Living with a blind cat

[cozietoesie]

Seniorboy's vision is now pretty well gone I think - although it's difficult for his vet and I to tell clinically because there's nothing obviously wrong with his eyes on a quick examination. (He sees his vet about every 8 weeks or so.) He's started occasionally bumping into things if he runs off in haste over something and he's desperately reluctant to move from his safe places. Various other behavioural changes over recent months but the situation appears to have worsened over the last week.

It's not really surprising given that he's a 20 year old Siamese so I'm trying to concentrate on environmental assists to keep him happy and raise his spirits. (I think it's made him a little depressed as well.) Routine and placement (eg food and trays) are being kept pretty rigid and the layout of the house is such that he can move between places through wide clear passages and without things in his way. I'm also staying with him most of the time (typing this in bed on the laptop with himself stretched comfortably down aways on his electric blanket) and talking to him even more than usual - which is a lot. His hearing seems to be fine.

He still potters around and purs when he's in bed at night so I'm hoping that there's just an adjustment period to be gone through for him.

Any tips from anyone though?

No real advice, I'm sure you have it all well under control and I haven't had a blind one myself but was wondering - do you think he can tell light from dark? If he can then perhaps a lamp or two near places he likes, sort of like beacons, might make navigation easier/the adjustment period less stressful?

I thought he could tell light from dark until recently - now I'm not entirely sure but I'm leaving the odd strategic lamp on just in case even if we're not using a room at that instant. It's hopeful thinking more than anything because his most favourite activity now seems to be lying down the bed on his electric blanket with me there perched on the side. (I get 6 inches to use on a good day.)

Ah yes, Shaska's post just reminded me. When our departed staffy's vision was almost non-exisitent, the vet said to put some of those plug in night lights about the place.

Sending good thoughts to the aristocratic gent.

Oh night light plugs are a thought. I haven't got any of those and although he may sleep through from when I go to bed there are still a good few hours when the house doesn't have natural light.

Thanks guys - off to do some internet shopping. Those plugs might be better because I can put more of them around in the areas where he's bumped himself.

Hi

Sorry to hear that your boy has lost his sight now. My cat (now sadly departed from cancer) lost his sight all of a sudden when he was just 7 including light/dark, had loads of tests but no cause found and lived very happily for another 5 years.

He was very much an outdoor cat and the vet said to still let him out if he wanted to go out, so as not to lose his quality of life. Well you would never have known he was blind, he coped brilliantly with just his hearing and whiskers, still jumping off fences (albeit not as gracefully, more of a clamber down with a bit of a thud), walking along fences and he loved playing with a ball with a bell in it. We just had to remember to keep things tidy, keep things the same by not move things around or leaving things on the floor, as that was the only time he would trip.

I am sure your boy will cope just find, they have much more heightened senses than we do.

We had the rescue puss put to sleep when she went blind.

It was a sudden event, she had a detached retina.

I guess they can learn to adapt.

B went blind last year but regained a little vision following treatment for high blood pressure. As luck would have it our vet has a specialism in eye disorders - could specialist input help?

As others said try not to have too many obstacles about. I bought large sheets of Perspex from b and q and stuck them to the banisters with blutack as he was at risk of falling through the railings. His tactic was to find his way by sticking close to walls, and I wasn't confident that he wasn't treating the bannister side of the stair as a wall IYSWIM.

I suspect Seniorboy's has been coming on for a while - it just seems to be apace now. As long as he's happy, I'm happy even though it may mean that he's even closer to me than before. (Panics a little if he can't find me in a usual place for example.)

I'm not sure there's any point in specialist input, krasnayaplats. He's a most elderly boy and the breed is prone to eye issues with age. His vet and I have an agreement that there will be no heroic treatment for him if he becomes ill - just the best palliative care we can manage.

Poor seniorboy. I think you have pretty much got it covered cozie. You may remember that I also had an old blind boy, he went blind aged 17, he had high blood pressure and very sadly we didn't realise it had damaged his eyes until he fell off the sofa when trying to jump off. We kept all furniture in its usual place , no moving of food bowls etc, we talked to him loads (although as he is Siamese I'm sure you're doing that already!). DH used to take him out at night for a walk - not on a lead, just watching him while he had a little potter around. We felt he was a lot happier in spring/summer when it was warmer as he liked lying in the sunshine outside.

My old boy lasted a further year with a reasonable quality of life.

Ah Yes, I remember, timtam. It would be nice if Seniorboy had a last summer - he enjoys lying on his rug in the sunshine so much. (His equivalent of the garden.)

Did your lad seem at all depressed when he lost his sight?

I think he was OK cozie, he had been a very outdoorsy cat and until the age of 16 was extremely fit & active so it was quite a change for him to be blind. But he spent a lot of time snoozing on a rug & adored sitting next to me or on DH's lap having a fuss made of him. He got most of his pleasure from being stroked I think. He still ate very well and I think he was content, the vet saw no reason to put him to sleep until quality of life dipped. He eventually developed tongue cancer and had to be put to sleep but even his last week or so was reasonable.
The vet said I shouldn't assume that the cat would react to his blindness in the same way that a human would, and indeed he seemed to adapt pretty well.

Thanks - that's good to know. I'm certainly the most important thing in his world (as a bonded Siamese he's exceptionally close) so I'm trying to give him as much love and stroking as I can. (I'm actually getting, unusually, a purr from him right now - although whether that's down to me stroking him or him knowing that he's achieved pole position on the grid for supper is a matter for prayerful speculation. )

Night lights might be the way to go, there was a study last year that proved that blind people & mice bred to be blind () could still tell if a room had a light on in it.

Poor senior boy though, it's not the best age to adapt.

Oh bless you both

The reason he's of such an age is because he's had so much life-affirming lovely love.

Lucky SeniorBoy.

I never had a blind cat but really wanted to help (you always have kind words for others). I looked it up, and the internet seems to say that making noises when you approach him, shen you are about to touch him and when you give him food/fresh water helps him understand what is going on. The mose sounds around him the more his is able to picture his surroundings in him mind.
A bit of depression is said to be normal, but playing with a noisy toy as someone suggested is good to build confidence in himself.
Feliway can also lessen him anxiety.
Hope both of you ajust well to the new situation.

Oh yes that's reminded me, I got in to the habit of walking around clicking my fingers, so he could hear where I was, or use clicking fingers to show him which way to go.

Aww bringing it all back now, miss him, he was fab.

Thanks Qwebec. Useful point about the touching. I did notice that he could jump a little when I started stroking him so I'm going to develop a new phrase to announce specifically that a stroke is coming - and I'll also consider what else I can frame verbally. (He has quite an extensive vocabulary already so that ought to help.)

Yes I agree with above posters, I used to click my tongue a lot to let him know where I was & what I was doing - including when giving him food & when approaching him. His sense of hearing was very good & when I came in from work he would descend the stairs with care & come to find me even if I hadn't called him. He was such a lovely cat, I do miss him still.

Well I took all your advice and have, for example, started using one of his existing words (for grooming) to announce that I'm going to stroke him - and it appears to be going well. He seems generally more cheerful this evening and he is, in any case, used to contextualising words (he has one phrase which means 3 different things depending how it's used) so has adapted pretty well to the stroking one. And very quickly.

The night lights should be arriving tomorrow.

Aww glad to know he is feeling better. I'm sure everything will settle well.

Thanks Qwebec. I'd like to take him through to a last happy summer with sunshine baking him as he lies on his rug. (He's lying happily downaways from me now - and I'm perched as usual on the edge of the bed.) I wish that I had more room but - There you go.

Single bed - I had 6 inches and the cat slept vertically in the rest.

Double bed - I had 6 inches and the cat slept diagonally in the rest.

King Size bed - I still only have 6 inches and the cat sleeps horizontally in the rest.

Just as well that Siamese are 'discreet' about.......private matters.

"private matters" - when MKitten was tiny, We'd have to shut him out because he was a bit too interested and kept leaping on us. Most off-putting.