HELP! I found a blind kitten last night...

I hate to make a newbie post like this, but I need help.

I found a blind kitten last night -- I found him crying cold and wet in the dark. His eyes look normal (clear and green) but he can't see. Otherwise he appears to be in good health except for some scrapes on one of his ears.

He's weaned and I've gotten him to eat dry cat food moistened with water. He hasn't drank anything yet and he has NOT gone potty yet either. Although, he does make very ackward attempts to grrom himself.

Also, he walks around very ackwardly (stiff like Frankenstein) and he doesn't have very good balance.

He's very timid, gentle and loving. He purrs like a motorboat and nuzzles if you let him. He like to have his belly rubbed too.

PLEASE help with any insights suggestions or advice -- I'm not new to cats/kittens but I've never had a blind one before.

Thanks!
Jeff

I would take this kitten to the vet as soon as possible. The description of his movements and balance being off sounds like there may very well be something else effecting him (bacterial? viral? neurological?), of which the blindness is a part. If you have other animals, be sure to keep this one quarantined until checked out.

Gargoyle is right - kitty needs to see a vet asap.

We have a neurologically impaired kitty, and she walks stiffly like frankenstein and is a spaz about grooming. But with a number of stragecially placed pillows, foam, etc., she is actually able to climb to lower levels of cat trees, windowsills, etc., and we don't have to worry about her falling off. When she was a very young kitten, she could not control her direction very well, especially when "running," so protecting the corners of any sharp furniture was essential. It sounds like your blind kitty may have other neurological problems.

I don't know if being unstable is due to the blindness. But we have a deaf cat that had to have one eye removed. She had some issues until she learned to compensate for the depth perception problem created by having just one eye. But her deafness was caused by a disease, she was not born that way, so her inner ears were affected, and that also causes stability issues, because it is the inner ear that maintains our sense of balance.

But please know, blind kitties can lead perfectly happy lives. If they get to know their territory and nothing in it moves, they can find their litterboxes, their food, the favorite places to sleep, etc. They'll also play - if she can hear, best to get toys that make noise so she can locate them as they move.

But it sounds like there's more than just blindness going on, so best to get her to a vet (although it's always best to get a new rescue to a vet asap!)

THANK YOU FOR RESCUING THIS VERY SPECIAL KITTY. Our special needs kitties are our favorites. They do the cutest things and because they need us more than our other feral rescues, the bond between us is even more intense. It's a very special and rewarding feeling.