Blindness is the partial or total loss of vision, it can be due to a congenital cause or acquired after a trauma or a disease such as high blood pressure, a cataract, or glaucoma. Whether you have a kitten that was blind from birth or your elderly cat has lost his vision, it's stressful at first for both you and your cat.
But know that blindness doesn't have to stop your cat from living a happy and adventurous life. Cats are beings with resilience, that is, they are capable of adapting to difficult and even traumatic situations, and if you help them by making some adaptations in the house to make their life easier and giving it the necessary care your cat will know how to adapt to have a happy life.
In this article on our site we are going to give you advice on care for a blind cat.
Determine if your cat is blind
A cat with problems of blindness may have inflamed, discolored eyes with a certain opacity, their pupils are large anddon't twitch when receiving light If your cat is blind or is losing some vision, your cat may be easily startled or may appear confused after a piece of furniture has been moved in the room. house or even tripping and bumping into furniture If you notice any of these signs you should take your cat to the vet to determine for sure if your cat is blind or not.
In some cases blindness can be reversible, but if it turns out to be irreversible blindness, you can help: a cat has a much more developed sense of hearing and smell than humans and they can allowcompensate for a loss of vision.
If it is acquired blindness that came on suddenly, your cat may need a few weeks to adjust to his new life
Tips for a blind cat
- The verbal communication between you and your cat becomes paramount when he loses his vision: talk to your cat frequently and call him more than before so that he can locate you in the house by your voice. When you get to a room, try to walk making noise so that your cat knows that you are entering and avoid scaring him.
- Keep a calm environment: avoid yelling or slamming doors in the house, they would scare your cat more than before and you should avoid stressing your cat, especially in its period of adaptation to its new life.
- Play with your cat and stimulate his other senses: you can provide toys that give off a smell or that have a bell or make a noise, this type of toy is usually especially liked by a blind cat.
- Cuddles: don't stop giving him attention and the cuddles you used to give him, the caresses and the moments with you will please him even more than before, try to spend more time with your cat but respect her independence and let her go when she shows you she's had enough.
Adapt your house to your blind cat
- Avoid changes: the first thing is to avoid making changes in the house and avoid moving furniture. What your cat needs is a certain stability to recognize its surroundings since it does not see, it needs that the arrangement of the objects in the house do not change so as not to lose its reference points.
- Keep your references: always put your food and water in the same place so you know where to find it, moving it could be a source of stress for your cat.
- His litter box: If your cat suddenly went blind, you may have to teach him again: you put him in his tray and let him find his way from there to his basket so your cat remembers where the tray is. You may need to add another tray to your house if your house is large or has multiple floors.
- Seguridad: block the way to the stairs to prevent your cat from falling on them to prevent him from going up because if he has access to a balcony or a window you will not be able to perceive the height and could kill yourself by falling.
- Think about small details: Like always lowering the toilet lid. Your cat does not see, and it is better to avoid this type of bad experience that could even be dangerous.
- Avoid leaving objects on the floor of the house: your cat could stumble or get scared and lose the house.
Safety outside the home
A blind cat should not be left outdoors unattended: it should only stay indoors or have access to a secure, gated yardwith fences. If you can't keep an eye on him outside, it's better that he stays inside the house. You can also walk him using a harness and a leash Discover how to teach a cat to walk on a leash.
It is especially important that your cat wears a chip if he is blind so that if he gets lost and someone finds him, a vet will be able to read his microchipand contact you.
Caring for a blind cat is difficult at first, but it can be achieved with patience and lots of love We recommend that you also inform yourself about how to take care of an elderly cat if this is your case. Remember that older cats should be treated with much more care and consistency.
You may also be interested in knowing why your cat meows, an essential question to strengthen your relationship at this time and learn to communicate better.
