Shades of blindness in your cats & mine

[Lizzie]

I'm picking this up from the Cat Rescue forum because it's not visited as frequently as this forum so I can get responses from, hopefully, everyone who has or has had a cat who is blind or with limited vision. I know Emily has several such cats and hope she can give input.

Some of you may remember that I adopted Surya, previously called Beans, from a shelter in Ohio several years ago. He has radial hypoplasia so moves on his back legs only. His vision, never 100%, has become more and more impaired over the years.

Although I don't move the furniture around, he still walks head first into walls and cabinets quite frequently as he is moving around. He doesn't hit hard because he now walks in a slow shuffle and he seems to sense he has to move slowly in case he bumps into something. Most of the time, though, he navigates all over the main floor of the house with no problem at all. He doesn't see his food but smells it out. I sprinkle kibble on the kitchen floor because that's his preference.

He seems to see shades so black cats have always stood out for him. If a black cat comes near, he hesitates (although they never bother him) but a lighter cat can walk right past him and he doesn't react at all. He's always focused on the black cats and used to kangaroo jump after them and bite them. I have fond memories of running backwards away from him years ago with a sofa cushion held protectively in front of me because he intended to bite me after I'd stopped him going after an elderly black cat. I laughed so hard I nearly fell over.

So, do your blind or vision impaired cats sometimes walk into walls or furniture even though most of the time they don't? Do they tend to see shades of light or darkness even if they seem truly blind?

[catmandu]

Princess amd Michael both had vision issues , so you have to be careful not to move the furniture too much.
You may have to move the food closer or microwave for ten seconds so he can smell it.
Good Luck

[doolittleky]

Hi Lizzie,
I am so glad to hear about Beans(Surya). I think of him daily and wonder how he is. Shoo, my visually impaired cat could see shadows and I noticed he could see some colors better than others. He too sometimes walked into things especially when he wasn't paying attention to things or if he got into a hurry. If he started running around playing then it is then he would run into things the most like a wall or something like that. He would chase this big fabric ball or someother toy and bat at it like he was palying soccer then run right into a wall. It never did phase him though, he would jsut go on as if nothing ever happened!
Melissa

[Lizzie]

Surya doesn't hurry anywhere any more so haste is not the issue, and I believe he is paying attention because he's just ambling along towards the kitchen from the bedroom usually. I'm always surprised when he does it, and I hate seeing it happen but he never hurts himself because it's so slow.

The most difficult part about taking care of him now is making sure he has a quality life. He's never been a cat to sit in windows and now he's almost blind there is no point. He used to play a lot with fluffy toys with tails and would toss them around endlessly but he'll only give them a brief head toss now when I rub one against his face. He loves being out on the deck and now the weather has finally changed he can be out there for long hours. His favorite place is the kitchen because he's always liked to be in the middle of activity. There is shallow bowl for his water, though he often frustrates me by sitting up on his hind legs, wobbling about, to drink out of the big bowl next to it. I really don't like the fact that he pees in the kitchen also, even though there is a special area on the other side of a dividing wall set up just for him, but one can hardly blame a cat so very disabled. I wish the puddles were not in front of the sinks or stove so often, but if I put up barriers he pees against them and it's more mess.

[doolittleky]

Lizzie,
How old is he now? I didn't think of him as being that old. I guess because I have always worked with kids with different issues and needs and always had animals with the same I never think of any of them as disabled. Where some people look at the disability as sad and feel pity, I look at it the opposite way and see them for what they can do whether it is with an adaption or not. I don't think animals or kids with special issues think they are any different than anyone else and that is what I love about them both! How is he health wise besides the vision issue and the peeing issue? I would love to see a recent pic of him. I miss him sooo much!
Melissa
PS did you call the craigslist person to see about that kitten?

[Lizzie]

Surya is about 7 or 8, I believe.

I think I posted about the seizure he had at the vet's office several years ago. He got really upset when he was there to have his eye checked because another cat had smacked him after Surya bit him. He's never had another, which is great. He was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy years ago and that has advanced. No thyroid problem on his blood tests and he eats a very high quality diet so it's an inherited disease. I know the majority of cats with radial hypoplasia live a normal life span, but as my vet warned me some, like Surya, have multiple genetic problems.

This morning he got to do his favorite thing in all the world. He had tucked himself into a jog in the hallway so he is hidden from cats walking down it. Miss Z., my CH cat, came thundering along and her walk is very distinctive in sound of course. Just as she got near the door to the bathroom, out he jumped and over she flipped. He does it with such glee.