Hey, stumbled on you by accident, and am glad!

[MrPoesmama]

Wow, I didn't even know that this site existed. I found it quite by accident. I am glad, however, that now I can talk to people that know exactly what I feel. I have a kitty, who is now 19, both blind and deaf. You can imagine how it makes me feel when someone suggests that I "put him down", with out stopping to realize that he might actually have quality of life. Some days it is hard, but he still seems to relish life very much. I would, however, like to pick up any tips possible to make his remaining time the best that it can be.

[critters]

My ancient cancer survivor, MamaCat, is deaf as a post, too. With blindness as well, have you developed a vibration system for communication, such as 2 thumps for chowtime, etc?

[MrPoesmama]

No, his smeller is still pretty amazing. I usually put the food down,
and he starts wandering around. I then kind of "steer" him in the right direction. Sometimes he ends up walking in his dinner, but usually we work things out ok.

[GabrielDeafBlindPupFamily]

Hello, Mr.PoesMama!
The new message thingie didn't alert me.
You can do a variety of things, like floor texture (paper, throw rugs, bathmats & etc.) as well as scent (which is pointless in my own house) and thumping things. Also, there may be a modicum of hearing left, can you bang a pot or get a dog whistle?
GabrielDeafBlindPup somehow hears the other dogs bark, altho he cannot hear himself. He is profoundly deaf. Perhaps he picks up on electrical vibrations that are unfelt by humans, I don't know, but he gets along GREAT!
He and AllicksBlindPup both have mapped two houses, 2 yards, and one garage. And even if I move furniture, he may bump one time, but never twice. Allicks doesn't bump at all.
They are amazing and YES they have quality of life!
WELCOME!

[MrPoesmama]

How we determined that he was truly deaf was by the "vacuum cleaner test". I don't think that I need to describe the said test.
When he could still see, he would look at the vacuum like "Oh, I remember when you used to scare me. But now he can't see it or hear it, and he really likes being "vacuumed", something that he never would have tolerated when he could still hear. As for the texture thing, I have a thick, braided floor runner that leads the way to (one of his many) litterboxs.

[critters]

LOL I can't vac MamaCat yet, but, then, she can still see! Handy idea, though, since oldsters tend to be slack with the grooming!!

[MrPoesmama]

He does need some help, but he's actually not so bad. That and some of the other cats occassionally groom him when they are napping. It's one more reason why you can't just have one.