Alex is gone, and my heart is breaking

[DrKym]

Jenn,
My Io is blind and brain damaged from being thrown from a car as a kitten.
All I can tell you is it will take some time. We obviously do not move furniture around much. We also were told by our vet to use treats as a smelly safe line.
It has worked well, he has completely figured out the whole house downstairs. He is a total lap cat upstairs because the remodeling throws him off.
Now he is a bit less inclined to run up and meet new kitties, he prefers to let them come to him, and he still sometimes will bump into things but not often.

I wish you well with this boy, and if I can help with any other things about a blind wonderguy, let me know!

Kym

[Freedom]

Oh Jenn, how wonderful of you to take in this kitty!!! So the shelter has let you adopt him permanently? He's been in a cage at the shelter for 4 YEARS??? And no one recognized that he is blind? Oh the poor poor baby!!

I don't have experience with a blind cat, but I would agree with Kim that is it going to take him time to adjust to a normal living situation. My Cuddles was in a cage at the shelter for 18 months, she has no health issues, and it took her over a week to adjust to a room! Never mind an entire house, that was way too much, overwhleming for her. So he needs some boundaries so he can explore and figure out where he is at any given time.

Pick one room for him, place litter, food and water bowls and try not to relocate them on him. Also a bed. Those things will help him learn "7 steps from the bed to the litter box," and "5 steps from the litter box to the water dish." Instead of an entire room, you may even want to section it off for a start.

ER will only look at what they are told is the possible problem. They do not take in anything else, assuming that is being taken care of by the primary. It is the same for humans in the ER.

the pacing sounds exactly like what caged animals do at zoos! Poor, poor kitty.

Did your vet mention, can cats have cataract surgery, as dogs can?

Your post left me wondering, was Aramingo still at the ER vet???

Sandra

[KitCat]

You are a wonderful person and I am sure with your caring and patience the kitty will know he is safe.

[jenluckenbach]

Poor Alex. He will be so much better once he learns his new place.

Just to answer some questions, Aramingo was NEVER at the ER. Whoever took this (black) cat in to the ER did not know which cat they had.

And Alex was not caged. Our shelter has "rooms", but his room is very small. There is lot of verticle space (shelf upon shelf, up each of the walls and then an over head loft), but the floor space is minimal. This is one room in our shelter that I do NOT like. I feel the cats in there NEVER get to run. And come on, let's be real, ALL cats, no matter what the age, want to run at some times.

So Alex must have found his way up to the loft and then fallen off the edge onto the floor.

As far as advice for helping him, I have none. The only cat I ever had who was blind had lived here many years before he wnet blind, so her knew the area and the other cats. He adusted on his own.

Good luck with that sweet boy.

[emilysgk]

Oh that poor boy! Im glad you have him now. I just dont see how no one noticed this sooner? Im sure he will adjust in time. I have no experience with blind cats, only a dog. I rescued her from a breeding kennel!! She always done quite well and in time knew her home very well. She would even get excited and jump around, it was the cutest thing. (I found a home with a sweet lday who can't have kids, spoiled rotten)

Maybe encourage him with treats or something to walk farther in a strait line? Maybe that will help him realize that he has more freedom. I just feel so bad for him. I cant imagine being in a small room, that he can only go up in and he couldnt see a thing. I know he is in a good place now, im sure it wont take long for him to figure it all out.

[Medusa]

Oh the sweet boy. And bless you for keeping him. I know you've got oodles of love to give him and that's what he needs more than anything right now. My Creamsicle is partially blind, she has no peripheral vision so I doubt that anything I say will be helpful to you. A friend of mine had a blind cat who stretched out her legs/paws in a motion similar to swimming and kinda felt her way around. That's how she eventually handled it. I'm just so glad you took this boy in. I KNOW he's gonna be alright, after a breaking in period and lots of love and patience.

Blessings,
Mary

[jennielynn1970]

To answer some questions...
For now I am fostering Alex. Unless there is an adopter out there who would have a single level house and lots of patience and hopefully background in having blind pets (I want him well taken care of, not reprimanded for things he can't help), he'll be with me till the end. I will not put him back in the shelter, because it is not appropriate for a blind cat. Too many nooks, crannies, lofts and places to fall from (again).

Aramingo never went to the vet. The volunteer thought Alex was Aramingo, and that's why he went to the vet. I still wonder what would have happened if they had known it was Alex and just ignored it as his being normal. Well, I guess I do know.. he'd still be there

He is doing well up in the room I have him in. He cries out every once in a while, like, where is everyone?! Frankie stays close by him, and is very sweet to him. Alex was grooming him again today as they were both sleeping on my lap. Last night I was holding Alex and he fell asleep, so I laid down on the bed up there with him, and we both napped for about an hour. He stayed asleep and I went to spend time with the fosters in the next room. I have two other fosters up stairs, and they are such good boys too. One is a russian blue mix and the other is a black domestic short hair. Woody, the russian blue, is FIV+ and very sweet and docile. Sassy, the black cat, has an anxiety condition and pulls out his fur, and the owner who had him before was very heavy handed with him and he will bite out of fear with even the slightest tap on the nose. I've had Woody a year and a half, and Sassy a year. Sassy has come a long way and is so loving and just wants attention and to know he's safe and loved. Unless I find him a home where they too will understand his fears, he will go nowhere else. I absolutely adore him, and will never let him be hurt again.

Sassy, looking very sweet (notice sparse fur on legs)






And here's Handsome Woody... He's so gorgeous! I wish he'd get adopted!!!