Blind cat charges down gangplank and falls into the sea

I have only just discovered that this cat is blind. His name is 'Bear'. He is a bit overweight too. At first, I thought that the cat was uncoordinated because they walked off the edge of the gangplank. But no, he is blind which explains things.

The big question is why Bear was allowed to charge down the gangplank without being on a lead and harness to keep them safe. The owner is very laid back when her cat dives into the water. Not sure I'd be that laid back. The woman thinks that 'he's gonna make it'. He didn't! There could have been something sharp down there on the water which would have hurt him.

He gets out okay by himself but moans bitterly. He has a raucous, loud complaining voice which is not particularly feline. He obviously hates water like the majority of domestic cats (but not all cats as some actively enjoy messing around in bathtubs).

Neutering operation blinded a feral cat but turned him into a domestic cat overnight

NEWS AND COMMENT-NORTH CAROLINA ANIMAL SHELTER: This interesting story from America confirms what we already know about anaesthetics on domestic and feral cats. It can blind them. As I recall, there is a about a one in 400 chance of a cat being blinded by a general anaesthetic.

So, this cat whose been named Scoot lost his sight after he was brought to the shelter and neutered. That would have been a standard process. You can see in the photograph that his left ear has been trimmed, called 'ear tipping' indicating that he was a feral cat cared for under a TNR program.

Scoot. Image: The Charlotte Observer.

But here's the interesting bit: he was a scratchy, irritable and difficult cat as feral cats are prone to be unless they have been through some sort of socialisation.

But in this instance, because he became instantly blind, his temperament became much milder and of course he became reliant on his caregivers. It seems that he decided he had to integrate into human society in an instant in order to survive. Which made him a good pet overnight. In fact, he pretty well instantly transformed into a domestic cat.

He was adopted by a shelter worker, Mariah Shields.

She said:

“It’s very obvious how new he is to being blind, and he started out very quiet and unassuming,”

Apparently, he's opening up and he started to knead his owner (regards her as his surrogate mom) and is becoming very sociable. He greeted her with a meow in the morning and when he is petted, he wants to play. 

And recently he hugged her. He's become a bone fide pet cat of the highest quality all because he was instantly made blind by an anaesthetic.

I guess you could say that this is a silver lining in the heavy risk of anaesthetics seriously harming domestic cats and this can happen in the most innocuous operations such as teeth cleaning.

That's why people who know about the dangers of anaesthetics are reluctant to take their cat to veterinarians for teeth cleaning which often is a necessity.

Blind rescue cat has two feline helpers (for now)

NEWS AND COMMENT: This story comes from Sioux City, USA and it's a cute one. The Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue report that they rescued a tuxedo cat who was born without eyes. They named him Keller. The cat was not neutered, either. Once in their rescue centre he was lost and bewildered. That, of course, was to be expected. So, within a day they rescued a female cat which they decided is his mother and helper.

Blind cat Keller on the left and his two feline helpers a young tabby female Trixie and his sick mom. Photo: Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue

Immediately on her arrival at the shelter they became inseparable. They stay close to each other and the female cat was clearly Keller's helper in navigating. The problem is that when veterinarians checked out Keller's mum, they discovered that she was quite ill. She had to have all her teeth removed and she had a large tumour in her sinus cavity. They removed the tumour and she appears to have recovered but they don't know whether the cancer will come back and her prognosis is not good.

Note: This is a video from another website. Sometimes they are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. If that has happened, I apologise but I have no control over it.

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Keller, therefore, might soon be without his helper. And so, the rescue staff decided to introduce a new cat into Keller's life to take over the helping duties. They picked a nine-week-old shelter cat who has a bold and confident personality. Her name is Trixie. She quickly became a member of Keller's family, learning how to help Keller.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Gorgeous Little Grey Blind Cat at Animal Shelter Adopts His Human Companions

And so, the shelter has a threesome to be adopted, all at the same time! A blind cat who is helped by his mother and the young tabby female who will take over those duties when her mother goes over the rainbow bridge.

Cindy Rarrat, the director of Sioux City Animal Adoption and Rescue, said:

"We've been looking for that special home, that special someone that would give these guys a chance."

If you're interested you can apply by filling in a form on their website which you can get to by clicking on this link. The shelter looks great in the photos.

Entirely blind cat walks on top of a garden wall and navigates obstacles

Entirely blind cat walks on top of a garden wall and navigates obstacles

Testament to the enormous abilities of the domestic cat. You can see that he is blind by the very cautious way he drops down to the brink wall. And he bumps his nose into a raised section (wooden pole) but just carries on as if nothing happened. He also 'looks around' as if he has sight. But alas not. I love these impressive cats. 

How do they do it? Well firstly, he knows this wall very well. Perhaps he went blind and before he did so he walked along this wall. He can remember those days. Secondly, he can use his sense of touch and smell to help them. And thirdly his whiskers can help guide him because they are very sensitive and can detect air currents around objects. And of course, he has excellent hearing as well. In short, he calls upon all his other senses to guide him. And once he learns where things are, with perhaps a few accidents on that learning journey, he can then use the same route time and time again and give the appearance that he has his sight.

I don't let being blind slow me down as my #ThrowbackThursday demonstrates. #blindcatsrock #catswithdisabilities #cats i hope you all appreciate my backwards shuffle 😹 pic.twitter.com/5oXgjEbRtG

— Jackcat_blind_kitty (@JackcatK) September 9, 2021

An opportunity to adopt blind rescue cat brothers Arthur and Gabriel

Brothers Arthur and Gabriel are both blind and they are going to make somebody very happy. There are a lot of advantages to a cat caregiver in adopting a couple of blind cats who are best buddies. That may sound strange but I have a strong feeling that it is true.

Arthur on the left and Gabriel. Photo: RSPCA

Firstly, you will have to keep Arthur and Gabriel inside all the time. That's a great relief to a lot of people. You won't need to trouble yourself about letting your cat outside to live a full life while being tormented about the dangers that there are outside the home. That decision is off the table. They will be full-time indoor cats and they will be happy because they can entertain each other.

A great problem with full-time indoor cats is ensuring that they are fully stimulated but being blind they have challenges which they cope with very well. But these challenges stimulate the brain and because they come as a twosome, they can also stimulate each other. I would expect them to live really nice lives; contented lives. Their human caregiver can feel relaxed about what they're doing. And blind cats cope incredibly well as mentioned. They almost act as if they have eyes once they have settled into their new home and know where everything is. Ideally objects in the home should not be moved once they are familiar with their locations.

CLICK FOR SOME PAGES ON BLIND CATS

Gabriel is the timider of the two. He is a ginger tabby and Arthur is a ginger tabby-and-white. He is the more adventurous. He is very affectionate and loves to be petted and close to his human caregiver. Ginger tabbies are known have nice characters. They almost always males because their coat type is sex-linked.

They are both at the RSPCA. Arthur gets into trouble whereas Gabriel tends to be more cautious and sleeps or snoozes more. They will need a good and experienced caregiver who appreciates the advantages of looking after a couple of blind cats.

They were both rescued last Christmas from a building site in Peterlee, UK by the RSPCA. They weren't born blind but they got cat flu which appears to have developed into a secondary bacterial infection in their eyes which can often destroy the eyes. This is what appears to have happened.

If you are interested you can click on this link which takes you to the relevant RSPCA cat rehoming hub page. That link will eventually stop working as and when the brothers have been adopted.

Blind deaf and brain damage cat looks much older than her age

This is a picture of  Bonnie.  She is 4 to 5 years of age, we are told.  She looks very much like a geriatric cat.  We are told also that she has brain damage because the car ran over her head.  This has left her blind, deaf and with a poor sense of smell apparently.  She's very well cared for.  She likes to purr.  She walks in circles which is indicative of brain damage.

On the website Reddit, participants send to her presents, and so on, to help.  She has become quite a little celebrity in her own way.  Should a blind, deaf and brain damaged cat become a little bit of a celebrity?  Well, if it makes her life better and improves her care and welfare then the answer must be yes.

Bonnie, brain damaged, deaf and blind but has a decent life.

Bonnie's life once again reminds us that disabled cats can have decent lives in the right household and with the appropriate care.  Disabled cats are very good at getting on and making the best of the disability.

Source: http://redd.it/2t4owk