Nurul’s story on how she coped with Fang has been most inspiring, and here, we share another similar experience from one of our readers:
Your posting on the cat Fang that suddenly became blind brought my attention to the attached file on side effects of baytril. My experiences with my cats I have noted that their medications have side effects on their behaviours and well beings.
I have a blind cat Olie which we found abandoned in a car park as a kitten; she was too tiny to go through any procedures and she is blind till today (she’s now 7 years old). She is as normal as any cat that is not blind. I prepared her for her blindness; although she is blind but she is very confident and independent.
I researched that in order to help a blind cat cope we need to enhance it’s existing sense i.e. hearing and motion. I used to snap my fingers around her so she will train herself to get use her using her hearing as a radar to detect any approaching objects i.e. other cats or people or be afraid of sounds (when a cat is blind it’s hearing senses magnified many times i.e. sounds became louder and this will freak them out). I tapped on the floor and tables (any surfaces) to create vibrations so when I called her she can follow the vibrations towards the location where I want her to go. It works really well for her, she can go anywhere in the house i.e. upstairs, downstairs without freaking herself out. She is totally a happy cat and make friends with other cats easily by sniffing them out first.
I wish Nurul is able to cope well with her cat sudden blindness and hope it’s only temporary.
Comments
4 responses to “Coping with blindness in a pet”
Thank you for your supporting mail.
I do read about the side effects of medications towards cat, and that is why after giving him continuously weeks by weeks of medications we decided to stop, because his condition worsen after the last medications ( before he become blind).. Fang’s seem drowsy and he fall down from the upper ledge of the sofa frequently..It took him for a week before getting back to himself… As Fang is our first cat , and visiting Vet is new to us, we didn’t know much about what medications prescribed by the doctors and they didn’t explained the medications to us ( except for Healing Room that my father is really satisfied with their services and here we know that Fang is actually 8 , for all the while we are told he’s 1 year old ++ )….
I still do think that, is it my fault Fang become blind? Is it because of medications we gave him before?… he started to stop giving ‘cat kisses’ from faraway as he usually does 2 weeks before totally blind.. I thought he doesn’t love me but when I think back, he do give signs that he is gradually losing his sight and that time was probably he couldn’t see us from afar.
Fang is okay now, he’s responding like he’s not blind at all, only his movements are limited. he can jump on sofa and as high as big’Toyogo” height of plastic container but he doesn’t have confident to jump into bed and jump down from it… Sometimes when he doesn’t know ,unsure or couldn’t do whatever he wanted , he just lay down and stay put until we pick him up … He’s only been with us from end of march, his memory are the one who’s guiding him .. He still have mild flu , we need to pour new kibbles even though he doesn’t finish the previous batch , because if he couldn’t smell them, he won’t eat them.. His left overs are usually given to the ‘lucky stray cats’ at the big garbage dumping area at my house…
Thank you for all of your support…
Hi Nurul
It is not your fault that Fang became blind. The real reasons why he is blind now we will never know the causes for sure. Please stop beating yourself up.If you look at the whole situation in a different light you can focus on the blessings of having Fang in your life and Fang having you in his life. You both are truly blessed to have found each other. He is the same Fang; it is just the way he ‘carry’ himself is different. Knowing all that you have done and is doing for him now; never giving up on him is already a strong indication that he is where is suppose to be. He is home. He found his family in your family. Enjoy his presence. Go with the flow. One day at a time.
I have a decade of experience of having pets and taking pets for treatment; what I really found : I really do not know anything, I am still learning. The more I think I know, the less I actually know. Every day is a life lesson. Be happy. Have positive thoughts. Things will fall into place ‘just the way it is suppose to be.” Treasure each company in good times and in bad times.
Hi Nurul…Sabarlaa ya. Tiada sesiapa yang patut dipersalahkan dalam situasi ini. Terimalah dugaan ini, dan insyaallah semuanya akan dipermudahkan Nya.
Thank you for your soothing comment…
I am blessed to have him because he do makes me understand myself better.kinda like a silent psychiatrist to me.. He makes me strong because I couldn’t feel sorry n sad for him every time I look at him because he wouldn’t understand why I should be sad because he is coping very well….( I know this because when I cried at the first time seeing him blind , bumping into the wall and running into his food bowl , he seems really scared and I don’t know how to say this ,but he seems puzzled and scared with very dilated eyes …. That time, I know I have to stop crying, so I did and calmed myself, and I scooped him up and told him that everything is going to be all right…)
Funny thing happened today, as I open the store to look for vacuum cleaner and bring it out, Fang ran up very fast towards my mom’s Pc desk…Even though he couldn’t see he still scared of vacuum cleaner…( He only react to this particular store room where we store the vacuum)