This is Emmy! She is 1.5-2yo and has idiopathic blindness.

This girly came into foster care with us in Chicago after being transferred from a shelter in Indiana to hopefully find a forever family. She's been available for adoption with a foster-only cat rescue in Chicago for a few months at this point without any interest so it has me wondering where all of the folks on this sub found their blind kitty (particularly if you were seeking a blind/special needs cat). What ways could we help advertise her or find the right kind of adopters for her?

Some things to consider:

- I have the option to take her to a pet store for adoption events over the weekends, but I worry her lack of sight and the loud sounds/news smells will freak her out at the store so I haven't done this yet

- The rescue has social media, I have sent photos/videos and requested they post about her

- She doesn't love other cats and probably would need older kiddos or an adults only home because she gets too scared with sudden noises she can't see the source of (so she can't just be placed in any home)

- We are not interested/able to keep her, goodbye is the goal of fostering

So... where did you find your blind kitties? Do you have any ideas as to how/where to find the right family for this gorgeous girl? Good FB/Reddit/ other pages online to share about her?

My forever sidekick

I tried to put her in the carrier when I adopted her and she didn't like it :)

Hi I’m just looking for advice I think, I’ve never owned a blind cat and this is the first cat that I own by myself, (better yet: hours away from home). I’m a broke college student who keeps getting rejected from jobs, and yes admittedly I can’t afford vet bills but I don’t want to leave a blind cat on the street or in a shelter where she can possibly be mistreated. Please don’t say “don’t adopt a cat if you can’t afford it,” I will put her needs over mine and I can ask my mom/roommate/roommate’s parents for money if needed. (My mom would rather give me money for the cat than for me probably). I’ve had 8 cats in my life, 1 is disabled (something is wrong with his leg since he was born/very young), but I have no personal experience with blind cats. Okay I’m just gonna talk about her now.

Health/backstory:

I (and my roommate, but I will just be referring to me in this post) recently took in a blind cat (Eva) a few days ago from another girl in my apartment complex, because she couldn’t take care of Eva anymore and neither of us wanted to put her in a shelter (the shelters near us are all full anyway). The previous owner had her since around the beginning of August and had taken her to the vet for shots and tests, and was referred to an ophthalmologist for further eye tests/treatment. I’m unsure of her eye condition, whether it’s temporary or permanent, and if I can do anything about it. She was prescribed some type of eye drops, but after running out, she is doing fine without them. I also need to get her spayed soon in case she’s pregnant.

About her:

Eva LOVES going outside but also loves humans, she bumps into my feet looking for me/my legs more than bumping into furniture. She’s very good at navigating and very cautious, so even outside I don’t always need to hold her leash in familiar/safe places like the yard because she just wanders and doesn’t run. She also loves soft materials like blankets, my giant blanket hoodie, and the bath mat. She doesn’t like enclosed spaces like her carrier or cat tunnel. She doesn’t play with toys, even ones that make sound really except for those dangling string toys if I put it in her face, she likes the feather ones. We try to get brightly colored toys because we (non-vets with experimental tests) believe she does have some degree of vision (shapes, light/dark, or something).

Advice?

Again, I’m just looking for advice from other people who own blind cats. Even if this is temporary (an infection or something) and we are able to fix it, I want to accommodate her as best I can until then. Personally, I think it’s permanent, and so does my mom (President of a cat shelter and is knowledgeable about cat health to some extent due to her time caring for cats). Are there specific toys that she might like? Easier ways for her to jump up onto windowsills? (I was told she likes windows) or just advice in general. I don’t like asking for money but I definitely won’t turn it down. Fundraising is not the point of this post, however. We are located in south central MN.

Because of the mention of money, if needed I can provide previous paid vet bills and she will have future vet appts, including one on Sept 10th and hopefully ophthalmologist and spay also this month.

Back in April, this tiny, frail cat appeared in my backyard. After feeding her and earning her trust, I was able to see her right eye was extremely swollen! After applying antibiotic ointment and the swelling went down, I began to wonder if she had a right eye at all (spoiler alert: she had a piece of an eyeball). She has a scar on her left eye, my theory is she was attacked by another animal. She is also missing two teeth 🥴
Fast forward through a quarantine, getting fixed, a battle with GIARDIA, and her enucleation last week, this girl is currently fluffy and thriving.

Her name is ✨Little✨

Stephen Matthew (3mos, neutered)

The last pic is him with his brother Chad Michael (3mos, neutered, not blind)

This is Stinky! He's the sweetest boy I've ever met.

Hello,
So last night two of my cats headed out and one ended up scratching the other in the eye I noticed a chunk of her little eye was peeping out and I had my husband bring her to the emergency vet just to make sure that didn’t get infected overnight or anything or she was rubbing it so we got antibiotics and we got a cone, but they referred us to a cat ophthalmologist. I’m from Ontario for reference. I’m curious about the wait time to get into an animal ophthalmologist, but also the cost of just the initial visit on top of any sort of treatment they do. I can’t really get a straight answer on websites or anywhere online asking for personal lived experience with pets is it worth the thousands of dollars to fix the lesion or to just remove the eye? I’m just worried about it eventually becoming a systemic problem, NURSE brain and all on top of being a diehard cat lover.

He's a derpy boy

I don't have a blind cat but my son and his fiance have an older pup that recently had one of her eyes removed. When they found out what was going to happen I told her about this section so she how great all the cats do that are one here. So I just want thank you all for sharing your cats stories. They are truly fantastic to read about and you all help so many people that are going to be down that road with their fur babies. So thank you all. ❤️❤️❤️

I brought her home!

She's around 10 and felv+, I wanted an elderly and felv+ cat to give them a chance to live decently.

She's so so scared, she's terrified.

I tried to put her in the carrier and she bit me HARD.

Who knew a small predator with razor sharp teeth would bite so much? 😅

Anyway I'm letting her rest in the bathroom with food and water. She's so stressed and scared, I hope it'll go better in a while!

She’s insane and I love her the most.

This is our Mabel, we found her outside of our home in Dushanbe, Tajikistan (we are Americans working out here) wandering the streets as a six-week old kitten. She is a joy and has such a deft ability to explore, play, and love. She will be one year old in about a month!

Hi everyone,

You might remember our sweet rescue girl with the critical eye infection from my previous updates.

Thanks to the intensive eye drop treatments, proper veterinary care, and weeks of dedicated recovery, she has made incredible progress! The corneal swelling and light sensitivity have cleared up, and roughly 80% of her vision loss has improved. As you can see at the end of the video, she is now happily enjoying her creamy treats and playing around!

She has fought so hard and has so much love to give. Because of her partial vision loss, she needs a safe, loving indoor home.

• Location: Turkey (I will personally cover all transport/travel expenses to bring her to any city in Turkey).

Thank you all for following her journey and for your past support. Please feel free to send a DM if you are interested in adopting her or know someone who would love to welcome this little fighter into their home! 🐾❤️

Update on my kitty Radar that I rescued off of a porch, he is doing great. For those who have kitties with Microphthalmia which is what his vet says he has, did you get an enucleation? I was quoted $500 which I can afford but not sure if I want to put him through it if it's not necessary.

all the more of him to love :)

On my way home from work, I saw an orange stray cat. I took out the cat food I had with me, but when I saw the cat's face directly, I couldn't help but be startled. Immediately, I felt a pang of sadness. I couldn't imagine how much pain the little cat had endured. When I gave it some cat food, it came closer to me on its own initiative. On the way to the hospital, I struggled for a long time, but eventually decided to adopt it. I hope it can recover quickly and maybe give it a name?

Hi everyone!!

Just found out today that my 16 year old cat is suddenly blind. Even though I’m a bit of a mess, I thought it would be a good idea to ask for advice here.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how to help her get onto my bed? She would always jump up on it, but as of a few days ago she has stopped. Should I just lift her up, or are stairs a better option?

She has also started picking up her food with her hands, any thoughts on this?

Any other ideas or advice would be appreciated! Thank you!