Blind kitten

[DanielleZ]

I have three 'seeing' cats and have just rescued a blind kitten. We'v been advised by our vet to keep her seperated from the big three for a week for their own protection, to make sure she doesn't have any contagious diseases etc. I would like to know how to proceed from there, hoping all goes well with the quarentine (its been three days so far). How do you introduce and intergrate a blind kitten into a 'seeing' household??? Is it the same procedure as normal, do I need to 'baby-proof' the house?
Dan

[Christine]

Hi Danielle!

Welcome to our corner of the world. Bless you for rescuing this little one. Our resident expert on blind pets has put some wonderful information in that forum that will help and I know she and the cat experts will be checking in. Stick around and ask as many questions as you want. I think you will be surprised at how quickly your kitten adjusts - they are much better at these things than we humans are. What is your kitten's name? We love pictures

Here is a similar thread with information to get you started: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9960

I found a wonderful article giving some great ideas for you too:

There are some special things you’ll have to do to help your new baby get used to living with you. First of all, because she’s blind, you’ll need to make your home as safe as possible for her. It’s going to take a while before she gets used to the layout of your house, and you’ll want to make sure she won’t accidentally injure herself as she makes her way around.

Your kitten is probably used to being blind by now, butit’s still frightening for her to be taken away from a place she knows and thrust into a whole new world.

Your first task is to create a “safe room” for her. This room should have a door that closes firmly, so the other animals can’t get in and she can’t get out. It should be comfortable and free of potentially dangerous things (such as objects that can fall off tables or shelves and hurt your kitty, or areas where she could get trapped). Place bedding, food and water dishes, and her litterbox in that room, making sure to keep the litterbox as far away from the food and bedding as possible.

Make sure to introduce her to her kibble by moving it around with your hand and her water by splashing gently in it, while calling her name. Her natural curiosity will encourage her to approach the sound. If she stops to take a bite or a drink of water, talk to her lovingly and tell her what a good kitty she is. Then you’ll want to introduce her to her litterbox by using the same approach. Swirl the litter around with your hand or a litter scoop and encourage her to come to it.

Because your kitten can’t see, she’s going to need to learn where things are by walking to them. Don’t pick her up and carry her to the food or the litterbox right away; let her find them. That way, she’ll be able to orient herself to the locations of important objects in her space.

Your kitten will also need to be able to play. You can get toys that make subtle noises, so your kitten will be able to play because she can hear the objects as she bats them around. Hollow plastic balls with rattles inside, “crinkly” toys, chaser toys (that have a ball inside a track), and cat teasers with noisemakers are all good choices. By playing with her using these toys, you’ll increase her confidence and help her learn to use her hearing and other senses to compensate for her blindness.

You’ll also want to make sure your new kitten has a scratching post. Training a cat to scratch on posts rather than furniture is most easily done during kittenhood. There are the standard vertical scratching posts, as well as scratching objects that have rattles inside (a tempting choice for a kitten that can’t see) and horizontal corrugated cardboard scratchers. Although cats don’t start reacting to catnip until they’re about six months old (and some cats don’t react to catnip at all), the smell of it may attract your kitten to scratcher toys.

Once your kitten has gotten used to “her” room, you can begin introducing your other animals’ scents. Rub each of your cats and dogs with a dish towel or washcloth and bring them into the kitten’s room, one at a time. See how she reacts to the animals’ scents; if she’s curious, you may be able to begin physical introductions pretty quickly. If she growls or acts scared, you may need to get her used to their smells before bringing in the animals. If stress levels seem too high, use a feline calming pheromone to help the new kitten (as well as your other cats) calm down.

Generally we recommend introducing animals outside the “safe room.” But since your kitten is blind, we think it would be better to introduce your other animals, one at a time, in her room, after a few days to a week. By then, your kitten will know her way around “her” room, so she’ll be able to find hiding places — if she feels the need to do so — without hurting herself.

There may be some issues between the kitten and the other cats at first, since cats do most of their communication by means of body language. And of course, since your kitten can’t see, she is missing a very important tool for understanding other cats’ moods. Also, she may “stare” at other cats because she doesn’t know she’s doing it. Staring is generally interpreted as a challenge among catkind.

But what will most likely happen is that at least one of your other animals will recognize your kitten’s handicap and take it upon themselves to take special care of her. We’ve known of some incredible, loving bonds between disabled kitties and able-bodied animal companions. She’s also got her kittenhood in her favor; most adult cats will react more positively to kittens than they would to other adults.

If you take your time to make sure your kitten feels confident in her space and gradually introduce her to your other animals, you shouldn’t have any major problems integrating her into your home.

Of course, it goes without saying that a blind cat should never go outside unsupervised. It’s just too dangerous, even with the fact that her other senses will compensate to some degree. If you want to bring her outside on a harness and lead, you can get her used to that, but we’d recommend you let her get used to the inside of your house first. Also, outdoor enclosures or screened porches can be a great way to make sure your kitten gets fresh air and sunshine.

Indoors, you’ll need to make sure that you “cat-proof” your whole house before you let your kitten have the run of the place. Help her find the stairs, if you have stairs in your home, and watch her as she learns to negotiate them. Keep balconies off-limits. Tell visitors that the kitten is blind and that they need to talk to her and introduce themselves vocally — they could call her name and gently tap on the floor to arouse her interest or make that kissing noise some people use to call their pets.

Make sure to “show” your kitten where all the litterboxes in your home are located. We’d recommend having at least two, particularly if your home has more than one floor. That way, your kitten will be able to find a litterbox more easily, and this can help prevent accidents.

Keep physical changes in your home to a minimum. Avoid rearranging the furniture, for example. Or if you do rearrange or purchase new furniture, realize that it’s going to take a while for the kitten to get used to the new layout.

The most important thing is that you get the kitten used to a space before you begin introducing the other animals. If you do that, all should go well.

[critters]

You won't have to baby this baby much on account of the blindness; chances are she's already figured out how to compensate.

I would use a sniffy kind of litter for a baby, especially since you may not know yet if she has any residual vision. I'm having a brain fart on the name of the sniffiest litter I know, but it's one of the widely available commercial ones... If you really want to stick with a litter with no smell of its own I'd scent the litter with a smell all its own. Babies, even sighted ones, are known for getting too far away from the box to be able to make it back in time, so I'd keep the baby semi-confined even after quarantine.

[DanielleZ]

Thank you for your info and encouragement.
We have decided to call our new baby Tabitha (she's a brown and caremel Tabby-my husband wanted to call her Stevie... as in Stevie Wonder, but I wasn't so keen on that )
Tabitha is adjusting so quickly, its incredible to watch. Its easy to forget that she's blind and probably has been blind since birth (she doesn't actually seem to have eyes at all!!!). I thought it'd be really tough for her to move around and that she probably wouldn't be very active... how wrong I am! She's such a clever little pickle, shes still a kitten and wants to play, explore and have oodles of attention! Tabi is incredibly affectionate.
My big three (Googs, Spyder & Rupert) are finding it very frustrating that they can't go in and welcome the baby!

Pictures to follow soon
Thanks again
Danielle

[critters]

Yeah, a baby is still a baby--blind or sighted!

How nice that the big ones want to welcome her!!!

The sniffy litter I was trying to think of is Fresh Step.

[Christine]

I love her name! Sounds like she is going to make it easy on you. Can't wait to see pictures.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

I have nothingi to add to this excellent advice, except if you have stairs, you will have to teach her stairs. Same as any pet, one step at a time, sitting on th step with her as she goes up and goes down. Learning up first is best, imho. Texturize the 'landings' so she knows she is getting to a danger zone. The stickie in this forum are as good for kitties as for pups. Get down on hands and knees with kitten, slapping hazards, furniture, doors, etc., saying owie or sumsuch. Cats do much better than dogs, because they are quicker, lets face it They have excellent reflexes and brain cells. I never rush cat introductions (nor dogs, but cats are small for a reason. If a cat weighed 50 pounds, they could do the damage of a lion)

Congratulatons and welcome to the world of the blindpet!

[critters]

except if you have stairs, you will have to teach her stairs. !

Betcha won't! Cats are irrepressible critters and will find a way to do what they need to do.