Caring for a blind cat in a colony

Hello all,

I'm new here. Hope I can get your insight in the following.
I was wondering - Does anyone here has experience with caring for a blind cat in a colony - can a blind cat survive the outdoors?

Thanks in advance

Welcome to TCS!

I don't have experience - but instinct would suggest that if possible, it might be best to remove and rehome him.

Have you spoken to your vet?

Hi,

Thanks,

Yes, I've spoken to my vet. He's positive about that, but my instinct is like yours. That's why I'm looking for actual experiences, if there are any...

Well, keep checking in - TCS has a fairly broad memebership - somebody will no doubt be along to advise!

What's your timezone?

Originally Posted by lost3

can a blind cat survive the outdoors?

Click to expand...

I haven't had any experience with this.But, I would ASSUME NOT!! In an enclosure of some sorts.........garage,etc.........maybe.But, out to fend for itself,I don't think so.

Hello & Welcome!

I have a blind foster cat, and to make a long story short...she was living outside & did not flourish. She has been in my house for 6 months now & is fat & happy.

If you have an enclosure for this blind cat, I would think that is the only way s/he could live outside. S/He cannot see, therefore cannot defend him/herself...and what about cars?

Is this cat a feral? Anyway you would be willing to work with him/her on socialization?

Hello lost3 and welcome to tcs

I did read your post earlier as I care for a colony of ferals but I haven't had any
experience of a blind 'outdoor' or blind 'feral' cat.

So I spoke to a good friend of mine about it who has, not really knowing all the details
to pass on to her(I,E age,when the cat went blind,was it blind from birth,has the cat lost comlete sight or partial?),She advised if you can trap this boy/girl and take the cat in?A vet should be able to determine how 'blind' the cat/kitten is.
If the cat is completely blind You would probably have to care for this cat yourself or find somebody dedicated enough to put in the time and patience this cat will need.
If it is a kitten will only survive for a short time outside(days) if it is not being cared for by its mother or fed by a carer and even then would be 'lucky' to survive any longer.
The chances of this cat surviving in the wild are very remote nearing impossible,unless it is taken in.

A shelter would almost 99.9% chance put this cat to sleep,so I would say if you can't
take the cat in yourself,try to find a charity that is dedicated to the welfare of ferals.

On a positive note though,blind ferals have been known to adapt to domestication quicker than sighted ferals

If you need any advice on how to bring round a blind feral,just let me know and I will ask my friend

Here is a link to a sanctuary for Blind animals.

http://www.rollingdogranch.org/horses/rocky_hawk.html

Thanks all,

The cat was seen by a vet, and got the preliminary required care. He's about 6 weeks old. One eye is missing - probably from birth. The other is a long shot, but still we give him antibiotics - maybe we can save it.

In any case, I'm trying to rehome him, but still I wanted to see if it's possible to keep him in my care in the colony - to see if anyone has done that before.

(Socialization is not an issue - he's firendly).

Thanks again for your attention and replies

My friend has a 6 month kitten (tame)with one eye and has virtually no sight.he can only see shadows in the other eye and he still has trouble getting around bumping into things if furniture is moved around.
Your kitty will need to find a home where he is going to be kept indoors.

Best wishes and Good Luck with your kitty Lost3.

please check out that link - it really looks like a very special place.

To Julie -
This place does look great, thanks for the referral, it's just that I live on the other side of the world.

Thanks again to you all, I will find him a home.

Thanks for caring for a colony, and thanks for caring for this kitty!

I've known of a blind cat that survived quite well outside - but it was constantly with its mother. I think this is the only way it would work, and since being taken under another kitty's "wing," so to speak, didn't happen, this kitty really should be found a home.

Maybe contact a local paper and "spice up" the rescue story. This often results in offers to take the cat in need.

Here is another one in Ohio. What state are you located in? I guess I just did a search on blind animal rescue and it listed quite a few

http://coda.givemepaw.com/