Cat Chat Feline Forum

I adopted a 5 year old female a few years ago. I had no idea what I was getting into when I adopted her.
Through working with her I have found that she does not play or chase like a regular cat. It can be very difficult to get her to be fully involved in play time. I can tell that she wants to play but it has to be just right for her as she loses track of the toy very easy because she cannot hear anything.
I have recently found a way to "hack" my cat.
The secret is as simple as a glowstick. You can get a large pack of them for less than 8 dollars.
I cracked a glow stick for her and she was immediately in chase mode. She loves them. I tie them to string and she starts to play almost immediately.
I just wanted to share this simple cat hack.
To whom it may concern.

Well done finding ways to engage with your puss. We had a blind cat for a while (didn't realise until we got him home from the rescue centre) so we had to make quite a few simple adaptations to make his life easier and more fun.

One of our current pusses is completely useless at hunting and not much good at playing, but we're starting to think her eyesight is pretty poor too (she needs specs!), but we're finding things that keep her entertained.

If your puss is deaf, she will be very vulnerable outside, so it would be worth looking into "cat-proofing" your garden to keep her safe from the roads, dogs, kids etc.

I had the honour of meeting a young couple with a blind and deaf cat. Cat was still young but went out like any normal cat and found his way around somehow, they said even if they left a biscuit tin in the middle of the floor the cat would walk around it. Once they lost him. but found him again. He would lie in the road, too, but feel cars coming by the vibrations and get off the road. Don't know if he lived to any age but I do know he lived a happy life and I can't help admiring their courage as much as his independence.