blind or nearly so cat

in article ,
Martha at wrote on 9/3/04 6:40 PM:

One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.

Make SURE they check his blood pressure. Has this been a gradual thing? How
old is he? We had a cat that went blind, fairly early in life, like 10 y.o
or so. It looked like glaucoma. He did fine. We just never moved the
furniture. I could even "play" with him if I wiggled a straw around by his
whiskers.

in article ,
Martha at wrote on 9/3/04 6:40 PM:

One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.

Make SURE they check his blood pressure. Has this been a gradual thing? How
old is he? We had a cat that went blind, fairly early in life, like 10 y.o
or so. It looked like glaucoma. He did fine. We just never moved the
furniture. I could even "play" with him if I wiggled a straw around by his
whiskers.

"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

Do you know why he's going blind? The reason I ask is: if a cat has
unchecked/undiagnosed/untreated high blood pressure, that can cause the
retiunas to detach, causing blindness. Otoh, if it's caught in time - even
after detachment, & blood pressure med is administered, the retinas can
reattach, & sight's restored.

Cathy


please post; email changing.

"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

Do you know why he's going blind? The reason I ask is: if a cat has
unchecked/undiagnosed/untreated high blood pressure, that can cause the
retiunas to detach, causing blindness. Otoh, if it's caught in time - even
after detachment, & blood pressure med is administered, the retinas can
reattach, & sight's restored.

Cathy


please post; email changing.

"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.


Duffy is blind, and he is a total delight. He can do almost anything that a
sighted cat can do, and he is truly a joy to behold. One *big* difference
is that Duffy was blind from birth, so that would be very different than a
cat that has been able to see for 15 years and now may need to adjust.
Nevertheless, this does show that a blind cat cat have the same quality of
life as a sighted cat. One of Duffy's greatest pleasures is his cat tree.
I got a very tall, sturdy one and he climbs up and down like a little
gymnast. You can see a series of pictures in the links below my signature.

As the others have said, a vet is essential. I realize that you said that
is on your agenda, but please be sure it is a vet who specializes in feline
vision and/or geriatric problems. Also, please don't let anyone try to
convince you that your cat cannot be happy if he is blind. As Karen
mentioned, you may need to become more aware of placement of furniture and
other items because a blind cat needs to use som permanent furniture for
orientation.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.


Duffy is blind, and he is a total delight. He can do almost anything that a
sighted cat can do, and he is truly a joy to behold. One *big* difference
is that Duffy was blind from birth, so that would be very different than a
cat that has been able to see for 15 years and now may need to adjust.
Nevertheless, this does show that a blind cat cat have the same quality of
life as a sighted cat. One of Duffy's greatest pleasures is his cat tree.
I got a very tall, sturdy one and he climbs up and down like a little
gymnast. You can see a series of pictures in the links below my signature.

As the others have said, a vet is essential. I realize that you said that
is on your agenda, but please be sure it is a vet who specializes in feline
vision and/or geriatric problems. Also, please don't let anyone try to
convince you that your cat cannot be happy if he is blind. As Karen
mentioned, you may need to become more aware of placement of furniture and
other items because a blind cat needs to use som permanent furniture for
orientation.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"Martha" wrote in message
m...


"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt,


Do you know why he's going blind?


that's why we're going to the vet sigh!

but he is 15 y.o.....

best

Martha

In that case, please make sure they test his blood pressure. More & more
vets do this now (just a few years ago very few vets were equipped to do
it).

Since he's 15, they'll probably also do a thorough blood work panel, incl.
thyroid & kidney levels. Both of which - if abnormal - can raise bp, too,
btw - which in turn, can cause blindness. Granted, his sight loss may be
due to something else altogether (going blind at 15 isn't common, as a
primary condition, AFAIK), but they'll want to know exactly what may be
going on, & what isn't.

Cathy

"Martha" wrote in message
m...


"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt,


Do you know why he's going blind?


that's why we're going to the vet sigh!

but he is 15 y.o.....

best

Martha

In that case, please make sure they test his blood pressure. More & more
vets do this now (just a few years ago very few vets were equipped to do
it).

Since he's 15, they'll probably also do a thorough blood work panel, incl.
thyroid & kidney levels. Both of which - if abnormal - can raise bp, too,
btw - which in turn, can cause blindness. Granted, his sight loss may be
due to something else altogether (going blind at 15 isn't common, as a
primary condition, AFAIK), but they'll want to know exactly what may be
going on, & what isn't.

Cathy

I've not had experience with a blind cats but I worked with a seal colony a
few years ago and we had a female seal (Hayley) born without a tail and her
eyes were missing. She had no problems as a result of blindness, she relied
on her hearing and whiskers to find her way around the compound and to food.
However, whenever she was handled we did alot of talking to her and would
rub against her whiskers with the tips of our fingers, she seemed to adjust
to this very well and we could guide her this way. I loved working with
her, she taught me how to communicate through touch and voice tone.

I've read many times that cats judge things such as width of entrances by
their whiskers. I have three cats and have had many others over the years,
I'd take a guess and say most responded more to my voice and scent than to
physically seeing me. I'm sure you and your cat will be fine, they're not
like us humans, they adapt easier I believe.

I wish both of you the best of luck.


"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.

I've not had experience with a blind cats but I worked with a seal colony a
few years ago and we had a female seal (Hayley) born without a tail and her
eyes were missing. She had no problems as a result of blindness, she relied
on her hearing and whiskers to find her way around the compound and to food.
However, whenever she was handled we did alot of talking to her and would
rub against her whiskers with the tips of our fingers, she seemed to adjust
to this very well and we could guide her this way. I loved working with
her, she taught me how to communicate through touch and voice tone.

I've read many times that cats judge things such as width of entrances by
their whiskers. I have three cats and have had many others over the years,
I'd take a guess and say most responded more to my voice and scent than to
physically seeing me. I'm sure you and your cat will be fine, they're not
like us humans, they adapt easier I believe.

I wish both of you the best of luck.


"Martha" wrote in message
m...
One of my cats is going blind. I'm taking him to the vet at the first
available appt, but does anyone have any experience with a
very-sight-restricted cat?

He has always been indoor, still finds his food and litter box, and is
still as lovey-dovey as ever.

TIA!

Martha

please post; email changing.