Playtime And Toys For My Blind Cat

[icklekins]

So my Lucky girl was diagnosed with retinal atrophy and has been totally blind for about 6 months. She's gone through depression and anxiety as she's lost her sight but has finally come to accept her new normal - though it's a little depressing for me as her momma to see her so changed from the excitable kitten she used to be.

Here's a bit of background.

She loves to go outside and "watch" birds and lizards (fwiw she wears a harness and is attached to a 25 foot lead and sunk-in spiral and only goes out if someone is home) and lay in the sun. She is what I would call "needy" and constantly wants to be near myself, my husband, or our grandmother who lives with us, but I suspect that's not unusual for a cat that perhaps feels lonely and anxious. She's what I call a lazy cat - she doesn't chase after things when I throw them, doesn't jump on things (she hates high places) and only goes on the second level of her four-story cat tree because there's a ramp she's familiar with. She does not engage with catnip AT ALL and only eats grass that grows in the yard.

Now for my dilemma.

I've been struggling on my own to try and find ways to engage her in play for when I am not at home and she has to be inside, and when I am with her and can actually play with her. I feel like I have come up short. The toys "for sale" are mostly for sighted cats or for visual stimulation, and sound-related toys are small or do not typically move "on their own" in a way that would allow her to chase after them without frightening her.

My vet recommended leaving bird noises on while I am at work, which I have been doing, but that doesn't seem to be helping much. She also loves anime which I try and leave on but I've been having issues finding anime that plays for 8 or more hours.

She does love the sound of "heavy" objects rolling around or things being dragged across the carpet/floor - so hard balls rolling on hardwood, or hard plastic balls in a track (her favorite toy, if she can locate the ball), or mommy dragging a stick along the ground - which gets tiring for mommy and can't be done while I'm at work. She will run up and down our stairs if there's something interesting to chase - say the little cherries with the plastic jingle instead of the metal jingle.

However she doesn't completely engage with these things like she used to engage with toys - she will be interested for like 2 minutes and then just lay down and twitch her tail and maybe bat at the toy if it comes towards her.

I know cats are very different, and this may just be who she is, but I want her to be excited and chase after things and idk be more cat-like.

And while I really do think it's adorable that she waits for me by the door when I get home each day, I know it's a sign of anxiety and I would like to do my best to try and reduce it for her.

Now, ideally I would love to get a seeing-eye cat for her that is her companion that keeps her company, but that is not an option that is available to me right now.

So I need ideas for toys - heck, if I have to build them myself I will! - so that my baby can be entertained while I am at work and engaged when I try and play with her at home.

Maybe once her play issues are resolved, we can tackle the fact that she doesn't cuddle like she used to....

 

[Columbine]

I know you say Lucky's blind, but does she have any light perception left at all? There are various light-up cat toys on the market, and if she has any light perception left at all she may enjoy some of these. I think one of the Catit circuits has light-up balls Amazon.com : Catit Design Senses Speed Circuit : Pet Toys : Pet Supplies, and OurPets have a range of nighttime play-n-squeak toys (like this ) that have both light and sound. I think some of the electronic hunt toys have sound as well as movement, like this or This might be fun for her too , or even this
For playtime with you, something like Da Bird could still be a good option. The original feather lures do make a sound as they move through the air, so Lucky might still be able to enjoy that. I have a Sparkler attachment for mine, which makes a pretty good noise when moved about, so that could be worth a try Amazon.com : Da Bird Sparkler Accessory : Pet Feather Toys : Pet Supplies I also have this Amazon.com : Ruff N Tumble Mouse N Sound Dangling Sound Chip Cat Toy Kitten Interactive Pet : Pet Supplies for my girl (which she loves), but it's a lot cheaper here in the uk. This Amazon.com : Play-N-Squeak Mouse Toys : Pet Mice And Animal Toys : Pet Supplies or Amazon.com : OurPets Play-N-Squeak at Night Twinkle Mouse Play Wand Cat Toy : Pet Mice And Animal Toys : Pet Supplies look similar but at a more sensible price.

I hope this has given you some ideas to get started with. Like any cat, I suspect it'll be a case of trial and error until you find what really gets Lucky going

I'm sorry that she's not cuddling so much these days. It might simply be that she's still adjusting to life without her sight, and may well be related to her anxiety. Talk to your vet about calmer, or even anti anxiety meds, for her. 6 months is a relatively short time to come to terms with something like this, and she may need a little extra help. She is so lucky to have such a wonderful mom

Edit - sorry, I have no clue why the links have come up in two different formats Hopefully they all work though

 

[icklekins]

She may have a very, very small amount of outline/shadow perception left in extremely bright light - her pupils only react now when she is sitting facing direct sunlight. The rest of the time her pupils are wholly dilated.

Here's what her eyes look like most of the time:

So the track we have is open-faced and she already has a hard time locating the ball in it - she knows where the track is but will have to "hunt" for the ball and gets visibly frustrated if she can't find it within a few seconds. I'd like to find a ball that will fit in the track and roll itself but idk if the tech exists yet.

As for the toy links, they're appreciated but I have similar toys and she doesn't interact with them. If it doesn't make noise with a very slight movement, or you have to squeeze it or chase it or move it to make noise she won't play with it. The stick chasers... she would rather chase the stick being dragged along the ground than the toy on the end of the stick because of the noise it makes. So it's cheaper to just buy a dowel.

 

[Columbine]

Poor little baby

I totally get that she's just as happy to play with the wand as the toy on the end - my girl's just as obsessed with the wands themselves as with the attachments/toys on the end The squeaking feeder ball might be worth a try though - the combination of food smells plus squeak might just be enough to get her interested I think you're right that the tech doesn't exist for a self propelling ball to fit the Catit tracks Such as shame, as I think many cats, not just blind ones, would have great fun with that. You could always email Catit and suggest it

I'm so sorry I'm not able to be of more help. I hope some other members will have some ideas for you

@stephenq - what kinds of toys does Jenny like?

 

[icklekins]

The link for the feeder toy didn't show up?

Also I have to be careful with the treats I feed her. She is super susceptible to bladder stones so she's on a pretty strict diet. Whole meat treats only, which she struggles with because she can't see (she will only eat them from my hand) or flaked tuna, which she'll do tricks for.

I've been thinking of making like a tube or hollow ball filled with beans or hard plastic balls and wrapping it in leather or something so she can play with it, but I have a few similar toys she already doesn't really play with at home.

The only other solution I can come up with is maybe finding a gyro or something and doing robotics work on it to make it do the thing I want myself... some of those robotics kits sell on Amazon and the like.

 

[abyeb]

How about something like this? It makes quite a bit of sound when it spins, my Charlie will come running when he hears it turn on: Petlinks Mystery Motion Concealed Electronic Motion Cat Toy

 

[susanm9006]

Have you tried golf balls. They are god awful loud on hardwood but with her she should be able to follow the noise. There are also little plastic balls that have bells inside. If she has trouble following a toy, maybe something that can be tied onto a piece of furniture that she can bat at. And with any kind of quality catnip toy, like the Meoww brand, she should be able to find them by smell. Most cats are smart and adaptive. Hopefully she will be adjusting to her new world soon.

 

[Columbine]

The link for the feeder toy didn't show up?

Also I have to be careful with the treats I feed her. She is super susceptible to bladder stones so she's on a pretty strict diet. Whole meat treats only, which she struggles with because she can't see (she will only eat them from my hand) or flaked tuna, which she'll do tricks for.

I've been thinking of making like a tube or hollow ball filled with beans or hard plastic balls and wrapping it in leather or something so she can play with it, but I have a few similar toys she already doesn't really play with at home.

The only other solution I can come up with is maybe finding a gyro or something and doing robotics work on it to make it do the thing I want myself... some of those robotics kits sell on Amazon and the like.

This is the feeder toy OurPets-Play-N-Squeak-Squeaky-Treat-Interactive/dp/B00FJSRGKA/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=_&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B00FJSRGKA It looks like a regular feeder ball, but squeaks too.

I understand the need for a strict diet - bladder stone are just awful but Purebites style treats should be ok in moderation. You know her best, and know what she can and can't tolerate when it come to staying well.

One other thought - you say she doesn't like catnip. Have you tried her with valerian or silvervine? Sometimes cats will respond to these even if they don't respond to catnip, so a bit of experimenting is worth a try.

 

[icklekins]

How about something like this? It makes quite a bit of sound when it spins, my Charlie will come running when he hears it turn on: Petlinks Mystery Motion Concealed Electronic Motion Cat Toy

I've tried something similar - Flik - but she didn't really go after it. I think the noise scared her. I might try the one you linked though, it looks promising!

Have you tried golf balls. They are god awful loud on hardwood but with her she should be able to follow the noise. There are also little plastic balls that have bells inside. If she has trouble following a toy, maybe something that can be tied onto a piece of furniture that she can bat at. And with any kind of quality catnip toy, like the Meoww brand, she should be able to find them by smell. Most cats are smart and adaptive. Hopefully she will be adjusting to her new world soon.

We have tried golf balls - the trouble with those is most of the house is carpeted and they don't make the required noise. She also won't really chase them even on hardwood - she gets excited by the noise but once they stop she "loses" them and doesn't know where to go. I've also tried bells and she doesn't seem to interact with bells as much as she does with "harder" plastic bits inside balls. I think the tinny noise of the bell bothers her ears.

And as for catnip, she doesn't like it. I haven't heard of valerian or silvervine, but I will look into those as options and see if she responds to them. (Is it lame that I know of silvervine because of the anime she likes to watch?)

 

[icklekins]

Update! I bought some silvervine and she seems to be reacting (somewhat) to it. She's definitely engaging in the toys I sprinkled it on more and seems more energetic/playful - and way, way more bitey than usual! She's definitely licking the toys where the silvervine was sprinkled like she's trying to eat it so I think that's a sign she's at least interested.

 

[Columbine]

Fantastic that she responds to the silvervine Its one of my girl's all time favourites, and I'm really glad your girl likes it too. Things like scent stimulation make an enourmous difference, and that must be especially true for blind kitties

 

[icklekins]

Fantastic that she responds to the silvervine Its one of my girl's all time favourites, and I'm really glad your girl likes it too. Things like scent stimulation make an enourmous difference, and that must be especially true for blind kitties

I am just excited that it's different - any change at this point is a good change for me!

Now that her bladder stones are under control again (with confirmation from the vet) I've also been trying to give her more treats - which she's also reacting to. After avoiding getting up on our futon for a while (she used to sleep with us) she's getting back up on her own accord to ask for treats again.

Here's a vid of her doing a trick for those of you who are curious:

 

[Minxrat]

Your girl sounds very much like mine - dilated pupils, not engaged with toys, also a "lazy" cat when a kitten but now knowing she has gone virtually blind in the last few months, I think she had limited sight as a kitten. Her brother Milo (6 months younger) is such a loony tunes kitten that he highlights her quietness. She is only 13 months old. She too loves hearing the balls that go round tracks but this cat mummy (and Milo) get tired doing it - I love it when she does it herself.

I will definitely be looking at the toys above and also Silvervine as she doesn't respond to catnip either!