Topic: Blind cat - help needed. (Read 7378 times)

Dawn F · « **Reply #26 on:** December 14, 2010, 08:34:45 AM »

I would of thought so, if she can't smell the tray she probably can't find it

a11ycat · « **Reply #25 on:** December 13, 2010, 21:14:32 PM »

I tested her sense of smell with some tinned salmon today, and got no reaction at all. I put bits of it on the floor in front of her, and held some in front of her nose, but she didn't react.
Would this be affecting her toilet training?

Fire Fox · « **Reply #24 on:** December 12, 2010, 20:05:33 PM »

Quote from: a11ycat on December 11, 2010, 20:04:20 PM

For the last couple of days we've been confining her to the crate for most of the time now in the hope she'll figure out toilet training there and then we can give her access to more of the house.
The crate is lined with newspaper and has a food bowl, water fountain and the old kitchen tray with litter and soil.
So far she's managed to pee/poo on all the newspaper (which we're replacing in the mornings and night), and done nothing in the litter tray. Any poo, we move into the litter tray in the hope that will encourage her.

I hope your technique works for you but don't forget that some cats will not pee and poop in the same tray, and many do not like to toilet in close proximity to their food or water. Maybe another tray (or two) in the room itself?

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #23 on:** December 12, 2010, 12:10:25 PM »

Good on you for taking her on, I have fostered a blind/deaf cat and a partially blind/deaf cat, both had been found on the streets so we didn't know their history. I never had problems with litter trays fortunately, other than they scattered litter a lot, and I had to sweep the floor a bit more. What kind of litter are you using? I would second Liz's suggestion of soil/compost. Also, how often are you cleaning the trays, as if it is too clean, she wont be able to associate it with the toilet.

Janeyk · « **Reply #22 on:** December 12, 2010, 09:25:29 AM »

My blind boy will wee in his tray but not poo

he never has since being here. I think that he was made to go outside though at his previous home and he won't get out of the habit, when he's indoors he does it on the floor by the tray (unless I catch him and plonk him in the tray) but in the summer he goes outside, through the day.

a11ycat · « **Reply #21 on:** December 11, 2010, 20:04:20 PM »

For the last couple of days we've been confining her to the crate for most of the time now in the hope she'll figure out toilet training there and then we can give her access to more of the house.
The crate is lined with newspaper and has a food bowl, water fountain and the old kitchen tray with litter and soil.
So far she's managed to pee/poo on all the newspaper (which we're replacing in the mornings and night), and done nothing in the litter tray. Any poo, we move into the litter tray in the hope that will encourage her.

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #20 on:** December 08, 2010, 21:08:49 PM »

Its far to early to be doing introductions in my opinion, you need to get her completely happy on her own and knowing her way around. This could take months not a few days.

a11ycat · « **Reply #19 on:** December 08, 2010, 21:02:04 PM »

She's wetted her bed again today, so we're using newspaper at the bottom of the bed, and transferring it into the litter tray next to the bed when it's soiled. We have temporarily swapped a proper litter tray for an old plastic lap tray that we were using for gardening, so that she doesn't have to step into anything. And we're trying some soil in the litter tray on top of the litter.

I briefly brought her down into the kitchen to see Magic, but he wasn't too happy, he showed some interest, wanting to smell her, but if she got too close he growled and lashed out. I'll keep the meeting times short for now and see if his reaction improves any over the next few days.

Tagalong · « **Reply #18 on:** December 08, 2010, 13:52:15 PM »

you could try putting a puppy training pad (Beaphars are not scented to attract dogs ) over her bed -they are warm and waterproof backed then when she messes on it transfer it away from her bed but close by (if it's not too messy to do so ) she may get used to this way -just possibly something spooks her about litter now -also she has to step into a tray this is probably the problem

Mark · « **Reply #17 on:** December 08, 2010, 10:49:22 AM »

I think most, if not all essential oils are toxic to cats. Their livers are unable to metabolize phenols in them.

http://cats.about.com/od/housekeeping/a/aromatherapy.htm

I have seen shampoos with tea tree oil in but I wouldn't let my cats anywhere near it. Unlike products for humans, there is little legislation about product safety for animals so there are some dubious products on the market.

a11ycat · « **Reply #16 on:** December 07, 2010, 16:37:48 PM »

Thanks, I like the idea of the soil in the tray, but it will have to be compost as we're under 1 foot of snow.

We use a biological washing powder?

I shall have to look into which essential oils I can/can't use. If anyone can point me to a good reference I'd appreciate it.

Liz · « **Reply #15 on:** December 07, 2010, 16:07:25 PM »

For the litter tray unless you are under 3 foot of snow as we are may I suggest soil from the garden if not then compost - you gradually mix in the litter till its all litter

I use this method on my ferals who come in from the outside to the inside it can take up to a month but does work in the end can be a bit messy so we have plastic sheeting under the litter tray

Fire Fox · « **Reply #14 on:** December 07, 2010, 16:03:10 PM »

Be careful with essential oils as some are harmful to cats.

Are you cleaning the bedding with a biological washing powder or other enzyme-based cleaning product?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #13 on:** December 07, 2010, 12:43:35 PM »

When you put her in scrabble around in the litter so she can hear you.

Cats learn very quickly especially when it helps them to keep clean.

If you manage to see her just starting to go, move her quick into the tray.#

Another idea is to put a piece of soiled bedding in the tray so she can smell her own scent there.

a11ycat · « **Reply #12 on:** December 07, 2010, 12:09:59 PM »

Thank you all for your replies.
I'm confident she will adapt given time, but I don't think she has much of a history of litter training. She was apparently litter trained as a kitten, but then was kept as an outside cat.
She's not managed to use the litter tray at all so far, and has soiled her bedding twice.
We've put an extra litter tray out and put a drop of essential oil on them so hopefully she'll be able to associate that smell with their location.
We're also placing her in the trays to let her know where they are, but I'm just not sure she knows what she's supposed to do in them.
We'll keep persevering of course, but any suggestions appreciated!

Liz · « **Reply #11 on:** December 07, 2010, 12:03:34 PM »

Our Bertie went blind at 18 and loved catnip sacks and crinkle toys, he moved house at 20 to a house twice the size of our last one we placed furniture in the same layput as our old house, Bert mastered stairs and even the boundary on the garden and had walkies everyday

They do take time but adapt better than we do time is your best friend and smelly food and treats, once they have got over the panic of where their next meal is coming from things will slow down in that department

Janeyk · « **Reply #10 on:** December 07, 2010, 07:53:00 AM »

Well done taking this gorgeous puss on

I have a deaf and blind cat, we adopted last year at 17. He was deaf and blind when we took him but he did have to adapt to our home, you'll find that she will be fine, our boy is amazing. It may take a while to get to know where everything is and a bit of bumping into things (so best not to move things) my cat uses his head to feel his way around so there's lots of gentle head bumping in and around furniture, but that's how he does it. Our boy also spent hours just walking round and round sniffing and feeling everywhere he'd to get used to things. One thing he did do though was bump into my other old cat and she wasn't too pleased so that had to be monitored but other than that all was fine, he even found his way out in the garden and spent most of the summer there, a real happy soul

but first he walked lap after lap round all the areas to find his paws. Give her a snuggle from me

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #9 on:** December 06, 2010, 23:42:47 PM »

Well done you and she is lovely but apart from what the others have said, it will just take time and 4 days is nothing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,she will get their with your patience

Mark · « **Reply #8 on:** December 06, 2010, 23:37:53 PM »

There is a booklet you can buy http://www.amazon.co.uk/Caring-Blind-Cat-Natasha-Mitchell/dp/0955691311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291678381&sr=8-1

My mum's cat Sukie went blind when she was around 6 months old. My mum said the most important thing was not to move things around or add things to a room. They do find their way around over time. Not sure if it would be the same with all blind cats but due to lack of exercise, keeping her weight down was a problem.

I would imagine toys like crinkle balls would be good for them. Poor baby

- at least she has someone to care for her

As has been pointed out before, unlike humans, cats don't concern themselves with self-pity; they just adapt and get on with life

CatGirl · « **Reply #7 on:** December 06, 2010, 23:24:00 PM »

Poor little thing and what a lovely coat.How are her injuries healing? as some one said previously it will take time,she has had quite a shock to her system.Well done to you for giving her this chance.

a11ycat · « **Reply #6 on:** December 06, 2010, 20:27:53 PM »

I shall have to test her on some smelly food. It is something I am a bit concerned about. The vet has looked her over, and is happy with her eyes (the right one looks a bit of a mess at the minute) but he's confident it will heal in time.
However she eats like a horse, so I'm not sure if her eating habits would have been affected if she couldn't smell?
I'll try and test her with something smelly over the next week, and get the vet to look over her when she goes back to get her 2nd vaccination.

Fire Fox · « **Reply #5 on:** December 06, 2010, 20:23:22 PM »

Can she not even find very smelly food such as sardines? Perhaps the head injury has affected her sense of smell, what does the vet think?

StreetKatzRescue · « **Reply #4 on:** December 06, 2010, 20:13:44 PM »

How lovely to have taken her in and given her a chance. In my experience, blind cats adapt very well and, like most blind people, it's not total darkness but often shadows or even partial vision.

Many years ago, my local vet asked me to take on a 13 wk old kitten which had been blinded as a result of a household accident when he was 9 wks old - bouncy English sheepdog had bounced into a room sending the door flying, kitten behind door, thrown and trapped between door and fridge/freezer. He had severe head injuries which caused blindness and fits. When he came to me, he circled continuously but eventually stopped doing this and having fits. However, his vision was still seriously impaired. What he used to do was to go round the perimeter of a room to make sure it was as he remembered it and then he was fine. He even used to go out (I live rurally with a safe garden) and did much the same to the garden. He was very independent and coped extremely well. BUT it did all take time and 5 weeks is really no time at all with a head injury especially as the cat is a young adult. Not only has she had to cope with her new state but also with a change of home so I would just be patient and go at her pace. I would agree with keeping her in the spare room and also keeping the dog crate going for the time being. You may want to introduce her to the rest of the household but just wait until she is totally secure in the spare room and can find her feed bowl and is using the litter tray.

Once she is moving more into the rest of the house, you may need to provide extra litter trays so that there is always one not too far away.

I'm sure you will find giving this cat a home really rewarding. x

Schmew · « **Reply #3 on:** December 06, 2010, 19:42:46 PM »

Well done you - what a lovely Christmas present for her after having such a rough time

I don't know if you've looked on Amazon at all? I had to look last year for information when one of my dogs started having trouble with his eyes, it was a lot more difficult to find information than I thought it would be, but I'm not sure if that's because after the initial shock it ends up not being as big a deal as we originally think because the animals just adapt so well.

I've dug the book out and a lot of it is about verbal cues for the dogs but there's a section about using different scents to let them know which areas are their safe areas and to point out obstacles etc. if you think this would be useful and want to PM me your address I can copy and post relevant sections. Thing is they do tend to get to know where they live and have a mental map so as long as you're not changing furniture round loads she should soon settle.

perhaps the litter tray training is as much because she's unsettled by the changes than anything else, I think crating her at night is a good idea for now til she's settled in and gets the hang of it all.

When you say DAP I assume you mean Feliway? The feliway should help her settle although it doesn't have an effect on all cats (but nowt lost in trying).

What you've done is great

I hope she settles and all her injuries heal well. Let me know if you want the info sending

x

Dawn F · « **Reply #2 on:** December 06, 2010, 19:38:46 PM »

she is lovely, I can't help I'm afraid but the annual charity auction finishes at 8pm and I think that is where everyone may be, hopefully once it is over someone will be able to give you some advice

a11ycat · « **Reply #1 on:** December 06, 2010, 18:53:08 PM »

In the last 4 days I've adopted a blind cat, which had nowhere to go as it's owners couldn't cope and all the rescues here were full.
I was looking for a 2nd indoor cat to keep Magic company, as Rusty went to Rainbow Bridge a month ago, and I felt that Magic was quite withdrawn on his own.

It's a 2 year old female neutered cat, who was hit by a car about 5 weeks ago and suffered head injuries; fractured skull, jaw and injuries to the eyes.

She's fairly adventurous cat, very friendly, but I'm having trouble with the litter training aspect of it.

I've been keeping her in a dog crate at night with a bed and a litter tray and letting her out during the day around the spare room.

Can anyone advise?

We are keeping her in a spare room and then will gradually introduce her to Magic and the rest of the house, though I'd prefer to get her litter trained first.

We are keeping her food in the same place, but she's not finding it without me banging the food dish, though I'm using a water fountain with her which is allowing her to find the water. Can anyone advise how else I can make things easier for her? I have DAP and catnip sprays but I'm not sure if they can be used to help her orient herself or not?

Author Topic: Blind cat - help needed. (Read 7378 times)