Trouble Introducing Blind Cat To Resident Cat

[oscarsmom0326]

Hi everyone! I've had my one cat for almost 8 years and my baby, almost 12 years old. I recently adopted a 1 year old female blind cat, who has been blind most of her life. I've been having some trouble getting them to be friendly/okay with each other, more so from the blind cat's end. I've been googling and following all the guides about introducing regular cats as well ones for introducing a blind cat to a new household, but it just doesn't seem to be going well.

There seems to be progress but I guess I'm just looking for reassurance that it's going okay. I've had the new cat for about 3 weeks and I've been feeding them on opposite sides of the door, letting them sniff each other through the crack, bring a towel with resident cat's scent, etc. For a while the new blind cat would hiss at any scent or notion that he was near her...probably due to me trying to introduce them in the same space too early in the first week. Sometimes she will throw her paw out with her claws out and I'm terrified she's going to rake my resident cat across the face.

So today I let them occupy the same space, providing treats and praise and petting. There was some hissing and whining on her end, and his tail rubbed across her face when he walked past her and she went to strike him. I'm so terrified that she's going to hurt him or put his eye out that it's hard for me not to have anxious energy around them and just see what happens when they're in the same space. Any time they get close to each other I freak out a little and intervene because I'm worried she'll strike him in the eye.

I'm just looking for help/opinions on if I'm doing this right. And if anyone has any tips that I haven't come across for acclimating a blind cat to a resident cat. Thank you!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome! and thank you for taking in your new baby!!
I'd say you're on the right track, I think I would try even more scent swapping, as you mentioned towels that each sleeps on then swap the towels.

Also, I have mixed feelings about these, but you might try claw caps until your blind baby is a little less tense.

You could try calming products as well. Besides diffusers and collars, there are sprays, wipes and treats, depending on how broadly and intensely (?) you'd want to extend the benefit.

Some cats such as my Big Guy are completely unaffected by Feliway, but there are other products with different ingredients such as L-Tryphophan and casein.

Vetri-Science's Composure is one to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has one, Pet Naturals also has one I believe. Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros.

There are a couple of current discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?

Take a look at these articles, they aren't long but have lots of info;
Blind Cats
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
The Multi-cat Household

Good luck, keep us updated as to how things are going!!

 

[ArtNJ]

Furballsmom covered things well, but just something to keep in mind -- there is a risk that YOU might get scratched. The blind cat will smell the resident, hear the resident, and could easily lash out at you in confusion. Even sighted stressed cats do this sometimes, and it surely has to be more common in blind cats.

My two cents -- I think this will probably work out for you in the long run. The age of your resident cat hopefully means that the resident won't force interaction on the blind cat. I'd be most worried about preventing fighting in the short term while the blind cat is still super stressed, with places like the food dish being a high risk area. If you can prevent fighting in the short term, I expect things will naturally get better on their own.

 

[oscarsmom0326]

Hi! Welcome! and thank you for taking in your new baby!!
I'd say you're on the right track, I think I would try even more scent swapping, as you mentioned towels that each sleeps on then swap the towels.

Also, I have mixed feelings about these, but you might try claw caps until your blind baby is a little less tense.

You could try calming products as well. Besides diffusers and collars, there are sprays, wipes and treats, depending on how broadly and intensely (?) you'd want to extend the benefit.

Some cats such as my Big Guy are completely unaffected by Feliway, but there are other products with different ingredients such as L-Tryphophan and casein.

Vetri-Science's Composure is one to look at, Pet Remedy (it has valerian) is another, as is Essential Pet Pet-ease, Only Natural Pet (brand and website) has one, Pet Naturals also has one I believe. Lambert Vet Supply is a website to look at, and of course amazon and chewy, also there's Petwishpros.

There are a couple of current discussions about calming items, here's the link to one thread. Post #6 in this has a link to the second discussion.
Calming Treats?

Take a look at these articles, they aren't long but have lots of info;
Blind Cats
How To Fix An Unsuccessful Cat Introduction
Is Your Cat Stressed Out?
The Multi-cat Household

Good luck, keep us updated as to how things are going!!

Thanks for replying! I think the claw caps might be a good idea because her little claws are absolutely razor sharp, she’s cut me a couple of times purely on accident just because of how sharp they are. I’m taking her to the vet tomorrow for a check up and I think I’ll have them trim her nails, which would take some of the stress away of her possibly maiming my boy. I’ll also look into the calming items and try those out. Thank you!

 

[oscarsmom0326]

Furballsmom covered things well, but just something to keep in mind -- there is a risk that YOU might get scratched. The blind cat will smell the resident, hear the resident, and could easily lash out at you in confusion. Even sighted stressed cats do this sometimes, and it surely has to be more common in blind cats.

My two cents -- I think this will probably work out for you in the long run. The age of your resident cat hopefully means that the resident won't force interaction on the blind cat. I'd be most worried about preventing fighting in the short term while the blind cat is still super stressed, with places like the food dish being a high risk area. If you can prevent fighting in the short term, I expect things will naturally get better on their own.

Resident cat is actually very eager to be friends with her, he’s always been that way. Years ago when I had two cats (other one passed away in 2011) he initiated everything—nose sniffing, head cleaning/licking, playing, etc. He actually tries to get close to her and I know it stresses her out because she’s just not ready. If only there was a way I could tell him to chill lol. He’s backed off a little since she hisses sometimes and whatnot, but he’s still quite interested in her and while it’s sweet, it’s part of the problem.

I mentioned to the other poster that replied that I’ll be taking my new baby to the vet tomorrow and while I’m there I’ll have them trim her nails because I had the same thought about myself possibly getting scratched in the fray. Thank you!