Update on Damita & caring for a blind cat?

I am just looking for some tips. I am fostering one of out cats...she is a 5 year old tortoiseshell, green eyes, partially blind, loves to be petted, spayed & UTD on shots. I am running into a few problems with her, though. As she is a foster & up for adoption, I need to keep her looking pretty. She has a few mats of poo stuck really close to her skin. I cut as much off as I dared without making her look icky, but there is still some there. Will it eventually come off? Should I take her to the vet or a groomer to have it removed? She seems to do pretty good about grooming herself except for one spot on her tail, near her...ummm..behind-hole. She keeps herself poo free except for this one spot. Any tips on how to keep that area clean? She keeps herself clean otherwise. I don't want to cut big chunks out of her fur because then she would look bad & people adopt based on appearances.

Aside from that, she is doing wonderful. I have a gate set up that is about 2-3 feet high. She easily climbs over it. I let her out to wander & explore things when I am home to supervise her interaction with Twitch & Lily. Today, she found a toy ball with a bell in it & had a blast! It was so wonderful to watch her. She has put on some weight, but is still at a healthy weight. This is Damita.


Does anyone else have a blind cat they care for? As far as I can tell, Damita sees a little, but she gets around really well. I set up steps for her so she can get up on the couch to lay beside me. She likes to lay in front of the TV when it is on to listen to it, I don't know if she can see it. The radio comforts her & she loves any company, four legged or two legged. She's a doll.

One of my friends as a completely blind cat. They finally had her PTS when she was in her late teens! She was in a household of 3 children, then a dog then more cats. She always did very well in fact they would let her outside wit supervison!! The litterbox was in the basement which wasn't a problem until she got older. If you didn't know she was blind you won't have known by how she got around the house-but you could see her eyes were odd looking. I think pets with disabilities adapt to their surroundings quite well.
I would be upfront about keeping her back end cleaned-did you try using a wasrm washcloth?? I know my vet will trim up that area. She is a really pretty cat I hope some wonderful person adopts her!!

Thanks Gail! I was concerned about her getting around kids toys(let's face it-kids aren't exactly clean!). She gets into trouble with our cupboards. If there is a pair of shoes against the cupboard(she's blocked in on two sides) she sits down & bawls until someone comes to get her. She does not seem to have developed the capability to move when there is something on two sides blocking her in.

She has warmed up a ton to little Chico. They both have developed a cold, though. Chico has one runny eye..it looks like he is crying. She wheezes really loud & has a snotty nose. I can't contact the right person at the HS, so I will have to wait until tomorrow morning to find out if I can take them to the vet....I hate that. They are sick, I want to be able to take them to the vet. They do bathe each other, though. It is really cute. He keeps her butt clean. She cleans his ears for him.

Wow, she is just gorgeous! I wish you the best of luck finding her a home!

My cat Fatty has the same problem with poop-mats like that. Like mentioned above, a warm washcloth works great to loosen up the poop, if you just gently massage the fur where the mat is, most of it will come off. At that point whatever is left is pliable enough to comb out gently without upsetting the kitty or pulling the fur too hard. When you're done combing it out, give her bum another wipe with the washcloth to make sure it's all gone, and you should be good! We also trim up the hair down there now to avoid this from happening. Our guy isn't bothered by it, but if you can get someone else to hold her while you give it a quick trim, she should be alright. Also as mentioned, vets will trim it for you as well, or a groomer, but i'm not sure of their prices. Our vet will normally just do it for free. I hope this helped!

Originally Posted by GirlSetsFiyah

Wow, she is just gorgeous! I wish you the best of luck finding her a home!

My cat Fatty has the same problem with poop-mats like that. Like mentioned above, a warm washcloth works great to loosen up the poop, if you just gently massage the fur where the mat is, most of it will come off. At that point whatever is left is pliable enough to comb out gently without upsetting the kitty or pulling the fur too hard. When you're done combing it out, give her bum another wipe with the washcloth to make sure it's all gone, and you should be good! We also trim up the hair down there now to avoid this from happening. Our guy isn't bothered by it, but if you can get someone else to hold her while you give it a quick trim, she should be alright. Also as mentioned, vets will trim it for you as well, or a groomer, but i'm not sure of their prices. Our vet will normally just do it for free. I hope this helped!

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I wish I had read this before I tried to clip the hair around her bum myself. I didn't do a very good job. I might just take her to the vet to have him clip it more. I was afraid to hurt her. I put a dripping wet rag on some of the mats while she was sitting around & petted her. After awhile, I moved the rag around & most of the poo came off. Not that there was anyone in the HS looking at cats today, though.

I just wanted to say she is absolutely beautiful! I'm so glad she is doing fairly well, and hope somebody great adopts her. Thanks for taking care of these lucky kitties!