I think Mustard is now completely blind.

[farthing]

I think Mustard has gone totally blind and it breaks my heart to see it. He seems to be adapting quite well to the loss of sight, considering he also has neurological problems ( or perhaps because of it). He does miss the litter tray regularly, but I can live with that, and the other cats don't bother him, unless he walks into Candy . He knows where all his luxuries are, although he has stopped jumping up onto the windowsil, he climbs onto the bed and sleeps there. If somebody is trying to eat out of the same food bowl, he has learned to grab it with his paw and pull it away.
What upsets me is how uncertain his movement is, and I wonder if he is happy. He certainly purrs loudly when stroked and enjoys his food, but at the same time I worry.

Has anybody else had a cat go blind and did they continue to adapt to have a good quality of life, I know his problems are more complicated by the neurological issues but I would like to think he will grow in confidence over time.

[calismum]

No direct experience of this. It must be so upsetting for you when you are unsure of how he is coping.

I knew of a dog that was blind and she did seen to adjust well, as long as nothing was moved. She was able to find her way around just fine. I do think it is easier to judge if a dog is happy.

If he starts to appear overly stressed or stops moving about then I would ask the question of myself again. Otherwise I'd let him enjoy life. This has probably been a gradual loss of vision for him so he's had time to get to know his way around.

[Moli]

I had the foster Siamese, who had recently gone blind, and he managed fine, found his box, kinew where his food was, and climbed the scrath pole as if he could see...He was new to my home too, but had no problems...

[kado]

My friends cat who is 18 or 19 recentley went blind she is coping very well. She has also gone deaf as well. This is one of the cats i cat sit for and i cant see the difference

[yola]

My friend in Brighton had an elderly cat who lost his sight. He managed OK, however like Mustard his situation was compounded by dementia and occasional bouts of very-sad-to-see confusion. But he was in familiar surroundings so could find his way around and his companion cat seemed very understanding and didn't give him a hard time.

[farthing]

Thanks everybody, I feel a bit less worried after reading your posts. I woke this morning wondering where Mustard was, he wasn't at my feet. I spent 10 mins looking for him, starting to get really panicky, when I discovered him in Jimmy's bed, quite content.

[angieh]

Hi farthing. Sorry to hear about Mustard. I've not dealt with a blind cat, but I was fairly sure that Merlin had dementia. He had bouts of confusion but was always able to be comforted with gentle words and a cuddle.

I am sure that he will adjust and that you will know when he is no longer comfortable.

[borderdawn]

My old cat went blind very quickly, she copes great! Whiskers are brilliant, they stop her bumping into anything. She has only changed in that she doesnt jump up anymore, everything else is the same.

[dandysmom]

My Misty went slowly blind at about 18, she coped so well it took me a while to realize she'd lost her sight. Her hearing gradually went a year or so later, but she was still eating well, purring and enjoying life; the other cats seemed to understand her situation. They do adapt amazingly well..

[Liz]

Our Darling Bertie went blind at 19 moved house at 20 to one with stairs, mastered a whole new garden and stairs and also discovered that trats contained treats - his sense of smell was amazing and he was always first in the queue for treats

We also arranged furniture in the new house as it was in the old house so he would have familiar scents - he was also good with the litter tray unless he went in to a covered one head first and forgot to turn around

I think in the begining he adapted better than we did, but once he showed us he was ok we relaxed again and he pretty much continued on till he was 21.5 when he got a new illness which sadly meant he had to go to the Bridge