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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

I think my kitten may be blind

18 replies

CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 14/12/2013 23:14

I have 3 kittens , 21 days old .

I had a few concerns over one of them (he is white with a grey patch) , His eyes seemed rather red so I mentioned it to the vet yesterday so they are doing some tests and I have to take him back Tuesday .
I have been Testing his reactions with a large bell and several different noisy and bright toys , he reacts to noise but not lights etc .
His brothers do , they look round and look at me when I go to them .
They seem protective over him as well , he always sleeps in the middle or has one of them on top of him .

I can't find much info online so im hoping somebody could give me a little insight / advice

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/12/2013 00:40

Ah Crazy - after all this, it's a shame that one of them might not have the fullest life possible. I think you have to have vet advice on the cause - eg whether it's actually a vision problem and if so, whether it's congenital or an infection. Did the vet give you any initial thoughts on whether he had sight?

Blind cats can have great lives though - even given that they might need a special loving home to go to.

thecatneuterer · 15/12/2013 01:13

I know of a fox cub that was blind due to an infection (I think viral) that was cared for by a fox charity and later regained it's sight (and is now a loving pet incidentally). So it could even be something like that. I haven't come across it in kittens, but then I don't generally have a lot to do with kittens so it may well be reasonably common. I just don't know.

However I've had two cats that both lost their sight when old. Both of them took a couple of weeks to adjust and then got around perfectly fine (even in and out of the cat flap) and seemed almost unaffected.

Freyaee · 15/12/2013 01:32

Google oscar the blind kitten - he's gorgeous and happy. Blind cats obviously need extra care and can't go out, but can lead full and happy lives in the right home! :)

Terrortree · 15/12/2013 01:46

Homer the cat was 3 weeks old and about to be put down. Taken in, he then survived 9/11 (he was a New Yorker resident) and prevented his owner being raped.

Oh, and he was blind.

Turns out it didn't matter one jot except for balcony worries. Worth a read. He died aged 16 - one very good cat.

www.amazon.co.uk/Homers-Odyssey-Gwen-Cooper/dp/0553825151/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387071755&sr=1-1&keywords=homer

Original poster
CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 15/12/2013 11:56

I'll have a look at the Videos later Thanks .

The Vet wasn't very helpful tbh

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/12/2013 12:18

Oh Dear - not helpful because they might not have had a clue what it was at that point or in general eg offhand/dismissive? (What have they been like before?)

Original poster
CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 15/12/2013 13:21

Its the first time I have used this vets .
She seemed to think I was just been 'pfb' if that makes sense

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 15/12/2013 13:28

Hey Ho. See what she's like on Tuesday when you take him back.

Let us know how it goes.

Original poster
CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 15/12/2013 13:45

Will do

OP posts:
Velvetbee · 15/12/2013 13:50

We had an epileptic cat in the 70's who went blind. He coped very well in my mum's very, very tidy house as he knew where everything was. He would use the cat flap and sit in the garden quite happily in a patch of sunshine. He lived about 14 years, a happy and loving little soul.

Chippingnortonset123 · 15/12/2013 13:51

Crazy, that sounds bad but, my puppy went blind at 9 months and, after a lot of treatment, recovered her sight. She is now on a prescription diet and lives a full life. She had a birth defect that affects her ability to process protein. There may be something that the vet can do.

Chippingnortonset123 · 15/12/2013 13:53

Sorry, I know that mine was about a pup but I had more or less given up hope too and she is now able to live a full life albeit on a strictly controlled diet.

Original poster
CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 15/12/2013 14:00

Thanks

OP posts:
timtam23 · 15/12/2013 22:07

I have a blind cat - not quite the same situation as yours, as my cat is 17 & only went blind last year. So he already had his routine & knew his way around the house, & as long as we don't change things around too much, he potters around, jumps up on bed/sofa etc, scoffs his food etc etc...He is more or less an indoor cat now but he can even use the catflap & he likes to go out in the back yard with our kitten for a sniff around, we obviously have to be careful that the back gate is shut so that he doesn't wander.

The vet did say it would be different for a kitten who was blind from birth but I didn't really ask exactly what he meant - I guess the kitten won't have pre-learned knowledge of the house etc so would have to find their way around by other means. But they would be able to compensate by using ears & whiskers I am sure. As an indoor cat, I'm sure it would be worth a try.

sashh · 16/12/2013 07:49

timtam

Hasn't Dudly started a career as a guide kitteh?

timtam23 · 16/12/2013 16:46

sashh yes! Dudley the kitten does seem to keep watch over the blind one. DH goes out with them in the evening to make sure blind cat is ok, and he says Dudley runs around the blind one & seems to be trying to guide him.

So Crazy - maybe your other 2 kittens will continue to help their sibling if he does turn out to have sight problems

Original poster
CrazyHamstersbigbaubles · 17/12/2013 01:21

I'm not sure about keeping all 3 kittens id end up with six cats Dp won't let me Xmas Grin

Will let you all know the outcome tonight hopefully, Thanks for everything

OP posts:
cozietoesie · 17/12/2013 08:48

I'm hoping that the vet might have been offhand because either she didn't know what the score was or might have been concerned because, for some owners, saying a kit had a sight problem might, effectively, be a death sentence.

Fingers crossed for you all anyway.

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