Does anyone have experience caring for blind cats?

Question

I'm going to be fostering a blind kitten for a local rescue. I'm going to be keeping the little guy in the basement at first to get my cats used to him and vice versa. I've never had a blind pet and I'd like to know what I can expect and if there are any tips or advice someone with experience can share. They've already told me about keeping the furniture in the same places and all that, but I'm wondering about my dogs. They like cats and are well socialized but is it possible to have a blind cat get used to dogs? Should I always keep the blind kitty away from my other pets, or would it be okay to introduce them slowly over time??

Answer 1

We fostered a blind kitten. The best thing to do is put them in a large dog crate with a 9x13 pan for litter and a towel to sleep on and a food dish and a tiny bit of water (they tend to spill). Take them out often to pet them and keep them confined to one room until they get used to it. Also, they should be quarantined from your animals for 2 weeks so as not to pass infectious diseases (we lost our kitten to distemper another foster brought in). Introduce them to your other pets and the rest of your house under supervision and one at a time if you can for many days, keeping them close to you until they are comfortable and you are sure they aren't going to be hurt by your other pets. They do learn to climb and hop up on furniture and counters even once they know where things are. I helped our little guy learn by slowly raising and lowering him on/off the furniture until he had a feel for how high it was....Good luck. I'm still looking for an eyeless cat to adopt. Where are you and is your kitty eyeless? S in NC