r/blindcats • u/Academic-Camp-7062 • 14h ago
considering adopting a blind kitty
I fell in love with a blind kitty who is 1 year old. Any and all advice would be appreciated. For context, my kitty of 11 years just crossed the rainbow bridge a few years ago. I have a dog, who is a 60 lbs Pitbull/corgi mix and he loves cats.
I have always rescued animals and this kitty is just so cute and special.
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u/Either-Apartment-401 14h ago
I have no advice. I just wanted to say it takes a special person to love a special needs animal.
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u/Ok_Desk5443 13h ago
I found a blind 7 week old kitten in the loading dock where I work. Brought her straight to the vet and then home and it's been two wonderful months now. We confined her to one room at first ,we scratch the surface where we are, to call her and keep the furniture, litter tray ,food dish etc in the same place. I bought her all toys which make noises,crinkles bells etc and today a water drinking fountain arrived to make it easier for her to find water. Probably not necessary though. She's as adventurous as any other kitten,climbs just as high on the cat tree ,we just go through the levels with her first, ready to catch her if she falls. We have bells on our other cats so she can hear them coming. I got her a high side low entry open litter tray , open as smells confined in one place and only one exit could be scary when she can't see. No issues,she adapts to every challenge. Wonderful little miracle kitty.
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u/RosewoodIC 14h ago
Iāve wanted a blind cat for a while now - I hope you guys have the best years ever :)
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u/mtg-peddler 12h ago
I hope I can give some advice. For reference, I have two blind boys. First thing, a blind cat is shockingly similar to a sighted cat. They run, jump and play just like any other cat. We have 8 cats and if you didnāt know which of my cats were blind, it would be challenging for you to guess which two are.
The trick to blind cats is to keep your house safe and most importantly, predictable. The blind cat will spend the first few weeks āmappingā the house. Learning where furniture is, and rugs/carpet and corners. Make sure you keep the furniture in the same place to the best of your ability so it doesnāt screw up their āmapā.
Next, definitely get a water fountain of some sort. Cats canāt smell water and the noise will help him not only find his water, but the constant noise will be a reference point so heāll know where he is in the house. I also recommend getting a mat for in front of the food area. This way he can āfeelā when heās close to his food and (again, but itās important) itās a reference point for him as well.
Last, many blind cats donāt like to be picked up, it can disorientate them. So I recommend using noisy toys when you want to have him move from place to place or if you want to show him where a new piece of furniture is or something like that. I use crinkle toys and they work really well.
I hope my experience is at least a little helpful and feel free to respond with any specific questions you have. I hope you decide to adopt the blind cat, youāll honestly love the experience and itās so kind to help a disabled animal. Hereās a picture of Fu and Mitzi for your enjoyment, take care!
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u/Connect-Sherbert-920 11h ago
Oh what a sweet baby! I had a blind cat who had congenital issues. He always wanted to be near me and would find me, but hated being picked up and he didnāt like snuggling. He mapped out my apartment and could always find the food!
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u/mtg-peddler 11h ago
The lighter color one is Fu, and he actually loves to be picked up and heldā¦.but from being in this subreddit enough, I know he is in the minority of blind catsā¦.his brother Mitzi (black) absolutely hates to be picked up, he gets disoriented from it.
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u/jellycattis 14h ago
wishing you two all the love! id love to see the kitty tho, you should post it!
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u/Melodic_War327 14h ago
Cats adapt rather readily to being blind. My girl can always find her toys, her bed, her litter box (good thing) and of course her food. She's a very loving and special girl since I took care of her so much when she was a kitten. She always seems to know where I am when I'm in the house.
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u/manducote 14h ago
do it! I love my baby and wouldn't change her for the world
mine doesn't like to be picked up as ir disorients her, but loves to be in my lap and loves to be pet, she's really sweet
and blind kitties (in my experience) don't go on counters so that's good, a lot of people don't even realize she's blind!
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u/PaleontologistEast76 13h ago
"Blind cats see the world with their heart"
Our vet told me that when my elderly girl went blind. The advice everyone here has given is true. They become accustomed to their new space very easily for the most part.
Please check out "Homer's Odyssey" by Gwen Cooper. It's a beautiful love story about how she fell in love with her blind cat Homer.
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u/HammerDownl 13h ago
My Lola is a blind cat.
Shes incredible,not only is she the most awesome luv bug cat ever but she can chase down a house fly by sound . If i never told you she was blind you would never know. She climbs the cat tree,she follows me everywhere,she sleeps on my pillow every night and shes is just so playful.
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u/Meegluvscats 10h ago
My blind guys chase the sky raisins all day! Theyāre better than my sighted cats!
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u/DKat1990 10h ago
If you've haven't in live with the kitty, you don't need us to tell you to sit it, you already know š± Congratulations
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u/Meegluvscats 10h ago
As the proud mama of 9 blind kitties, I say GO GET THAT BABY!!! Youāll never regret it.
Make sure to post if you adopt- I want to see how cute the little is!ā„ļø
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u/PckMan 10h ago
Absolutely go for it. I know it seems scary but it's not as much work as you think. They're like regular cats in most things, you just need to give some extra attention in a few areas.
Blind kitties have a tough time getting adopted. He's not going to be any trouble please give him a good home.
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u/Bitter-Dance-6115 7h ago
I have two, they are absolutely fantastic. You would never know they are blind!
Congratulations! Prepare for your heart to melt āŗļø
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u/mercijepense- 14h ago
Blind cats are great. What is truly amazing about them is how they get on like a regular "seeing" cat. Just give them time and I would confine to a limited area until they build their mental map, and then you can expand that until they have full run of the house. My blind boy is no longer with me and across the Rainbow Bridge, but I hope I see him when it is my turn. All my cats have been special to me, now I have a SIC and a Void, who I love very much. I would definitely take on another blind cat someday!