Anyone have experience with blind rescue cats?

I'm looking for some advice about the blind cat- Lucy- we recently rescued and adopted. She was living outside for at least a year (we saw her around the neighborhood) and we thought she just had 1 eye and at least could see. I could never trap her, though. Then she showed up with SIX kittens. I trapped 5 of them, but couldn't get her or the 6th kitten. The other kittens went to a rescue and got adopted. It took another couple weeks for me to trap Lucy and the last kitten. They went right to our vet, and that's when we found out she's totally blind and probably lost her sight and eye being hit by a car! Talk about heartbreaking. We decided to keep her and her kitten (we named him Virgil, her seeing eye kitten). They spent a few weeks in our bathroom getting dewormer. While in there, she was calm and let us pet her (only from behind-- she's scared when things approach her head). 
 

As soon as we let her out, she ran into our bedroom and she's been there ever since. We even put a litter box in there for her (I'd only ever have a litter box in my bedroom for a blind cat!). She eats, sleeps, and plays with her kitten. She gets along wonderfully with our other cats-- no hissing or fights at all! She spends most of her time on a cushion by the window or under the bed or dresser. What's upsetting is that when we come into the room, she runs and hides. If she knows I have a plate of food, she stays out, but scoots away from me. We want her to get more comfortable with us (touching her etc.) but we don't want to push her ourselves on her. Her kitten is an absolute love and full of snuggles. She seems happy, but we want her to feel like she can explore the house and really relax and know she's safe. It's been a couple months now, so we're just giving her all the time she needs. Any tips on handling her? 

Well, being blind doesn't help matters, since she's feral .  BUT, I'm sure it's not an obstacle that can't be overcome with time.  Just don't rearrange any furniture while you're working on this new relationship.

In the meantime, I've asked some of our Feral advisors to have a look at your thread and see if they can offer any advise. 

One of our former Advisors has a blind cat who does amazing things...even climbs ladders, so once your Lucy feels more confident around humans, she' should be just fine with her "disability".  Here is that cat's facebook page: www.facebook.com/jennytheblindcat

Bless you for taking in this poor cat and her kitten!  And for rescuing them all.  The only experience I've had with a feral in the house was with one with that could see fine.  He came in the house for me during an ice storm; however, he only let me pet him on the back a few times over all the years we had him.  He did come to trust DH and eventually DH could even pick him up.  He never bonded with me like that; but I don't mean to sound discouraging.  All cats are different.  

My advice would be to speak to her in a soft voice (which you probably already do) and wait it out.  She is probably very nervous about being petted on the head, because her visual loss.  My parents had a one-eyed cat, and she was like that.  She didn't like anyone to approach from the side where she couldn't see. With your cat being completely blind, this makes the problem even more complex.  

I'm sorry I couldn't be of much help.  Please keep us posted on your progress with her.   

In this case I think you should just go about your lives and let her take her time doing whatever she wants.  I have a formerly feral cat, Grey Boy, (see his story down by my signature) who has been in the house for several years now.  I didn't get to pet him for the first year and he would run whenever I got close to him.  He burned up a ot of calories avoiding me.  Then he bonded with another male I rescued who was about the same age.  That one was NOT shy and every morning when I went to the bathroom, he would be in there like a flash wanting to be petted.  Grey Boy would watch from the hall.  Eventually after a few months he got closer.  Then after a few more months he would come into the bathroom too.  Then he would let me pet him as long as Bigfoot was right there beside him, and he loved being petted and having his back scratched.  I thought we were making great progress, but one day my neighbors dogs dug out of their chain link fence and then came in under my chain link fence.  I was home and doing the dishes when I saw my cats running for their lives and I ran out and chased the dogs down to the lower yard, but what I didn't know then was that I was too late, and they had killed Bigfoot. 

It was sad enough for me, but even sadder when Grey Boy would sit by the door and wait for his buddy to come back inside.  He waited for days and days.  Eventually he gave up.  Now nine months later he is starting to bond with some of the other cats.  If one of them comes into the bathroom for pets in the morning, he is watching from the hall again.  I still can't touch him and have not been able to since Bigfoot was killed, but hopefully he will let me again someday.

In your case, I think the kitten may help teach the mama cat that human touch is OK over time.  It's a little harder in your case because she can't watch the kitten be with you, but cats communicate on a psychic level too so she will learn. It hasn't been nearly long enough for her to overcome that feral instinct to run and hide, and ferals live longer if they run first and ask questions later.  Grey Boy has been here three years now, and the biggest improvement is that I can now walk by the cat house he's sleeping in right now and he won't feel the need to bolt out of it and run across the room.  I can walk by him in the laundry room when he sleeps in his laundry basket too.  Right now, if he's on the bed or couch and I sit down on it he gets off, but he no longer bolts, he just maintains what he considers a safe distance.  He will eat chicken out of my hand, and he will now allow me to put his food dish within inches of his nose without backing off.  This is after 3 years, and before that I had fed him outside for 3 years, putting antibiotics in his food whenever he would come home with his face all puffy from a bite wound or limping on one of his legs.  He knows I love him.  He knows I won't hurt him.  But his feral instincts still make him maintain a certain distance. 

You will be happiest if you just let your little blind girl live as she chooses in your house, and enjoy the comfort she has playing with Virgil and sleeping on the cushion or enjoying the safety of her caves under the bed and under the bureau.  What a blessing that is!  I am so glad that the Cat Goddess wouldn't let you catch that last kitten right away so it is there to be a companion to her and she didn't have to endure the loss of all her kittens.  What a success for her, being a mother cat with a surviving kitten!  So take pleasure in her pleasures, and don't ask or expect anything else.  She may well learn to like being touched and petted or she may not.  It doesn't matter, you have the kitten for that, and yu can feel good every day about the life you have given her.  That's how I feel about Grey Boy.

Thank you for taking her in, @profcat!

@Red Top Rescue, that story is so moving, thank you for sharing. It's a great example of how patience is so important when working with feral cats.

I'm moving this thread to the ferals forum as it's really about working with a feral and not a health problem.

 Bless you for rescuing Lucy & her family. I am very happy to read that the other kittens have been placed and that Lucy gets to keep Virgil with her ( I love their names, too).

I have 4 blind feral rescues in my yard whom I can usually pet. I have two older feral toms that, although not blind, will not let me pet them - ever.  My experience has been that blind kitties love to play as much as seeing kitties & mine LOVE to try to catch a long, skinny stick dragged along the floor. They also love teasers that have a noisy toy attached, such as a jingle bell or a realistic squeak-mouse. My blind kitties can be unpredictably shy or friendly - when they are being skittish, I have to be prepared to sit a long time on the ground, dragging the toy along, patiently waiting for their curiosity to kick in and override the fear factor. I also keep a large bag of treats handy, to toss their way when they approach. Putting out catnip nearby (rub it in my palms first, to get the scent out) also helps.

I hope that Lucy responds well to you soon - she doesn't know how much she is missing out on!

Blessings on you for helping them all!  I would use a soft voice every time you come into the room.  Tell her about your day, make up silly songs - anything to let her know where you are.  Try not to bang into things or move too quickly, as these will startle her.

Spend a little time in the room just sitting.  Read out loud to her if you have the time.  This gets her used to your voice and presence.  She needs to know she's safe - both as a former feral and as a blind cat.  Sudden sounds or movements will not help her settle in.

She doesn't sound feral in the truest sense - more like she was dumped or got lost.  True ferals are not socialized at all and can years to get to the point of allowing pets.

I agree with everyone else - try not to force her into anything.  If she can adapt at her own pace, she can settle in and be comfortable.

Hi I have a blind cat and i agree this isn't the issue, although i'm happy to talk to you about blind cats.  It's possible she is not entirely feral, a completely feral cat won't let you touch them, she may be semi feral (can be in the room with you without touching) or just very undersocialized, and she may not improve but the links below show the best technique i know for reaching a cat like this if she is to be reached.

Short version:

Step one: find out how close you can sit by her while she eats (wet food).  Whatever that distance is, slowly move closer a little bit over time but never so much that she stops eating.

Step two: If/when you can sit right next to her, get her really hungry and then offer food off your finger.  (see details in links below)

Step three: pet her with free hand while eating off your finger.

This is an over simplification, but again, see links (written version) and youtube videos below.

http://www.urbancatleague.org/TamingFerals