Not removing a ruptured eye? (or soon to be ruptured)

Hi, I'm looking for some advice about dealing with a blind kitten.
Short summary of the story- three weeks ago a woman brought a kitten
she found sitting in the middle of the street to my clinic. The kitten
was so weak he could not hold his head up, was badly malnourished, and
had the most severe case of feline herpes I've ever seen. The woman
asked that we try to save him and the clinic agreed to give him a few
days with fluids and support. I became his 'guardian' but it was fully
expected that he would die that night or have to be put to sleep in the
morning.

Well, Jonas lived through the night- and the next day and the day after
that. He's been steadily gaining weight and has a terrific personality.
When he was found his eyes were past the point of repair and had
already started to slough but he's adapting well to being blind. Last
week he underwent surgery to remove the eyes but arrested before the
right eye could be taken out. He was clinically dead for about three
minutes before deciding he did want to live after all. He has
recovered very well from that event but I fear a second surgery would
prove too much. The plan for now is to leave the right eye in place as
long as possible and give him a chance to gain some more weight and
build his strength.

So here's some questions- does anyone have any experience with a cat
with severe feline herpes and did NOT remove the eyes? Did the eyes
eventually progress to scarring or otherwise become something that
could be lived with? We have a patient that was found as a two year old
and had a eye that had ruptured when he was a kitten. The eye was
basically a little mass of scar tissue in the back of the orbit. He had
some drainage but was otherwise doing very well. Anyone have anything
like that happen? Jonas is receiving pain control and is eating,
playing, and purring like a normal kitten but I'm sure it must hurt.
His cornea is sloughing and sooner or later the eye will rupture. If
you did have experience with anything like this, did you use anything
to protect the eye? His eyelids had been stitched shut but we recently
snipped the stitches out of fear that the puss and fluids needed a
release rather than being trapped.

When Jonas is ready he'll go home with me to be fostered so I also have
a few general questions about blind cats, as I've never owned one
myself. Jonas tends to spin in tight circles when he is put into a new
area. At first I worried this was a sign of a neurological issue but
he never does it in his cage and will stop and come to me when I call
him. Could this be his way of trying to 'map' where he is? He's very
good about his litterbox but does miss from time to time. Is there
anything I can do to help him locate the litterbox and use it more
reliably? It isn't a problem right now but I'd like his litterbox
behavior to be rock solid to make him easier to adopt out. I'm worried
about how he'll do in a larger area when he can't just stumble across
the litterbox to find it.

Any advice would be very helpful. I never intended to become attached
to this little guy but it really isn't possible not to. When I first
accepted responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would be put
to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how ill and frail he
is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter. I figure as long as he
seems happy and playful, I'm going to do everything I can to help him
get healthy.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny little Jonas
tried to rub against my hand and started purring despite not being able
to stand up)

Dom wrote:

Any advice would be very helpful. I never intended to become attached
to this little guy but it really isn't possible not to. When I first
accepted responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would be put
to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how ill and frail he
is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter. I figure as long as he
seems happy and playful, I'm going to do everything I can to help him
get healthy.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny little Jonas
tried to rub against my hand and started purring despite not being able
to stand up)

I don't know, Seth, but what a tough, sweet little guy. I sure hope he
makes it and lives a long, happy life. I'm glad Jonas has you to love
him and watch out for him. That woman was very nice for caring enough
to get him to your clinic.

Candace

Dom wrote:
Hi, I'm looking for some advice about dealing with a blind kitten.
Short summary of the story- three weeks ago a woman brought a kitten
she found sitting in the middle of the street to my clinic. The kitten
was so weak he could not hold his head up, was badly malnourished, and
had the most severe case of feline herpes I've ever seen. The woman
asked that we try to save him and the clinic agreed to give him a few
days with fluids and support. I became his 'guardian' but it was fully
expected that he would die that night or have to be put to sleep in the
morning.

Well, Jonas lived through the night- and the next day and the day after
that. He's been steadily gaining weight and has a terrific personality.
When he was found his eyes were past the point of repair and had
already started to slough but he's adapting well to being blind. Last
week he underwent surgery to remove the eyes but arrested before the
right eye could be taken out. He was clinically dead for about three
minutes before deciding he did want to live after all. He has
recovered very well from that event but I fear a second surgery would
prove too much. The plan for now is to leave the right eye in place as
long as possible and give him a chance to gain some more weight and
build his strength.

So here's some questions- does anyone have any experience with a cat
with severe feline herpes and did NOT remove the eyes? Did the eyes
eventually progress to scarring or otherwise become something that
could be lived with? We have a patient that was found as a two year old
and had a eye that had ruptured when he was a kitten. The eye was
basically a little mass of scar tissue in the back of the orbit. He had
some drainage but was otherwise doing very well. Anyone have anything
like that happen?

I have seen it but rarely. IIRC it is better to remove the eye if you
can because of the potential for abscess and chronic infection.

Jonas is receiving pain control and is eating,
playing, and purring like a normal kitten but I'm sure it must hurt.
His cornea is sloughing and sooner or later the eye will rupture. If
you did have experience with anything like this, did you use anything
to protect the eye? His eyelids had been stitched shut but we recently
snipped the stitches out of fear that the puss and fluids needed a
release rather than being trapped.

When Jonas is ready he'll go home with me to be fostered so I also have
a few general questions about blind cats, as I've never owned one
myself. Jonas tends to spin in tight circles when he is put into a new
area. At first I worried this was a sign of a neurological issue but
he never does it in his cage and will stop and come to me when I call
him. Could this be his way of trying to 'map' where he is?

Yes. He may also have some balance issues if he had a severe URI.


He's very
good about his litterbox but does miss from time to time. Is there
anything I can do to help him locate the litterbox and use it more
reliably? It isn't a problem right now but I'd like his litterbox
behavior to be rock solid to make him easier to adopt out. I'm worried
about how he'll do in a larger area when he can't just stumble across
the litterbox to find it.

I would confine him at first to one room with the litter box. Once he
hits it regularly all the time, then increase his space little by
little (one room at a time).


Any advice would be very helpful. I never intended to become attached
to this little guy but it really isn't possible not to. When I first
accepted responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would be put
to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how ill and frail he
is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter. I figure as long as he
seems happy and playful, I'm going to do everything I can to help him
get healthy.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny little Jonas
tried to rub against my hand and started purring despite not being able
to stand up)

Oh, man those are the ones who just break your hearts. I hated when I
had an order to euth a kitten like that. It killed me.

I would be inclined to remove the eye later when he is out of the
woods, medically speaking. The surgery can always be done later. I
suspect him coding during surgery was merely because of his weakened
state.

And I suspect you have a new kitten, Sethran. Great name, BTW
(Jonas). It was almost my son's name.

-L.

"Dom" wrote in message
oups.com...

So here's some questions- does anyone have any experience with a cat
with severe feline herpes and did NOT remove the eyes? Did the eyes
eventually progress to scarring or otherwise become something that
could be lived with?

Yes and yes and some kittens regained partial sight and others regained
complete sight- but I don't know if your cat's case is the same. I might be
able to tell you a little more if you can show me which one of these
pictures it looks like:

http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...-infection.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...sequestrum.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic..._keratitis.gif
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...n-Herpatic.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...unctivitis.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...sequestrum.gif
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pics/Corneal_Ulcer.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic..._ulcer_FHV.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...tis_kitten.jpg
http://www.maxshouse.com/Ophthal_Pic...irusbigeye.jpg

Phil

"Dom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, I'm looking for some advice about dealing with a blind kitten.
Short summary of the story- three weeks ago a woman brought a kitten
she found sitting in the middle of the street to my clinic. The kitten
was so weak he could not hold his head up, was badly malnourished, and
had the most severe case of feline herpes I've ever seen. The woman
asked that we try to save him and the clinic agreed to give him a few
days with fluids and support. I became his 'guardian' but it was fully
expected that he would die that night or have to be put to sleep in the
morning.

Well, Jonas lived through the night- and the next day and the day after
that. He's been steadily gaining weight and has a terrific personality.
When he was found his eyes were past the point of repair and had
already started to slough but he's adapting well to being blind. Last
week he underwent surgery to remove the eyes but arrested before the
right eye could be taken out. He was clinically dead for about three
minutes before deciding he did want to live after all. He has
recovered very well from that event but I fear a second surgery would
prove too much. The plan for now is to leave the right eye in place as
long as possible and give him a chance to gain some more weight and
build his strength.

So here's some questions- does anyone have any experience with a cat
with severe feline herpes and did NOT remove the eyes? Did the eyes
eventually progress to scarring or otherwise become something that
could be lived with? We have a patient that was found as a two year old
and had a eye that had ruptured when he was a kitten. The eye was
basically a little mass of scar tissue in the back of the orbit. He had
some drainage but was otherwise doing very well. Anyone have anything
like that happen? Jonas is receiving pain control and is eating,
playing, and purring like a normal kitten but I'm sure it must hurt.
His cornea is sloughing and sooner or later the eye will rupture. If
you did have experience with anything like this, did you use anything
to protect the eye? His eyelids had been stitched shut but we recently
snipped the stitches out of fear that the puss and fluids needed a
release rather than being trapped.

When Jonas is ready he'll go home with me to be fostered so I also have
a few general questions about blind cats, as I've never owned one
myself. Jonas tends to spin in tight circles when he is put into a new
area. At first I worried this was a sign of a neurological issue but
he never does it in his cage and will stop and come to me when I call
him. Could this be his way of trying to 'map' where he is? He's very
good about his litterbox but does miss from time to time. Is there
anything I can do to help him locate the litterbox and use it more
reliably? It isn't a problem right now but I'd like his litterbox
behavior to be rock solid to make him easier to adopt out. I'm worried
about how he'll do in a larger area when he can't just stumble across
the litterbox to find it.

Any advice would be very helpful. I never intended to become attached
to this little guy but it really isn't possible not to. When I first
accepted responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would be put
to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how ill and frail he
is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter. I figure as long as he
seems happy and playful, I'm going to do everything I can to help him
get healthy.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny little Jonas
tried to rub against my hand and started purring despite not being able
to stand up)


I fostered a kitten last fall who had a ruptured globe when we first picked
him up off the street. The vet said the iris had come forward through the
rupture and was budging out the front. The vet told us that he could keep
the eye if the iris receded and he was able to open and close the eyelid. If
the eyelid couldn't close completely then they eye would have to go because
an open lid is an invitation to infection. We treated the kitten with
antibiotics and Terrimycin (sp?) ointment and the iris did recede and he was
able to keep the eye. I was also giving him Lysine. Although he did have a
fairly large cloudy scar in his line of sight, I believe he did retain some
vision in that eye and was able to detect light and dark and movement.

I'll post his 'after' picture over on alt.binaries.pictures.animals. It was
HIS right eye that was effected and you can see the pupil being obscured by
the scar. His name was Pepper.

W

Do you suppose you could see how long you can keep him relatively healthy
with it and see about removing it later? What does your clinic vet say? He
may just need to get stronger. I would suppose it *needs* to be removed at
some point to avoid complications. Poor little mite. I hope he continues to
prosper. SOunds like you are well and truly caught. I met a little paralzyed
kitten yesterday who well, if I could, I would take him in, but he needs
someone who is around a lot more. Let me tell you, he sure didn't know he
wasn't normal. Soft, soft, soft and a purr like a motor boat.

"Dom" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi, I'm looking for some advice about dealing with a blind kitten.
Short summary of the story- three weeks ago a woman brought a kitten
she found sitting in the middle of the street to my clinic. The kitten
was so weak he could not hold his head up, was badly malnourished, and
had the most severe case of feline herpes I've ever seen. The woman
asked that we try to save him and the clinic agreed to give him a few
days with fluids and support. I became his 'guardian' but it was fully
expected that he would die that night or have to be put to sleep in the
morning.

Well, Jonas lived through the night- and the next day and the day after
that. He's been steadily gaining weight and has a terrific personality.
When he was found his eyes were past the point of repair and had
already started to slough but he's adapting well to being blind. Last
week he underwent surgery to remove the eyes but arrested before the
right eye could be taken out. He was clinically dead for about three
minutes before deciding he did want to live after all. He has
recovered very well from that event but I fear a second surgery would
prove too much. The plan for now is to leave the right eye in place as
long as possible and give him a chance to gain some more weight and
build his strength.

So here's some questions- does anyone have any experience with a cat
with severe feline herpes and did NOT remove the eyes? Did the eyes
eventually progress to scarring or otherwise become something that
could be lived with? We have a patient that was found as a two year old
and had a eye that had ruptured when he was a kitten. The eye was
basically a little mass of scar tissue in the back of the orbit. He had
some drainage but was otherwise doing very well. Anyone have anything
like that happen? Jonas is receiving pain control and is eating,
playing, and purring like a normal kitten but I'm sure it must hurt.
His cornea is sloughing and sooner or later the eye will rupture. If
you did have experience with anything like this, did you use anything
to protect the eye? His eyelids had been stitched shut but we recently
snipped the stitches out of fear that the puss and fluids needed a
release rather than being trapped.

When Jonas is ready he'll go home with me to be fostered so I also have
a few general questions about blind cats, as I've never owned one
myself. Jonas tends to spin in tight circles when he is put into a new
area. At first I worried this was a sign of a neurological issue but
he never does it in his cage and will stop and come to me when I call
him. Could this be his way of trying to 'map' where he is? He's very
good about his litterbox but does miss from time to time. Is there
anything I can do to help him locate the litterbox and use it more
reliably? It isn't a problem right now but I'd like his litterbox
behavior to be rock solid to make him easier to adopt out. I'm worried
about how he'll do in a larger area when he can't just stumble across
the litterbox to find it.

Any advice would be very helpful. I never intended to become attached
to this little guy but it really isn't possible not to. When I first
accepted responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would be put
to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how ill and frail he
is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter. I figure as long as he
seems happy and playful, I'm going to do everything I can to help him
get healthy.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny little Jonas
tried to rub against my hand and started purring despite not being able
to stand up)

HOWEDY Dom,

Dom wrote:
Hi, I'm looking for some advice about dealing with a blind kitten.

Get him some blind mice to even the score.

Short summary of the story- three weeks ago a woman brought
a kitten she found sitting in the middle of the street to my
clinic. The kitten was so weak he could not hold his head up,
was badly malnourished, and had the most severe case of feline
herpes I've ever seen. The woman asked that we try to save him
and the clinic agreed to give him a few days with fluids and
support.

That was kindly of them, Dom.

I became his 'guardian' but it was fully expected
that he would die that night or have to be put to
sleep in the morning.

Well, Jonas lived through the night- and the next day and
sinp


When Jonas is ready he'll go home with me to be fostered
so I also have a few general questions about blind cats,
as I've never owned one myself. Jonas tends to spin in
tight circles when he is put into a new area.

That's an obsessive compulsive disorder, Dom.
You can EXXXTINGUISH IT in a couple minutes
if you study and follow the INSTRUCTIONS in
your FREE COPY of The Amazing Puppy Wizard's
100% CONSISTENTLY NEARLY INSTANTLY SUCCESSFUL
FREE WWW Wits' End Dog Training Method Manual:

http://www.tinyurl.com/7bl5u

At first I worried this was a sign of a neurological
issue but he never does it in his cage and will stop
and come to me when I call him.

But calling him WON'T address the PROBLEM which can
be EXXXTINGUISHED in just a few minutes, maybe LESS.

Could this be his way of trying to 'map' where he is?

No, he's having PAINICK ATTACKS.

He's very good about his litterbox but does miss
from time to time.

That's not likely to be ACCIDENTAL.

Is there anything I can do to help him
locate the litterbox and use it more reliably?

Same same as above, Dom.

It isn't a problem right now but I'd like his litterbox
behavior to be rock solid to make him easier to adopt out.
I'm worried about how he'll do in a larger area when he
can't just stumble across the litterbox to find it.

You can TRAIN him to find it if you STUDY: http://www.tinyurl.com/7bl5u


Any advice would be very helpful.

Whatever makes you think you'll be gettin ANY "advice" from
the posters here, Dom? THEY MURDER kittys like this WON and
call it RESCUE.

I never intended to become attached to this little guy
but it really isn't possible not to. When I first accepted
responsibility for him it was with the understanding that if
he ever showed signs of deep pain or stop progressing he would
be put to sleep. Despite everything he's been through and how
ill and frail he is, Jonas has proven himself to be a fighter.

He owes it all to you and the clinic, Dom. You done GOOD.

I figure as long as he seems happy and playful, I'm
going to do everything I can to help him get healthy.

Just study your manual and do ALL the EXXXORCISES
and EXXXTRAPOLATE on the METHODS to suit the critter.

Sethran (who fell hard that first day when blind skinny
little Jonas tried to rub against my hand and started
purring despite not being able to stand up)

Good for him. Think allelomimetic behavior.

Pavlov Told Us So 100 Years Ago. Sam Corson, Pavlov's Last
Student Demonstrated At UofOH Oxford, That Rehabilitation
Of Hyperactive Dogs Can Easily And Readily Be Done Using TLC.
Tender Loving Care Is At The Root Of The Scientific Management
Of Doggys. {) ; ~ )

Yours,

The Amazing Pussy Wizard {); ~ )

"The Methods, Principles, And Philosophy Of Behavior
Never Change,
Or They'd Not Be Scientific And Could Not Obtain
Consistent, Reliable, Fast, Effective Results
For All Handler's And All Dogs,
ALL OVER THE WHOLE WILD WORLD,
NEARLY INSTANTLY,
As Taught In Your FREE Copy Of The Puppy Wizard's
FREE WWW Wits' End Dog Training Method Manual,"
The Puppy Wizard. {} ; ~ )

Date: Tue, 6 Jan 2004 09:41:01 -0500
From: "George von Hilsheimer, Ph.D."

Subject: "time-out"

Dan, my own firm hatred of punishment has
recently been intensified by meeting The
Puppy Wizard, Jerry Howe, whose work with
dogs is marvelous.

There is a literature on harms caused by time
out, and perhaps you'd like to look at
http://www.dogydoright.com
George von Hilsheimer, Ph.D., F.R.S.H.

"As Sam Corson (Pavlov's last student) demonstrated for
nearly 50 years at Ohio University (Oxford, O.) there
is no treatment more useful for dogs than tender loving
care."

George von Hilsheimer, Ph. D., F. R. S. H., Diplomate,
Academy of Behavioral Medicine

From: "George von Hilsheimer, Ph.D."
To:
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 5:38 PM
Subject: Doggy advice

Scott, Jerry Howe forwarded me the letter below.
I'm glad that you referred negatively to Jerry's
habit of CAPITALIZING and HOWEING everything.

I personally hate this habit of his. I think it is his
way of diluting his authority - IME he is a very modest
fellow. However, contrary to your sneer, he is very
competent at living with dogs.

I thought I'd list a series of actions which I found
on the list, folk asking advice on what to do about
dogs doing this and that, for example:

whining,
humping, hunching,
pacing,
self mutilation - paw licking, side sucking,
spinning,
prolonged barking, barking at shadows,
overstimulated barking,
fighting, bullying other dogs,
compulsive digging,
compulsive scratching,
compulsive chewing,
frantic behavior,
chasing light, chasing shadow,
stealing food,
digging in garbage can,
loosing house (toilet) training.
inappropriate fearfulness
aggression.

The thing that is fascinating to me, as an ethologist who
graduated from college 50 years ago and has spent all of
the intervening time working with animals (including the
human animal), is that you never see any of these behaviors
in wild dingoes, jackals, coyotes or wolves, you don't even
see these behaviors in hyenas (who aren't dog related).

You see these behaviors in human managed animals, especially
animals who live with neurotic hysterical humans.

As Sam Corson (Pavlov's last student) demonstrated for
nearly 50 years at Ohio University (Oxford, O.) there
is no treatment more useful for dogs than tender loving
care.

George von Hilsheimer, Ph. D., F. R. S. H., Diplomate,
Academy of Behavioral Medicine



From: "George von Hilsheimer, Ph.D."
To: "Jerry Howe"
Subject: Alleged Professors of Animal Behavior
Date: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 12:50:51 -0400

Dear Jerry, I paged through some of the "dog business"
and was astonished at the low quality of opinions arising
from professors of behavior analysis.

I had the very great privilege of meeting Sam Corson
(Pavlov's last Ph.D. student) and his dogs at Ohio
University. I even got to spend a night at Sam's house.

There is no question but that you are a spiritual brother
to Corson and to Pavlov, both of whom knew that the dog's
great capacity for love was the key to shaping doggie behavior.

Paradoxical reward and paradoxical fixing of attention are
both well documented Pavlovian techniques. Even so humorless
a chap as B.F. Skinner taught students like the Breland's whose
"The Misbehavior of Organisms" demonstrate the utility of your
methods and their deep roots in scientific (as opposed to
commercial) psychology.

George von Hilsheimer, Ph.D., F.R.S.H.
you may find my resume in Who's Who in
Science and Technology

Well, it looks a bit worse than any of those, Phil. I posted some
pictures he

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...runner&x=0&y=0

I really doubt this eye will ever be functional. If I can find the
funds I'm going to take him to a specialist but things are a bit tight
right now. Those pictures were taken today and the eye actually does
look better. He's weeping reddish fluid from his nose but that is also
starting to slow down a little. When he came in he was 1.6 lbs and
today he's 2.12lbs. He's on Clavamox and various eye drops and seems
otherwise active. I figured you would be a good one to ask about this
because you've dealt with so many shelter cats and herpes is pretty
common in strays.

In good news, he tested negative for Felv/Fiv today.

Sethran (who wishes the pictures could capture how loudly he purrs!)

wrote:


I would confine him at first to one room with the litter box. Once he
hits it regularly all the time, then increase his space little by
little (one room at a time).

Good advice and I'm getting a 'safe' room set up for him. Right now
he's in a small cage and may have to stay there for a few more weeks.
Am I right to be worried that he could become cage bound? By that I
mean could he become so used to his cage and having everything he needs
surrounding him that he will become afraid to venture out further?
Would it help to put him into larger areas several times a day so that
he gets used to being in strange places and having to explore them? Or
would that just be stressful and actually make him more frightened?


I would be inclined to remove the eye later when he is out of the
woods, medically speaking. The surgery can always be done later. I
suspect him coding during surgery was merely because of his weakened
state.

If all goes well, we hope to remove the eye when he is neutered. I
just worry about infection if we wait that long. We figure Jonas is
probably about three months old but he's so small and underweight he
looks closer to two.

And I suspect you have a new kitten, Sethran. Great name, BTW
(Jonas). It was almost my son's name.

The name comes from the book The Giver, which is an old children's
novel. One of the characters can see in a different way than anyone
else and I figured that this little guy is going to have to learn to do
the same thing.

I honestly really would love this little guy to stay with me and I'm
working on that situation. I'm working on a back up plan just to be
prepared, however, so he'll go up on petfinder tomorrow.

Sethran (who is glad you like the name!)

Dom wrote:
wrote:


I would confine him at first to one room with the litter box. Once he
hits it regularly all the time, then increase his space little by
little (one room at a time).

Good advice and I'm getting a 'safe' room set up for him. Right now
he's in a small cage and may have to stay there for a few more weeks.
Am I right to be worried that he could become cage bound? By that I
mean could he become so used to his cage and having everything he needs
surrounding him that he will become afraid to venture out further?

Not likely. Even blind cats are curious.

Would it help to put him into larger areas several times a day so that
he gets used to being in strange places and having to explore them? Or
would that just be stressful and actually make him more frightened?

I would limit his space for now. I wouldn't throw too many "unknowns"
his way, untilhe is comfortable in the space you have him in. You
should take him out and give him a lot of affection, possibly let him
explore around *you* but I owuldn't just set him in an unknown place
and leave him.



I would be inclined to remove the eye later when he is out of the
woods, medically speaking. The surgery can always be done later. I
suspect him coding during surgery was merely because of his weakened
state.

If all goes well, we hope to remove the eye when he is neutered. I
just worry about infection if we wait that long. We figure Jonas is
probably about three months old but he's so small and underweight he
looks closer to two.

Even a few weeks can make a huge difference in health. I would beef
him up with some high-quality food and possibly ask the vet about
nutritive supplements.


And I suspect you have a new kitten, Sethran. Great name, BTW
(Jonas). It was almost my son's name.

The name comes from the book The Giver, which is an old children's
novel. One of the characters can see in a different way than anyone
else and I figured that this little guy is going to have to learn to do
the same thing.

Sweet.


I honestly really would love this little guy to stay with me and I'm
working on that situation. I'm working on a back up plan just to be
prepared, however, so he'll go up on petfinder tomorrow.

Sethran (who is glad you like the name!)

Keep us posted. Some people are suckers for special needs cats so he
may not last long. Just make sure he goes to a caring home who can
cope with his disability. (As I am sure you will...)

-L.