Making A Blind Kitten Comfortable

Sidewinder

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Funny, I just caught up to this thread and reached the point where the OP said the cats were yet to be named... logged in to suggest a name but then I read further and discovered that the OP had chosen the very same name, LOL. One of my seven brothers had a Chihuahua born with only one eye, so my brother promptly named him "One-Eyed Jack!!!" That little dog was cool too, he got along fine with one eyeball... in our family, we don't judge our animals solely by their appearance, character counts as well and One-Eyed Jack had plenty of it!!! :rolleyes:

I suppose this is why I'm partial to my cat Crackhead: he has a minor facial deformity and a snaggletooth, but he's full o' character & personality! Good on ya for taking care of those little kitties, blindness won't mean a thing when they're purring away in your lap, or keeping your bed warm this coming winter... :sleepycat:
 
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Pjg8r

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It’s hard to see Jack in this picture since he is cuddled up with Indie while Tyler supervises. Helen won’t play with the big guys yet but she will sit on my lap while they approach her. She also will play with toys with them in the room.
 
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Pjg8r

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Helen is getting more comfortable playing with her big brothers and sister around. The next step is to get her comfortable walking into a different room. She has been in a room with the tile floor and gets all nervous if she walks to the wood floor.
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Furballsmom

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Would a carpet runner, introduced to her in such a way that it smells like her (maybe have her sleep on it?) help at all? Or once she steps off of it, she'll be concerned again...hmmm.
 
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Pjg8r

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Jack napped with two of the big kids today while Helen ventured down the hall way. She now has three rooms where I would say she is comfortable. I have learned how to lead her back to a spot she knows after she explores a little. Her hearing is remarkable.
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Thank you for taking these cats in and working hard to make their lives manageable.

I wonder if a drinking fountain would be helpful to them as it would not only supply water but the sound would help them locate it and keep their bearings.
 

kmoulus

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My friend adopted a blind kitten earlier this year. She had a plan to keep kitty in one room at first and slowly introduce her to more and more of the house. But the cat was having none of it and in just a few days had given herself run of the house. It's a narrow city rowhouse and kitty has no problem with the stairs. There were a couple of blips in the first few weeks, like when she jumped up on things and couldn't get down because she didn't know how high she was. But now kitty has memorized everything - the furniture, her cat condo, etc., and she runs around like crazy chasing her toys. She also does well with the cat sitter, and loves to sit in the window and enjoy the smells and sounds through the screen.

My friend said the shelter gave her a very important piece of advice: never pick up a blind kitty and carry her to another area, it is frightening to not know where she is. Just pick her up and cuddle her while staying in one place.
 
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Pjg8r

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It’s been a month since Jack and Helen came home. I admit I’ve never had to work so hard to get kittens blended in with my adult cats. Jack likes to follow Tyler wherever he goes. Helen will hang out on the cat tree with Indie. She has been in about half of the house and even when I leave everything open she hasn’t been interested in exploring all of it yet. I still keep Helen and Jack by themselves when I’m out of the house. Helen does about 80% great interacting with the others in “her” three rooms but still hisses and swipes at any of them (even Jack) if she’s in a less familiar area.
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