Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

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Fancy2021
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Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

Post by Fancy2021 »

My Fancy turned 22 last Sunday and about 6 weeks ago she started going blind. My mom and I both agreed we were not putting her through poking and prodding at the vet. However, due to to a UTI we went last week for an antibiotic shot. While there, the vet checked her eyes and her conclusion was just old age. She didn't see any signs to indicate disease was the cause. Since then I think her eyesight has gotten worse. Most of the day she sleeps, but when she's awake she calls to us constantly. I call it crying because that's what it sounds like to me. I don't think she's in pain but her crying worries me. How long does it take for a cat to adapt to blindness and not cry. It's breaking my heart. I don't want her to suffer. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated.
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Ruth B
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Re: Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

Post by Ruth B »

When my Mother went into a nursing home, I took in her 17 year old cat, it wasn't until I got her in my home that I realised she was almost blind I had been looking after her in my Mothers home while my Mum was in hospital, but she had learnt her way around that house so well I never even noticed it, and things moved so little that she could move around with confidence.

Even in an entirely new environment she managed really well and soon learnt where thing were, sound, scent and whiskers make for a wonderful combination. There were a couple of things I did notice, narrow objects such as chair legs would give her some problems, they seemed harder for her whiskers to locate than larger objects, my sofas tend to be relatively low compared to many modern ones, and we do have a futon that we use as a chair which is very low, she did like the low furniture, while she could jump up easily enough, jumping down must have been a leap of faith a lot of the time, I noticed that while she could get on the dining chairs and onto the table, getting off was a harder option for her. She also seemed to follow the paths set out by my other cats, one time she even managed to get over the 6ft fence around the garden even though she couldn't get back, I know one of the other cats used a stack of bark chipping bags to get onto the garden table and then went up the fence from there, i am sure that Stroppy followed the same path, fortunately I could lift one of the fence panels and she could return under it (the bark chippings got moved away from the table so she couldn't do it again).

I only had her a few months, not long after my Mum died, her cat followed her, but even those few months made me realise that sight isn't as important to a cat as it is to us. With yours you may have to think about her life a bit and make some changes, scent obviously plays a big part in their lives, particularly when they can't see and I'm sure Stroppy found her way around by scent a lot of the time, so being a bit less dedicated to cleaning floors and furniture with strong scented chemicals will help your cat know her way around. Try to not move objects about, she will walk around by memory, if she has high places she likes to go a few stools or solid boxes to act as steps can make a big difference.

Stroppy mainly called out when lost and confused, unable to work out how to get home (even if it was a new home for her), or when she had lost people and wanted to know where we were, sometimes we had to guide her to us by calling her name, other times it was just helping her get to a familiar place. She had to be shut in our lounge for the first few weeks before I tried to introduce her to the resident cats, and that became her safe place, as long as she could get back in there, and often back onto the futon as it was easy for her to get on and off, she was happy. How long it will take your girl to adapt no one can really say, but talk to her when she calls (I'm sure you already do) and make sure she feels safe in her home and has easy safe routes to get where she wants to go.

I will also just mention that while i'm sure it is linked to her going blind, it might be worth mentioning to the vets to just make sure there isn't any other reason for it, dementia can make a cat call more as they have a tendency to get confused, and deafness can also mean they don't hear themselves the same. Thyroid problems have also been linked to night time calling so it might be worth checking if that has been tested for if she has had any blood tests done recently, or if the vet can pick up any other signs such as a high heart rate or rapid weight loss that might indicate something wrong.
Fancy2021
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Re: Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

Post by Fancy2021 »

Thank you. I've read cats rely on their other senses. Fancy is indoor only which helps. She is borderline on a thyroid issue which the vet just moniters. Fancy is maximizing her 9 lives! Since January, we've had about half a dozen this is it moments. Now I just wait a day to see if it changes. She seems ok but the crying just breaks me. Maybe because she isn't a cuddle bug. I do appreciate your input and thoughts. Thank you again.
booktigger
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Re: Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

Post by booktigger »

Just a thought, the crying might actually be her thyroid levels rather than her blindness, you say she is borderline but some cats can actually be hyper-t at the top end of normal and it can cause blindness, do you know what her last thyroid levels were? If not, I would ask the vet to do a free T4 test (I appreciate you didn't want to prod and poke her, but it could be she needs meds now)
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Mollycat
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Re: Help.....My 22 yr old baby is going blind

Post by Mollycat »

I was going to say the same thing, Booktigger. Senility can also cause disorientation but the vet would have thought of that. But my cat was one prolific yowler and nothing would help for years. She was cured of the thyroid issue and it improved but didn't stop completely. She had a dental 3 months ago, 2 extractions, and stopped. Only, the last week she has started up again.

She might just want you close by, too.
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