Living with a blind cat (updated with new question)?

[Darkwave]

[QUOTE=Dutchmare433;8845860]
Definitely read Homer’s Odyssey. It’s a fun read, and very heart warming. The lady adopted the blind kitty, who went on to do adorable things like hunt and kill bugs with deadly accuracy (pretty cool for a blind kitty!). He also managed to save her from an intruder in her house…it’s been a while since I’ve read the book, but I think kitty leapt out of her bed and attacked the guy, clawing his face long enough for her to call 911.[/QUOTE]

I read an interview with her - she said because Homer was blind, he didn’t realize how big the attacker was, and so he just attacked the source of noise. And the attacker was truly disturbed by the sight of a blind black cat leaping at him from the dark, so he fled. Homer followed the intruder, and then she had to chase down Homer to ensure he didn’t get too far and get lost

[talkofthetown]

OP, I’m not sure why the plexi-glass still wouldn’t work on your stairs. Could you not just screw it into the side of the stairs? Otherwise yes, I would think you could do the same thing with that netting.

Congrats on your new kitty!

[Darkwave]

[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8846163]
OP, I’m not sure why the plexi-glass still wouldn’t work on your stairs. Could you not just screw it into the side of the stairs? [/QUOTE]

The stairs have a “lip” on them that extends slightly over the side. (http://anarcha.livejournal.com/photo/album/573/?mode=view&id=5404&page=1)

In order to screw the plexiglass into the side, we’d either have to cut out areas to get a custom fit to the stairs (so we could screw it to the sides), or have gaps between the edge of the stairs and the plexiglass (if we screwed it into the side of the stairs - which probably wouldn’t be stable)

Unless I’m missing something?

[talkofthetown]

Ohhh, no I see what you’re talking about now. Dang.

[MsM]

I might have a railing put in - since you want one anyway - with a lower rail as well. Then take something like chicken wire or plastic mesh that can be bent. Attach it to the lower rail and then bend it over the stair lips and staple it under there. (Or you could do cut and staple on top, but lots of cutting!) You are gong t need to keep kitty in a confined space at first anyway,so you have some time to work this out. Congrats on your new kitty!

[MsM]

Oh, another option is to take something like a 2X12 and cut out the stairs profile (like stair stringer) and toenail it on the edge. Wont be tall but would serve as a guide.

[Darkwave]

Thanks all. I have some sad news. The kitten passed away while under anaesthesia this morning (she was getting spayed). So she won’t be coming home with us.

Thanks all so much anyway -hopefully this discussion will be of help to someone else in the future.

[Anonymoose]

Oh, gosh, Darkwave, I am so sorry. That is such sad news. Poor little girl. She was fortunate to have you who loved her so much and cared so much for her and did so much to help her.

So sorry for your loss.

[Macimage]

I am so sorry for the loss of your blind kitty.

[Darkwave]

Thanks all - I’m a bit surprised at how hard I’m taking this. To explain more - I hadn’t actually met her yet. Decided to adopt her off of description, photos, and the fact that she needed a home. But, I guess I got pretty attached anyway.

[Louise]

OH, I’m so sorry. What a heartbreak for you.

[Dewey]

[NoDQhere]

So sorry to read this

[jen-s]

I’m so sorry about the kitten.

For anyone reading this thread (now or in the future) who is considering a blind cat, I’ve had one for 2.5 years now and I’m happy to talk about Pat at length anytime. He’s absolutely amazing, active, resilient, and adaptable. In the grand scheme of special needs kitties, blind is easy to cope with.

[Darkwave]

So, another update. Happy, though bittersweet.

Early this week, the local cat veterinary clinic had two kittens up for adoption - both had been rescued from a hoarding situation when they were tiny. They were orphaned, and caught feline calici virus, which resulted in visual disturbances for both. One lost her vision in one eye, while the other seems to work quite well; the other has very poor vision in both eyes - she’s able to see light, shadow, and motion, but not finer details. They were bottle fed and survived, and are now 8 weeks old.

We took them both. An 8 week kitten is obviously a very different commitment than a 15-16 week kitten, but I kept thinking it was meant to be. I had done all this research and bought all these toys that made noises, and couldn’t let them go to waste.

As for the stairs, we’ve hung a curtain there - the idea is that if they go over the edge, they can claw at the curtain to save themselves. I’m thinking I’ll also put an air mattress underneath.

[Anonymoose]

So glad to read the good news, and happy for the kittens and for you. Please post pics when you get some and tell us their names!

[CindyCRNA]

So sorry for the sad update. But glad you are being given a new opportunity. They are siblings?

[Darkwave]

[QUOTE=CindyCRNA;8859396]
They are siblings?[/QUOTE]

I believe so. Not 100% certain. Back in July, there was a major hoarding bust in DC, with 63 cats involved, including 27 kittens. Six of the kittens survived, and these are two of them. They’re both 11 weeks old and came from the same place, but I guess they might be from two concurrent litters.

We named them Topaz and Quartz (I liked Radar and Echo, but I gave boyfriend naming privileges). I posted some pictures of them on my blog here: http://wellimtryingtorun.blogspot.com/2016/09/training-log-week-ending-92516.html

(you have to skip down a few paragraphs)

[Anonymoose]

Sweet kitties! They look all settled in!

[talkofthetown]

Hey OP. I was standing in my basement the other day and thought of you. (Not as creepy as that sounds, promise!) Found your thread, so sorry about Kitty #1.

The reason I was thinking about you while standing in my basement is that I realized my stair situation is really similar to yours. No landing at the top, stairs go right up to the door, and there’s no wall or railing to keep you from toppling over the side. The previous owners fixed this with cinder blocks. Granted, it’s a LOT of cinder blocks. But they basically stacked them up high enough to create a false wall, without any major reno work.

Pics:
http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n242/bronnybear/20160916_215814.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n242/bronnybear/20160916_215706.jpg

http://i114.photobucket.com/albums/n242/bronnybear/20160916_215653.jpg