Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi all, I’m wondering if anyone could give me some advice please I recently adopted a blind and deaf senior cat in the hopes of giving her a new chance of life. I’m honestly feeling way out of my depths with trying to keep her happy and safe while I’m away as she’s been stuck to my side since I got her and cries a lot when I’m not in the same room as her, probably out of fear or disorientation. I want to be able to feel comfortable leaving her for a few hours but I’m too worried about how she’ll feel. Any tips?

Poor love, having to cope with a new place and new human/s at a senior age on top of being blind and deaf. And good on you to take her on, this sounds like the most amazing journey.

When you say recently, are we talking days, weeks, months? Has she got used to your home yet, is she comfortable finding her way around? How much do you know about her previous home?

I did meet a deaf and blind cat once, a sweet kitten who had an amazingly normal cat life, went outside, successfully negotiated unexpected obstacles, and everything. So I'm really asking whether yours is disabled and disorientated in her surroundings, or quite simply lonely and clingy like any other cat who has lost her old home.

Thank you so much for accepting the challenge of a Blind and Deaf cat, I'm sure she will bring you great joy once she has settled in.

While no expert, i would expect that with no sight or hearing, scent is going to be really important to her. She has obviously already learnt to associate your scent with safety, security, food and love, which is why she is following you around so much, she still doesn't feel safe in a new space when you aren't there. You might find that limiting her to a smaller area, a single room for a while, so that her scent can penetrate that area so she associate that place with safety. I would also suggest putting some of your dirty clothing in with her as it will make the room smell of you and help her realise it is a safe space, of course change it daily, but tops, jumpers etc. instead of putting straight to wash, put in with her for a day and then put to wash. Next get a lot of cat beds, cushions, even old towels will do, and put them in there for her, they too will soak up her scent and make her know she is in her safe place. Once she is happy in there, you can start to remove your own clothing and let her own scent mark her safe place. Once she is happy in that room by herself then start to move some of the scent soakers out into the rest of the house so the place automatically has her scent around it.

Next be careful about cleaning for a bit. Things like air fresheners and soem cleaning products are quite heavily scented which is great for us humans with poor sense of smell, but a for cat they can be over powering, and for a Blind and Deaf one they will be wiping out all of her security markers, and her sense of smell is probably even more acute than a normal cats due to her lack of Sight and Hearing.

Finally, moving a bit to the future and when she is settled in, make sure any visitor knows hat she can not see or hear them. She could easily get hurt if someone expects her to get out of the way and she doesn't even realise they are there, or if someone appoaches to pet her and she doesn't realise then she could lash out in defence, particularly if surprised.

Cats are incredible and can cope remarkable well. When my Mother had to go into a nursing home I took in her old cat. it wasn't until i got her home I realised that she was all but blind. She knew her way around my Mum's home, where things were and how to navigate it by scent and whiskers so well we had never thought that she may not be able to see. It was only when she almost walked into things at my house that I realised she couldn't see them. Once she had had time to explore she was fine. She would even jump onto things if she could get her fron't paws on them first, jumping off was more of a leap into the unknown, but even that once she knew her way about she would know where she was and be happy to make the jump down.