Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

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kev1949
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Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by kev1949 »

For those who read my previous thread, "cat wont eat cat food and now injured", now he is on the mend, when ready is it safe to let him outside? I have read on other cat sites that its unwise to let a one eyed cat out as because of partial vision, may not see cars coming, miss calculate jumping over fences and fall, or see other unfriendly cats and get attacked? At the moment, he still on metacam and sleeps a lot. Jaw had to re-fixed as probably tried to chew on something hard and dislodged it. This time my vet removed the wiring that was done by the emergency vet, and stuck it together with a self dissolving past/glue. Still being hand fed with A/D via a syringe, and given water the same way as wont lap it from his bowl. To cap it all, when putting him in his carrier on Friday for check, a lump was seen on a back leg that turned out to be a pellet under the skin! Don't know if its related to his car accident, i.e. someone shoot him causing him to run into road? However, the main concern is letting him out?
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by elastu »

It has to be your choice I personally would never let one out as I feel I am the adult and the little ones don’t know the dangers out there if they want to go out. I was in rescue for over 20 years and we always homed such cats as indoor only unless of course there was a cat safe garden. Some people say once they have had an accident they learn, not so. I could write dozens of accounts where it was not so I will tell you about one. I used to receive over 1000 phone calls a month but this one sticks in my mind. Hello can you help me, my cat has been run over and I think it has broken its leg, can you help to pay, I took a few details and informed the caller that if ever we home in her area we only home indoor cats as we receive so many calls about injured cats. Of course we did help. Anyway months later perhaps over a year I received another call about a cat with a broken leg, I am very good at recognising voices on the phone and knew exactly who I was speaking to, I said, I did advise you previously to keep your little one in, her reply, oh! it’s ok me ducks it’s the other leg this time.
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kev1949
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by kev1949 »

Thank you for your advice. Its seems that after two weeks indoors, he is not scratching at the kitchen door to get out like the other three are. Happy for now to sit or lay on the bedroom windowsill just looking out the window. I have a cat flap in another kitchen door that goes out to the garden, so have to keep the door between the kitchen and hallway closed all times. Bit of a pain for the other three as they like to roam at night. But after what happened to Tiger at 4am will keep them indoors, will keep them in while we are sleeping.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by Jacks »

I think you are really wise considering keeping all your cats in at night. Much as they love it, statistics seem to suggest this is when they are most likely to get into trouble. Three of mine have never been out at night, and one got herself into a fright last year and wouldn't come in once it was dark and was hiding - in the morning I found her hunkered down in a flowerbed, terrified, and carried her indoors. She's never been out at night since. My fourth is an ex-wild boy who does NOT want to be out at night and prefers his cuddly dog basket these days. They will adjust!

This is Tigger, isn't it? How awful that someone also shot him with a pellet! Poor little lad! Sounds like he's happy to stay in and watch the world - some nice high perches around the place with viewing windows would probably suit him fine, and if he's not asking to go out he probably isn't ready yet anyway - he has had a very traumatic experience associated with 'outside'. If in time he does ask to go out his brain will have adapted to single input and he'll probably be perfectly confident but not as good as hunting as he would have been... But at night? No. Keep him safe and warm. x
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by Crewella »

I lock all mine in at night too, I agree with Jacks.

I did have a blind cat that I let out under supervision, but our garden was pretty secure, and being totally blind she wouldn't jump.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by greenkitty »

He will adjust, I had a very outdoorsy lad who had to become indoor because of health problems (not blindness) and he adapted in time. It can be a pain with the doors and windows but we're all in a routine now and most of the time it's fine. I have mesh screens over my upstairs windows and have cobbled together a contraption which I have over my patio doors so he can still sit and feel the breeze but can't escape.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by Joe_Danger »

A one eyed cat might be fine but if possible do your best to keep him inside, every cat I've had that was both an indoor and outdoor cat didn't end well.

When I was little I had this big, fat dark brown cat at my grandparents, he was completely blind.
He was my favorite thing in the world and I'd play with him all the time, his eyes were damaged and they always had this neon green glow to them which to me was downright fascinating. I don't know what his real name was lol but I called him Saw Boss, the name of the villain from a cartoon I liked as a kid.

Saw Boss wouldn't stay inside, ever.
He loved my grandparents yard and ever so often he'd take walks through the neighborhood, if left undisturbed you couldn't tell he was blind, he was a bit slow but he was doing just fine, however if kids were pestering him and such he'd sometimes bump into things trying to escape...needless to say this made some psycho kids bother him on purpose.
However, if he didn't insist on going out we wouldn't have been letting him outside because...after I'd say 2 years or so it didn't end well.

One day, some sicko kids beat him to death and left him there, my grandpa saw them but they ran away and it was too late to save him :(
A shame, my grandpa adored that cat, he'd hunt birds for him and stuff so he'd get proper food and everything.

My other childhood cat, Leo the one we had at home, another huge, this time orange cat who I also absolutely adored and considered my best buddy, who was a perfectly fine, healthy cat ended up dying in a mass poisoning in my neighborhood when lots of dogs and cats met their doom because some ill in the head psychopaths decided it was alright to poison animals or some such.

I dunno, I wouldn't let a pet outside on its on especially not one with a medical condition but that's just me.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by bobbys girl »

Just seen your post. It all depends on how safe your garden is. When she was 10 months old, one of our cats, Purdy, got into a fight with a very nasty stray. We heard the fight and a short while later she appeared in a terrible state. She lost the sight in on eye and had to have her jaw wired.
When she recovered, there was no keeping her in. Eight years on she is 'Top Cat' of our brood. Being blind in one eye does not stop her from being a terror to the local wildlife, she is (worse luck) a proficient hunter. We live in a very rural area, with a large garden. So apart from occasional strays and ticks our cats are fine outside.
Good luck and I hope your cat is on the mend soon.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by Hunnybunny »

Eye sight is very much a secondary sense to hearing in a cats arsenal against danger so there is no reason at all a one eyed cat cannot continue an active outside life.

If you restrict his lifestyle now he will have no idea why as he doesn't rationalise one eye with a handicap like we do so its almost like a punishment to him to make such a radical change!!
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by Walesgang »

I have a totally blind cat who has access to a large cat proof garden.

I also have a friend with a one eyed cat who has unrestricted access outside.

Both are totally happy and I have no reason to believe that either option is better than the other, but for any cat that has previously had outdoor experience, keeping them totally indoors seems unfair.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by hgale »

I can only advise based on my experience. When Kitten went blind in 2011 she adapted quickly to an indoor life and she'd always been an indoor/outdoor cat - in fact, she coped better with her blindness than I did!

I think it depends on your area a lot too - eg is your road quiet, can you secure your garden etc? Its also up to your cat - does he seem unhappy that he isn't going out? Its a difficult decision and I hope it all works out for you.
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Re: Should a one eyed cat be kept indoors?

Post by mollers »

Hi, I had a cat that loved being outdoors and I made the decision to continue allowing him to go out following an operation to remove an eye and despite us living in a very, very quiet area, he did get hit by a car. Fortunately he was very lucky and only had slight grazing to his leg where the car had clipped him but I am certain it happened because of his lack of peripheral vision on that side. The lady who hit him said he just ran out as if he hadn't seen her which I am sure he hadn't. It's a decision only you can take but if you live in a very rural area there are obviously less traffic hazards; additionally you will soon know if your cat is getting distressed by not being allowed out.
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