if someone else has had this problem, I'm so worried...
 

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I'm so sorry.  I can't comment medically but i have a blind from birth cat who is very happy, adjusted and does very well. If your cat goes blind i expect she will adapt, and if you want to see examples of how my Jenny does, she has a public facebook page (no account needed to view) at www.facebook.com/jennytheblindcat

stephen

mrsgreenjeens said:

 
OMG, poor Lucas.  He (and you) certainly have been through the wringer.  And now THIS

. 

Isn't there any way YOUR Vet could discuss his case with the opthamalogist via video conferencing with Lucas in your local Vet's office?  That would make it so much easier on you and Lucas.

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That's a great idea. It won't hurt to ask!  

Thank you all, that is a good idea but Lucas' vet says the ophthalmologist can do tests that he can't do here, so I have to take him there, sadly they gave me an appointment fir june 29, can you all believe that?!? The thing is that Dr. Dineli Bras is the only veterinarian that specializes in ophthalmology here is Puerto Rico, they did promise to call if someone else cancels. I will pray for that.

Hi Tammy,

 I am so glad you were able to get an appointment. In our PM, you said it was for the 20th. Here it says the 29th. I figured one is a typo, being that the 9 & the 0 are next to each other, so which one is the correct one? 

I hope the sooner, being still so far off.

Don't be sad or embarrassed to have to ask for help. It's what we have to do sometimes, & especially for out fur babies, because that's how much we love them. We do anything we need to do to meet the means. 

As soon as I am able, I will definitely contribute as much as I can. So many here on TCS came to help when Angel needed it for chemo, etc.. so I want to do that as well. Especially for you & Lucas. I have always wished I could help him because he's been through so much, & you were one of my first friends here.   

My 14-year-old SnowBerry had a similar thing and has gone blind now.  His eyes looked like that but responded to treatment (drops) and are clear now.  The pupils still respond to light but he's obviously blind anyhow.  He does very well, however, as long as I don't leave anything in the way of his normal paths, like putting a laundry basket down in the middle of the floor or something.  I had another cat once who was blind form birth, like @StephenQ has, and she did well also.  When she finally crossed the bridge, it had nothing to do with blindness but with a nasty mast cell tumor.  She had surgery, but it came back twice as big in just six weeks, so I wouldn't put her through that again and let her go to sleep peacefully in my arms instead of having another surgery.

Oops yes Typo Kelly! It is on June 20 the appointment... Thanks StephenQ and Red Top Rescue for sharing your experiences with me, sorry for your loss also Red Top Rescue :-(

Lucas can't see well right now and he does everything just fine, he had a problem this morning because he wanted to getbout of the room and couldn't find his way out and cried, broke my heart. But he is so loved that he will be ok, but I still have hopes that he could recover, the only thing is that he needed to see the specialist sooner:-( But I also need some time to have some funds.

Kelly just messaging me and being so nice is help enough my friend, thanks dor always thinking of us.

I don't know where else to share the gofundme.

I will continue to share news about Lucas on this thread instead of the other.
Thanks everyone, hugs!

Momto4kitties said:

>SNIP<
I don't know where else to share the gofundme.
>SNIP<
 

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Now, this, I can help you with...like this...@Anne   where should Momto4kitties post her gofundme campaign?  There.  She's the Head Big Mama Cat, and knows all that stuff!  As for me, I'm so short on funds until June 15th, but I will get a little something to you then!  Social Security is wonderful, but doesn't stretch real far!

As for how he'll do...even going blind after seeing, most cats adjust very quickly.  They don't seem to spend any time at all thinking about what used to be, only how to best use what is.  You're going to be the one having the emotional trauma.  He will just...be.  Cats are so very zen, and live totally in the "now."  It is a blessing and something we do well to learn from them!

Tammy, just a quick hint.  I've seen it many times with gofundme accounts.  If you can make a donation yourself, or get a friend to do it, even anonymously, no matter how small, it usually gets the ball rolling.  For some reason, when people see NO donations, it turns them off....don't know why.  But if they see some, no matter how small, they are more apt to donate.

Mamanyt1953 said:

 
Now, this, I can help you with...like this...@Anne   where should Momto4kitties post her gofundme campaign?  There.  She's the Head Big Mama Cat, and knows all that stuff!  As for me, I'm so short on funds until June 15th, but I will get a little something to you then!  Social Security is wonderful, but doesn't stretch real far!

As for how he'll do...even going blind after seeing, most cats adjust very quickly.  They don't seem to spend any time at all thinking about what used to be, only how to best use what is.  You're going to be the one having the emotional trauma.  He will just...be.  Cats are so very zen, and live totally in the "now."  It is a blessing and something we do well to learn from them!

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Thanks for tagging me for the question! 

We allow one post for each fundraiser in the Cats SOS forum. A moderator is likely to follow with a general warning post for members asking them to check before donating (sorry about that!) In addition to that @Momto4kitties  you can also add a link to the fundraiser in your signature. One of the perks of being a longtime member. 

Good luck with your campaign! 

Hi thank you all, but I've decided to cancel Lucas' gofundme... I don't feel right asking for help until I know the diagnosis and what is really going to cost. If I need help I will do it again. I was just desoerate yesterday. I will take him to the specialist and find out what can be done. If he needs surgery I don't think I will agree to that, he has suffered enough in life, he is not in pain and he acts normal around the house. I need a diagnosis and teeatment, and I really don't know the cost.
Thank you all so much:-) hugs

I've known a few blind cats, and they all seemed fine. One couple had a cat who suddenly went blind, then his sister did too about 6 months later. They never found out why, but their cats were well cared for and happy. I think they can cope with blindness quite well, especially an older less active cat. It's really important to not move stuff around and just generally make it as easy as possible for them.

Good luck with Lucas' appointment. I hope the opthalmologist can tell you something useful.

Momto4kitties said:

Hi thank you all, but I've decided to cancel Lucas' gofundme... I don't feel right asking for help until I know the diagnosis and what is really going to cost. If I need help I will do it again. I was just desoerate yesterday. I will take him to the specialist and find out what can be done. If he needs surgery I don't think I will agree to that, he has suffered enough in life, he is not in pain and he acts normal around the house. I need a diagnosis and teeatment, and I really don't know the cost.
Thank you all so much:-) hugs

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Hi,

Assuming you have facebook, if you do a gofundme appeal make sure you publicize it there, possibly making it a "life event" so it gets more coverage.  If you PM me with the (future) gofundme link i can post it on my blind cat's facebook page which has several 1000's of followers, and make sure you include a photo of your cat with the PM, as it will help the gofundme request seen by more people.

Stephen

I admire you for holding off.  BUT...if you do need help, ASK.  It isn't for you, it is for your kitty.  And we'll be there.  And I'll post the campaign, should you need one, on my FB page, as well.  I'm a member of several cat groups, and many of the members are on my friends list, and will see it.  Just sayin!  That said, will keep fingers crossed and candle lit that he will be fine!

Thank you all and thank you so much StephenQ, if Lucas needs help I will do the account again and I will contact you. I will take him for his consultation and go from there. I decided that I don't want to out my baby through painful procedures because he has been through a lot in his life, he is 9 now. So if there is a treatment that can help and don't cause him any pain we will do it, but I don't want surgery.

I will keep everyone posted, thank you all so much:-)

I am thinking of lucas and praying for good news.

Thank you so much!! Lucas can't see very well but he is hanging there, we are waiting for his appointment with the specialist. I have called many times so he can get his appointment sooner in case someone cancels, but no luck. I have gone to Lucas' vet to beg him to call the specialist, because if he says itnis an emergency they could see him sooner, but the vet says this is not an emergency. I insisted and then he promised to call the vet and t he said he would call me back, he lied. I decided to change vets, but first Lucas has to see the ophthalmologis, I will go from there. Will give you all an update as soon as I can.
He is acting almost normal, can't see well, but he handles himself very well around the house, he even stands in front of the door and asks me to walk him. I so love him!!

I'm so sorry Lucas is going through this!  And you too!  I had a sweet kitty named Midas who was blind.  Never did figure out the cause (though I think my vet just wasn't very good), but he adjusted and still did great.  Even after babies came along and there were random items left in his path, he just learned to walk slowly and carefully.  Hopefully you'll get into the specialist soon and it can be cured!