Caring For and Training a Blind Cat

By

cats

My 4 year old cat, Oliver, was hit by a car we believe sometimes on Friday night. I found him sat morning in the next door garden laying in the grass. I call him over and it took a while for him to came to me. He was in big shock and his face was damage but I couldn't see properly because all the blood in his face.

My partner and I took him to emergency vets and the told us that it was hit in one side of his head and jaw and that he will need an operation. They operated that same day in the afternoon and he came out very well. He has lost part of his jaw bone and some teeth. He also lost one eye and possibly the other one because of the socket, and one part of his brain was swollen.

The next day they did more test on him and told us that the other eye wasn't responding to light either and that he was going to be blind in both eyes. He is coming home today and I can wait to see him, but I'm so upset about the entire thing that I might pass that onto him. I just wanted to make him feel better and am scared that he is not going to cope. He is such a lively little thing and is used to being outdoors all the time. He is not going to be able to do so from now on.

Many thanks, Maria 20/09/2001

By

stephanie77

Hi there, I understand your concern. My cat was hit 2 months ago and due to the trauma he endured he is now blind and has lost most of the feeling in his face, but he has recovered very well, and adjusted even more than even the vet could of predicted. So don't worry so much, have faith in your cat. He/she will adjust very well just keep things the same all the time, feeding times, where the feeding dishes are, don't move things around, and always talk to him/her with a calming voice!

By

Leon17321

Aprel,

I've been searching for someone that's had a similar experience to myself. I have a 6 yr old male Maine Coon cat that has gone blind in both eyes within the last few days. It was one eye at 1st and then the other one went a day or two later. It's broken my heart. It's like his life has been flipped upside down. He keeps looking at things as if he's trying to see the things he once did. It's heart wrenching. I'm waiting to get the blood results back for the toxoplasmosis test. I originally thought that toxo may be the cause until I read your post. I'm now concerned that there may not be a reason. His blood pressure is normal, no glaucoma, etc.. All vitals are perfect. If the toxo report comes back negative we'll be left without a reason for his sudden blindness. Is it genetics with this breed? I've researched it but found nothing indicating this. Please let me know how your cat is doing and if you ever found out what caused his blindness. It just completely upsets me to think that he's not going to be able to do the things he loved doing so much. I'm at a loss. He's are baby and is so sweet. Thanks.

By

Beth

Where in NY are you? A friend of mine had to take her dog who was going blind to Cornell to be properly diagnosed. The dog had such a rare disease that her regular vet never would have figured it out.

By

JoanDogs

I had a dog that went blind at age 10 yrs. Caroline D. Levin, R.N. has written a book - Living with Blind Dogs [I know you have a cat] but she has wonderful ideas to help everyone cope. So Buttons could go out in my fenced-in yard, I put drops of an essential oil from his bed to doggie door, and guided him for the first day. After that, he was able to go out himself! They cope better than we do!

By

K9cats

Hello,
There is a site called Blinddogs.com maybe they can direct you to a cat site. Hugs to your baby. Sherri & Tucker

By

mrs.story

Aprel,

I have no experience with blind pets, but I want to let you know that my heart goes out to you. Why don't you call the opthalmologist's office and ask how long it might be until you notice changes/improvement?

I read through the archived questions/answers below. I noticed at least one link to advice for blind cats. From what the other people have said, it sounds like the cats learn to cope, but we people are the ones who have a hard time adjusting. I hope that things go well for you and your cat. Best of luck, and please keep us posted!

My kitten is 3 months old and it went blind a month ago. I love animals, especially my cats. There is no way I will have my blind baby put down I just need some tips on how to care for her.