cat going blind - Page 2

Mitts & Tess · 02-10-2013, 10:58 AM

"The Friskies" 2012 Grand Prize Winner: "Oskar's First Toys" - YouTube

This won first prize in the Friskies contest of videos. Ive watched it over and over. It is so sweet.

Check out Blind Cat Rescue in North Carolina. You are going to find there is a whole community of people who have blind kitties.

KozyKitty · 02-10-2013, 11:00 AM

This was the first one I watched. Such a cute kitty!

NebraskaCat · 02-10-2013, 11:52 AM

Oskar's people lived in Omaha when they brought him home. Oskar, much like Homer, are great examples of cats not only overcoming disabilities, but thriving with them. Thanks to them and many other "special needs" feline stars on youtube, the negative stereotype of "unadoptable" pets is being broken.

Oskar's brother Klaus was adopted from the shelter where I volunteer and is a special guy in his own right. See his story in this newsletter...

http://www.thecathouse.org/newslette...08/april08.pdf

Mitts & Tess · 02-10-2013, 12:01 PM

What a great story about Klaus! Sounds like a wonderful rescue to volunteer for! Off topic but did the black cat Luna ever get adopted?

There are so many hidden treasures in feral cat colonies! You are right, the stereotype of unadoptable or should be put to sleep line of thought is being broken. Thanks to books, internet and utubes!

CalyxTheCat · 02-10-2013, 03:25 PM

This is all really good for me to hear. I just watched the video on Homer's Odyssey. That author & her cat are really cute. Maybe, once Calyx adjusts, he'll show his superpowers too.

And bless that woman with the blind cat sanctuary! What a wonderful environment (I hope they win that $10K challenge)

I tried playing with Calyx with little jingle-bell balls, but I think he's still feeling poorly. But it is good to rethink his toys, and shift toward ones with distinct sounds.

Regarding Klaus, I feel like my cat has already been therapy (don't we all think that?)

He helped me through graduate school, work... life.

Mitts & Tess: Good idea with the cat eye specialist. I didn't think about that. Luckily, where I live there are a ton of specialists & I found one that gets 5 stars on Yelp with 20 reviews - just a half mile away. I called & spoke to an assistant today & they were kind enough to say "delay bringing him in until he recovers" (I feel like some places automatically default to "bring your cat in!!!" no matter what you say)

I think its interesting that veterinary medicine has branched out & become specialized. I feel like this wasn't the case 20 years ago. I suppose it's for the better - and hopefully this animal ophthalmologist can help Calyx.

Now I just have to get him to eat on his own...

spirite · 02-11-2013, 01:07 AM

Oskar might be the cutest little ball of fur I've ever seen! It wasn't clear to me whether Homer's been blind by birth or whether he went blind at some point later. But both videos show that blind kitties can have very happy lives. When Margaux doesn't play, it isn't because she can't see - either she's sleepy, hungry, or not feeling well.

Calyx, your poor kitty! That sounds like an awful experience at the vet. It does seem logical that if Calyx's sight had already been affected by retinal hemorrhaging due to hypertension, a sudden rise in blood pressure may have just caused the retina to detach completely. And if the spike in blood pressure was caused by pain due to not enough anesthesia, then I'd have to say that the vet really messed up that surgery. I'd never go back.

I'm so glad you found an eye specialist! I wish there were one here, but the closest is 3 hours away. I don't know whether it would be worth making an appointment. I don't want to stress her needlessly with 6 hours in the car in one day, especially since I think Margaux's blindness is irreversible. I hope Calyx's isn't!

About the edge-of-stairs issue. Maybe put a little rug remnant, a few inches shorter than the width of the stairs, over the carpet at the top of the stairs. The difference in texture would alert him that something was different there. And if the carpet isn't entirely covered, he'll recognize that the stairs are still there. My carpet strips leave about 5" free on either side (the stairs are really wide). If you don't want him to use the stairs at all, you could try buying a rug in a texture he doesn't like. Margaux hates anything plush, so if I wanted her to stay off a surface, I'd buy the plushest bath rug I could find. I have 3 in the bathroom, and she carefully walks around each one.

MyBabiesDaddy · 02-11-2013, 05:43 PM

Oskar is indeed amazingly cute. I remember watching the video a while ago (during one of my late night cat video marathons ) and it made me cry. Such a brave little boy!

Homer wasn't born blind, but at two weeks of age he was brought into the vet as a stray with a bad eye infection. The vet decided the infection was too far gone to treat and save his eyes, so she removed his eyes to save him. She figured that since his eyes hadn't yet opened naturally, that he wouldn't know the difference. he would live his life assuming all he had were his other senses. i know this because I started reading Homers' book just yesterday!

CalyxTheCat · 02-11-2013, 08:47 PM

Just thought I'd post a picture of my baby. This was him before all this happened.

Spirite - that's hilarious about the plush rug! Heh, Calyx isn't that discerning. But I think the texture change is a good idea - I just have to think about how to do it without altering the apartment (I'm just a renter). Maybe I can put masking tap along the edge of the stairs? In any case, right now, it's blocked with a huge pillow, I'm not taking any chances.

To those of you that have blind cats, specifically ones that experienced the onset of blindness in adulthood: did you notice weird behaviors? Calyx is seeking dark places (behind the fridge, underneath chairs/stairs, etc) And he's acting weird. I came home yesterday to find him comfortably resting in his covered kitty litter - like it was a pillow or something.

He's getting better, not sicker, so this is just weird. I was even wondering if the hypertension was so high that he had a stroke - but he has no unilateral weakness or anything. Just weird behavior.

So when did your cats get back to semi-normal? Or maybe it wasn't so acute, so it was a slower adjustment time.

KozyKitty · 02-11-2013, 11:12 PM

Ahhhh....such a precious baby! Calyx's paws are so big! They look like my Sami's paws. She's quite small because of malnourishment but you can tell how big she's supposed to be from her paws!

anie · 02-12-2013, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mitts & Tess

What a great story about Klaus! Off topic but did the black cat Luna ever get adopted?

I second Mitts. Great story! And I am also very curious if black Luna ever got adopted? I sure hope so...

Sent from Petguide.com Free App

02-10-2013, 11:52 AM	#13 (permalink)
NebraskaCat Senior Cat Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Lincoln, NE Posts: 664	Oskar's people lived in Omaha when they brought him home. Oskar, much like Homer, are great examples of cats not only overcoming disabilities, but thriving with them. Thanks to them and many other "special needs" feline stars on youtube, the negative stereotype of "unadoptable" pets is being broken. Oskar's brother Klaus was adopted from the shelter where I volunteer and is a special guy in his own right. See his story in this newsletter... http://www.thecathouse.org/newslette...08/april08.pdf __________________ NebraskaCat - Jeff, with Nala & Penny You can't help that. We're all mad here. - The Cheshire Cat

02-10-2013, 12:01 PM	#14 (permalink)
Mitts & Tess Premier Cat Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Arizona Posts: 9,562	What a great story about Klaus! Sounds like a wonderful rescue to volunteer for! Off topic but did the black cat Luna ever get adopted? There are so many hidden treasures in feral cat colonies! You are right, the stereotype of unadoptable or should be put to sleep line of thought is being broken. Thanks to books, internet and utubes! __________________ ~Merry~ With my eyes, they will be seen...With my voice, they will be heard.... With my hands, they will know comfort...With my action, they will be free... ~TNR and Rescue changes lives of animals.~ When the angels are busy God sends rescuers

02-11-2013, 08:47 PM	#18 (permalink)
CalyxTheCat Cat Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 105	Just thought I'd post a picture of my baby. This was him before all this happened. Spirite - that's hilarious about the plush rug! Heh, Calyx isn't that discerning. But I think the texture change is a good idea - I just have to think about how to do it without altering the apartment (I'm just a renter). Maybe I can put masking tap along the edge of the stairs? In any case, right now, it's blocked with a huge pillow, I'm not taking any chances. To those of you that have blind cats, specifically ones that experienced the onset of blindness in adulthood: did you notice weird behaviors? Calyx is seeking dark places (behind the fridge, underneath chairs/stairs, etc) And he's acting weird. I came home yesterday to find him comfortably resting in his covered kitty litter - like it was a pillow or something. He's getting better, not sicker, so this is just weird. I was even wondering if the hypertension was so high that he had a stroke - but he has no unilateral weakness or anything. Just weird behavior. So when did your cats get back to semi-normal? Or maybe it wasn't so acute, so it was a slower adjustment time. Attached Thumbnails

02-10-2013, 11:00 AM	#12 (permalink)
KozyKitty Jr. Cat Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Arizona Posts: 56	This was the first one I watched. Such a cute kitty!

02-10-2013, 03:25 PM	#15 (permalink)
CalyxTheCat Cat Join Date: Feb 2013 Posts: 105	This is all really good for me to hear. I just watched the video on Homer's Odyssey. That author & her cat are really cute. Maybe, once Calyx adjusts, he'll show his superpowers too. And bless that woman with the blind cat sanctuary! What a wonderful environment (I hope they win that $10K challenge) I tried playing with Calyx with little jingle-bell balls, but I think he's still feeling poorly. But it is good to rethink his toys, and shift toward ones with distinct sounds. Regarding Klaus, I feel like my cat has already been therapy (don't we all think that?) He helped me through graduate school, work... life. Mitts & Tess: Good idea with the cat eye specialist. I didn't think about that. Luckily, where I live there are a ton of specialists & I found one that gets 5 stars on Yelp with 20 reviews - just a half mile away. I called & spoke to an assistant today & they were kind enough to say "delay bringing him in until he recovers" (I feel like some places automatically default to "bring your cat in!!!" no matter what you say) I think its interesting that veterinary medicine has branched out & become specialized. I feel like this wasn't the case 20 years ago. I suppose it's for the better - and hopefully this animal ophthalmologist can help Calyx. Now I just have to get him to eat on his own...

02-11-2013, 01:07 AM	#16 (permalink)
spirite Cool Cat Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Roanoke, Va Posts: 1,198	Oskar might be the cutest little ball of fur I've ever seen! It wasn't clear to me whether Homer's been blind by birth or whether he went blind at some point later. But both videos show that blind kitties can have very happy lives. When Margaux doesn't play, it isn't because she can't see - either she's sleepy, hungry, or not feeling well. Calyx, your poor kitty! That sounds like an awful experience at the vet. It does seem logical that if Calyx's sight had already been affected by retinal hemorrhaging due to hypertension, a sudden rise in blood pressure may have just caused the retina to detach completely. And if the spike in blood pressure was caused by pain due to not enough anesthesia, then I'd have to say that the vet really messed up that surgery. I'd never go back. I'm so glad you found an eye specialist! I wish there were one here, but the closest is 3 hours away. I don't know whether it would be worth making an appointment. I don't want to stress her needlessly with 6 hours in the car in one day, especially since I think Margaux's blindness is irreversible. I hope Calyx's isn't! About the edge-of-stairs issue. Maybe put a little rug remnant, a few inches shorter than the width of the stairs, over the carpet at the top of the stairs. The difference in texture would alert him that something was different there. And if the carpet isn't entirely covered, he'll recognize that the stairs are still there. My carpet strips leave about 5" free on either side (the stairs are really wide). If you don't want him to use the stairs at all, you could try buying a rug in a texture he doesn't like. Margaux hates anything plush, so if I wanted her to stay off a surface, I'd buy the plushest bath rug I could find. I have 3 in the bathroom, and she carefully walks around each one.

02-11-2013, 05:43 PM	#17 (permalink)
MyBabiesDaddy Cat Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Westchester, NY Posts: 160	Oskar is indeed amazingly cute. I remember watching the video a while ago (during one of my late night cat video marathons ) and it made me cry. Such a brave little boy! Homer wasn't born blind, but at two weeks of age he was brought into the vet as a stray with a bad eye infection. The vet decided the infection was too far gone to treat and save his eyes, so she removed his eyes to save him. She figured that since his eyes hadn't yet opened naturally, that he wouldn't know the difference. he would live his life assuming all he had were his other senses. i know this because I started reading Homers' book just yesterday!

02-11-2013, 11:12 PM	#19 (permalink)
KozyKitty Jr. Cat Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Arizona Posts: 56	Ahhhh....such a precious baby! Calyx's paws are so big! They look like my Sami's paws. She's quite small because of malnourishment but you can tell how big she's supposed to be from her paws!

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