My Cat went BLIND!

I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

Emails Welcome
Thanks
Patrick

She needs to see a vet ASAP. Why haven't you taken her?She may have
hyperactive thyroid or kidney disease, etc. Please Take her to a VET.
Gail
"Outlaw Scooter Tramp" wrote in message
...
I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

Emails Welcome
Thanks
Patrick

I am going to assume that you have taken Snooper to your vet and that
there is no treatment, surgical or medicinal, for her that would
improve her quality of life.

I can totally relate to your dilemma. I have had pets all of my life.
It is very difficult to let go when they die or when it becomes obvious
that their quality of life is greatly diminished.

In regards to your specific situation, I have had a similar experience.
I had a German Shepherd called Sasha who was the smartest, most
affectionate, and most loyal dog I ever had. I had her for 16 of her
17 years. Towards the end, her hind legs gave out. She could not use
the bathroom outside without assistance, and sometimes she would just
"go" where she laid. She could barely stand up, and I had to place her
food and water bowls right next to her as she just couldn't stand up
properly to eat.

I knew that she was miserable living like this. I worked all day, so I
wasn't able to be there with her all the time. I had 2 other dogs at
the time who kept her company, but she couldn't run, jump, or play with
them or with me. When I came home each evening, I could see by the
look she gave me that she was suffering. I could not bring myself to
have her put to sleep without my boyfriend being able to say "good-bye"
to her, as he loved her as much as I did.

The final 2 months that he was working out of town were awful for
Sasha. She basically just laid around, and she could no longer sleep
with me on my bed as I was afraid she could fall off the bed. I
basically kept her as comfortable as I could, gave her some medicine
from the vet to reduce any pain she might have had, and near the end I
slept on the couch in the living room to keep her company. When my
boyfriend finally returned home, we knew that it was time to let her go
and we did so. But it was torturous for me and for her waiting for the
end to come.

In her youth, Sasha loved to run free, and she was a very social
animal. At the end, she was a shadow of herself. Oh, she always
greeted me every night with a "smile" and some firm thumps of her tail,
but she could barely struggle to her feet to stand and say "hello".

I have a feeling this is what your Snooper is going through. She's
staying put in one spot because she feels secure there. She can't see,
so she can't trust that there are other places in your home where she
is just as safe. As she is blind, she can no longer go to those
higher, off-the-ground places such as a bed or couch, and she shouldn't
as she could fall. Not only that, she can't see to play, to romp, to
"hunt", and to strut. She might purr occasionally when you stroke her,
but as she is doing so less frequently than she used to, that (to me)
is a clear sign that she is enjoying her life only sporadically.

I have 3 cats now (no dogs), so I've quickly learned that cats are much
more subtle in their mannerisms than dogs. In all honesty, I think you
know in the back of your mind that Snooper is not enjoying her life. I
know this is difficult, but I feel that the kindest thing would be to
put her to sleep.

If you choose to do this, a compassionate thing to do for Snooper would
be to ask your vet to make a house call. She would go to sleep
peacefully, with you near, in her familiar surroundings with familiar
scents.

I truly understand what you must be feeling. Regardless of what you
decide, I wish you and Snooper kind thoughts.

Outlaw Scooter Tramp wrote:
I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

Emails Welcome
Thanks
Patrick

Bring your cat to the vet! My 17 year old lost her sight over night and it
ended up being high blood pressure. The vet can help if this is the
problem. Good luck.


"Outlaw Scooter Tramp" wrote in message
...
I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

Emails Welcome
Thanks
Patrick

On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:11:22 -0700, (Outlaw Scooter
Tramp) wrote:

I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

I don't know, but I wonder if this isn't a situation for kitty
tricyclics. It sounds as though she may be depressed rather than
physically ill. Tricyclics are powerful mood elevators with the
side-effect of weight gain. I think they have been titrated for cats
and are used quite a bit... talk to your vet. You might get your old
Snooper back.

Maybe you could build a big litter box, 4x4 feet, with a sheet of
plywood and some 2x6s.

Charlie

You need to take your cat to the vet. 14 is not old for a cat. Cats
handle blindness fairly well - as long as they are indoors and you
don't move furniture. They have other senses that they use. Going to
the bathroom on the floor and sitting in a corner is your cat's way of
telling you he is sick. Call the vet.


Charlie Wilkes wrote:
On Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:11:22 -0700, (Outlaw Scooter
Tramp) wrote:

I have had Snooper for 14 yrs and she was about 1 or 2 when I got her so
she has lived a good long life. She is so sweet and I feel so sorry for
her. Last march she lost her sight and is totally blind.

She used to jump up on my bed and liked to lay with me and watch tv. If
I was on the couch or chair she'd do the same thing. Now all she does is
lay in the kitchen 24/7 on the floor with her face towards the corner
section of the cabinets. If I take her out of it she just goes right
back. She is skin and bones but seems to be healthy otherwise. She does
not purr as much as she used to but she still does once and a while.

She can not find the litter boxes I have put all over for her, even with
3 of them right next to each other she poos & pees on the floor. I am
tired of picking up poop and wiping up pee everyday but I do not have
the heart to have her put to sleep.

I do not know if she has any kind of qualiy of life and maybe I should
do the kind thing and put her down but if she is still enjoying life
then I dont want to do it.

I'd ike to get opinions from you all as to what you would do if it were
your cat and the circumstances were the ones I have.

I don't know, but I wonder if this isn't a situation for kitty
tricyclics. It sounds as though she may be depressed rather than
physically ill. Tricyclics are powerful mood elevators with the
side-effect of weight gain. I think they have been titrated for cats
and are used quite a bit... talk to your vet. You might get your old
Snooper back.

Maybe you could build a big litter box, 4x4 feet, with a sheet of
plywood and some 2x6s.

Charlie