My 13 YO female Turkish Van has been deaf for years (maybe her entire life... she only came to us 8 years ago). She has recently gone blind -- her eyes no longer dialate but are big and black with only the tiniest area of green at the bottom. It is TORTURE watching her bumping into things and we're doing everything we can to help her adjust, but I'm wondering if anyone has any secrets/advice for helping her. Her health isn't great-- she is in the early stages of kidney failure and we're dealing with that now too -- but she doesn't seem to be in any pain or suffering so putting her down is NOT an option. I'm doing the vet thing; I'm just wondering if there's advice from real people/cat lovers that might make my Starlight's life happier/easier.
Any help/advice/shared experiences would be appreciated!
Laur
2007-12-05 05:26:36 · 9 answers · asked by shzawitch2 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
dont move furniture about as they cant stand change,try not to do sudden moves or just pick her up do slow,leave litter box in place she knows
2007-12-05 05:30:24 · answer #1 · answered by sky 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Deaf Cat Care
2016-10-22 00:43:26 · answer #2 · answered by gangi 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've been there with a Siamese mix. She went mostly if not all deaf from unknown causes as she got older - and her loud Siamese meow got even louder. Then developed detatched retinas from an accident (jumped, missed and hit her head). The vet said she was blind but I think she maybe retained a little vision, but she did not have much. She was also elderly and eventually died from kidney failure. She walked into things only occasionally and mostly just at first. We were in a remodel when this happened and she remained living in the house though we had to move out very suddenly due to water damage to the foundation - and the place we moved had other dogs and cats (she was used to our dogs but would not have been happy in that unknown and scary environment). So she stayed at home and did fine despite the disruption. She loved the contractors and they liked her (she became the "job cat", was not bothered by the noise due to her deafness and seemed to navigate the confusion just fine. We came at least twice a day to care for her and she was there and happy when we moved back in.
The moral of this story is that cats do adapt to this situation. As she learns her way around, I suspect the bumping around will diminish. It did for ours.
2007-12-05 05:37:44 · answer #3 · answered by ? 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Don't worry, she will adapt to the environment. Your cat needs to be kep strictly indoors. She will use her other senses like smell and tact...to find her way around. I have a white kitty with blue eyes that has been deaf since birth and she has adapted very well and has been living a normal life with her sibblings. Keep her environment the way it used to be ...and put like a trail of catnip or something along the way from where she is to her food and to her litter box. Don't forget to make sure she is drinking enough water to avoid getting dehydrated, and that she is eating...you might want to hand feed her at least once a day ...putting some soft food in your fingers are let her lick it or putting some soft food in her mouth.
Just watch her and if the vet thinks it is too much suffering for the kitty, then you should consider letting her go. 13 years is about a little more than middle age for a pure bred kitty...like a human in her 70's.
2007-12-05 05:36:43 · answer #4 · answered by Riccardo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Senior cats are happier, when ill, in a smaller world. Confining her to a smaller area might go along way to making her feel more comfortable. I have done alot of work with handicapped and senior cats though not both deaf and blind.
The cat still has some senses in her favor, smell, taste and touch. So try this, ease her aching bones by adding a reflected heat mat or hot water bottles, to keep her toasty.
Use a cat box with low sides, or I simply cut the opening lower.
Keep all her supplies
cat box
water and food dish
bed
in close proximity
most of all give her love
2007-12-05 07:35:36 · answer #5 · answered by twylajane1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Aww poor kitty... I have no experience with a blind and deaf cat but a blind and deaf dog. u may want to buy a little plastic pen for your house and put her litter box in it and her food and keep her in there so she wont bump into things.
2007-12-05 05:57:12 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Agreed with Willow and Sherpa. And if you can do it without it looking tacky, try to pad the corners of your house so at least that won't hurt to bump into.
Good luck.
2007-12-05 05:35:29 · answer #7 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well you need to put some soft things on the corners of hard things.and really that is all you can do and keep her around you and love on her show her you are not going to give up on her and she will start to learn .and that is really all you can do love her
2007-12-05 05:41:38 · answer #8 · answered by Animals-R-My-Life 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just keep everything she needs in the same place, keep her space organized so that she can become familiar with her surroundings. Keep her warm and fed, and comfortable in her last days.
2007-12-05 05:32:11 · answer #9 · answered by sherpa_jones 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋