Re-introduction

Hello everyone,

I've been away from this forum for a long while now, so I thought it best to re-introduce myself.
I'm a 26 year old cat lover from the Netherlands and I have five cats in total who I love with all my heart.
None of them are pure bred cats, though I have had pure bred cats in the past. One of my kitties is blind, but he manages himself just fine. He's a total sweetheart. Love to hear from your guys and happy to be here again!

Yolanda

 

Well welcome back!!

The kitty that is blind.... has he always been blind or is it something that developed over time or was part of an accident? I know animals adjust well to being blind, deaf, etc, but it still amazes me when I see them in action.

 

Thanks Jessi!

He has a inherited condition that caused him to see little as a kitten and progressively turning him blind over the years.
So he had little sight to start with (shapes, light and dark) and nowadays he's legally blind. It always amazes me how me moves around the house and how well he adjusts if we move something around. At first I didn't move anything around afraid it would spook him, but he doesn't care much for it and adjusts fairly easily. When we once moved our couch he was very curious, sat on top of it and stayed there whilst we moved it around. He wasn't anxious at all, just very attentive and curious

 

So it's inherited? Does that mean that one of his parents had it as well? Were the other kittens in the litter also blind?

Moving furniture around ends up throwing me off and I can see. I can only imagine how it feels for a blind kitty.

 

Yes, it's inherited. We are not sure whether it came from the mother or father, but only the male kittens from the litter got it. We also have his sister and she has no trouble with her eyesight what so ever. It's indeed unusual and perhaps even a bit strange that he has no trouble when we move around furniture, he actually seems a bit thrilled when we do, investigating everything all over again. He doesn't like loud noises though, which makes perfect sense. He's not to fond of loud and hyperactive children either, they are unpredictable and he dislikes that. Can't blame him ;-) So if kids are over he stays in another room and they aren't allowed to go near him or pet him unless they are very quiet and gentle (a rule for all cats basicly, but especially for him)

 

That's totally understandable. Kids are very unpredictable, even when they're not trying to be loud, so I would do the same thing about keeping them separated.

It's definitely interesting about how it's only the males who got it. I have never heard of this happening at all. Do you know if it has a name?

 

It does have a name, but it was a scientific name that was so hard to grasp I do not remember it. Something to do with the 'cones' you have in your eye and he doesn't have them at all or something like that. It's a weird, progressive condition and even though he and his sister are two of the most loving cats I've ever had I wouldn't dare breed with them because their offspring might get it too. Also, there are enough cats and kittens in this world already that need our love

 

Great to see you back!