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Tips For Living With A Blind Cat
By admin on Feb 15, 2008 in cat health
It’s a sad fact that most animal shelters routinely euthanize blind cats because they’re considered unadoptable. The truth is that a blind cat can do almost anything a cat with its sight can do, including climb trees and chase birds!
If your kitty is going blind or is blinded in an accident, don’t give up on her. Cats (and dogs too) are extremely adaptable, perhaps more so than us humans. Animals don’t realize they’re handicapped, so they learn to deal with the changes quickly, and go on to live long happy lives.When I was a kid, we had a dog who went blind. I think she had cataracts. It was a gradual process, so she adapted quite well. She even ran through the house with us kids, and didn’t bump into things as long as we didn’t move the furniture around.
If the blindness is sudden, you may want to pad furniture legs and any furniture with sharp edges until your feline friend learns her way around.
Blind cats can climb trees, as mentioned above. The difference is that they come down back feet first, instead of head first, like a sighted cat does. Your kitty can still climb on furniture, including any cat furniture you may have. About the only thing that will stop her is a gate or fence. Because she can’t see the other side, she doesn’t realize she can climb over it.
How Can I Make Life Easier For My Blind Cat?
Consistency is the most important thing. Keep her food and her litter box in the same place. She’ll find lots of things by smell, but make it as easy as you can on her.
If you pick up your cat and move her from one place in your home to another, try to put her down where she knows where she’s at. For example, if your carpeted living room is next to your kitchen with a linoleum floor, set her down with her front feet in the living room and her back feet in the kitchen. This will help her to orient herself.
A blind cat will point her whiskers out so that the whiskers will brush against something before she runs into it. You shouldn’t ever trim the whiskers on any cat, but especially not on a blind cat!
Other ways to make life easier for your blind kitty:
- Don’t move the furniture around.
- Feed her at the same time every day.
- If you do move something, try to put it back right away.
- Block stairs with a gate until she learns where they are.
- Talk to your pet when you approach her or before you pet her. Don’t sneak up on her and startle her. You wouldn’t like it either!
- If you drop a pot, or make a big noise, gently reassure your kitty.
- Get down on her level to see what else you can do to make life easier for her.
Safety Issues
Make sure you block access to windows or balconies that have a long drop to the ground. Your kitty won’t know she shouldn’t jump out that window!
A blind cat shouldn’t be allowed outside by herself. Either go with her if your yard is enclosed, or keep her on a leash if you go outside with her.
Your kitty should have a break-away collar with an ID tag that says she’s blind. If she should get outside accidentally, this will help you find her, as it would be hard for her to find her way back.
Take your feline friend to the vet for regular check-ups. Watch for anything unusual health-wise so you can have it checked out right away.
Information in this article is courtesy of the Blind Cat Rescue And Sanctuary. This group rescues cats who were going to be euthanized just because they’re blind. Check out the pictures of these sweet kitties!
Quick update: check out this story I just found! Blind Cat And Dog — The Best Of Friends
13 Comment(s)
By Martin Tips on May 14, 2008 | Reply
Just found your site by accident doing a search for something completely unrelated. Looks like you have some good stuff here! Added your RSS feed to my rss reader, looking forward to reading more.
Martin Tips’s last blog post..Does Having Good Looks Make You More Persuasive?
By admin on May 14, 2008 | Reply
Hi Martin, good to have you here. I checked out your site and saw the pictures of your cat, Baby. She’s such a sweetie! What a pretty baby!
Darlene
By tao cowboy on Jun 20, 2008 | Reply
My 6 year old cat, Simba, was found as a kitten darting between cars on a busy interstate highway. He had no eyelids and one eye was deformed. The vet said he must has contacted a viral infection when he was born. That eye was eventually reformed as it was getting ulcerated and the vet said that it was probably painful for hi. Now Simbas good eye is getting ulcerated and is getting white. The vet said that eye will eventually have to be removed. He is such a sweet cat. I’m sad to see him lose his sight. I will keep him and care for him the rest of his life. I love him. This website has help me deal with what is to come and given good advice on living with a blind animal companion. God Bless.
By admin on Jun 21, 2008 | Reply
Hi Cowboy,
It’s hard to know that Simba will eventually lose his remaining eye. It’s probably harder on you than it is on him. He doesn’t know that he’s handicapped, so he’ll adapt, and will do just fine.
Simba is very lucky to have you! You’ve brought him a long way from that poor little kitten you found on the interstate. He’s definitely part of your family now.
Thanks for your comment–come back soon!
Best wishes to you and Simba,
Darlene
By JJ on Aug 1, 2008 | Reply
what an important article…18 months ago we took in a stray, removed the tics from his face, the fleas from his fur and his umm baby making equipment too. The vet said that he has a degenerative disease and thought that eventually he would go completely blind. We know that he is totally blind in his right eye, but you can rarely tell there is anything different to our other cat - they still chase each other around under my bed at 6am :)…I wouldn’t change him for the world though, his lack of sight just maks him more special!
By admin on Aug 1, 2008 | Reply
Hi JJ,
What a heartwarming story. Kitties have a way of finding the right people for them, and your kitty definitely found you! Cats don’t realize they have disabilities, and it sure won’t stop him from giving you lots of love and affection.
Thanks for your comment! And hug your babies for me!
Darlene
By heather on Aug 31, 2008 | Reply
my moms boss has some kittens and yesterday we went over there and 1 of the kittens is blind they have been doing wut thay can for her and when i saw her my eart melted so i convinced my mom to let me get her we r going bak to get her this weekend so that we can set my room up and pad the ferniture and things like that and this website has givin me some great advice i named her boots cuz she is black and brown with white feet and i can’t wait till we go get her thanks for posting the advice i appreciate it peace and love <3 heather
By admin on Sep 1, 2008 | Reply
Heather, how wonderful that you’re going to adopt that sweet little kitten! She’s so lucky to have you! I know she’ll be a fantastic addition to your family. Remember that she doesn’t know she’s blind, so she should get around just fine.
I’m so glad this information was helpful to you!
Best wishes,
Darlene
By Trace on Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
I am at my wit’s end!!! My 12 yr old cat had a stroke yesterday, and is now blind from it. I don’t know if the blindness is permanent, but she hasn’t really ate since it occured. Am I going to have to force feed her or bottle feed her for now on? Please Help!
By admin on Oct 5, 2008 | Reply
Hi Trace,
I’m not sure that forcefeeding your kitty is a good idea right now. She may not be able to swallow. If you haven’t taken her to the vet, I would suggest that you do so as soon as you can so that she can be evaluated.
I hope she gets better.
Darlene
By Connie on Oct 19, 2008 | Reply
Hello. My 9 yr old cat, Chico was recently prescribed the anti-biotic Baytril. He developed vision problems about a week later and when I took him to an animal eye care specialist I found he had retinal degeneration. The vet advised it was likely brought on by the Baytril and that it had been prescribed at twice what is considered to be the “safe” dosage. In the past couple of days I have noticed some things that lead me to believe that Chico still has some type of partial vision. He was able to follow my hand moving from side to side from a distance of about 2 feet, but if I wave my hand directly in front of his face, there is no reaction. He seems to eyeball objects when he is about a foot or so away from them as well. He also seems able to focus on me and other objects when he is in natural light. His pupils also retract to normal size when he is in direct sunlight. Does any of this sound familiar to you? Can you offer an opinion or advice? Thank you!
By Susan on Nov 8, 2008 | Reply
My cat is somewhat blind. The vet says she sees shadows. She seems to get around fine as long as I don’t move the furniture or put stuff in her normal paths.
My boyfriend and his cat moved in with us. We’ve been keeping the two cats separate. But we’d like to let them both roam the house at the same time. Any suggestions?
My cat (the blind one) is the queen. She hisses if she thinks the other cat is in her area. It seems upsetting to her. Her blindness was caused by high blood pressure. She is now on blood pressure medicine.
Do you think we’ll always have to keep the cats separate?
Do you think that we should just let them mingle and eventually they’ll work it out?
Do you think we should keep them separate for six months and then let them mingle?
By Jerry Kleiner on Dec 26, 2008 | Reply
I live in a 2 bedroom apartment. I have a 5 year old cat and just inherited today a blind kitten.
I would like your opinion on how to introduce one to the other. Angel, the 5 year old has never been around other cats and just goes crazy when she sees another cat.
What I have done so far is put Fred, the kitten, in the smaller bedroom with seperate litter box and food and water dishes and plan to introduce them very slowly.
Would love to hear tips and suggestions. Also I think Fred may have fleas and would love to hear best way to tackle the problem. Angel has never had fleas etc as she is strictly an indoor cat.
Thank you so much for your help,
Jerry