Morning everyone. Rough start today. After losing her vision to high blood pressure a week ago and miraculously regaining it after a meds adjustment, Chispa is back in the hospital after bumping into a wall at 6 am. I had noticed she seemed to be having trouble finding her food dish late last night, but it was so late and I was so tired from not sleeping much the night before, so I decided I'd wait and see in the morning. Her BP was 92, which the emergency vet said was fine (?), but that she might have had a spike in blood pressure earlier that caused this. They asked me to leave her with them so that they can get additional BP readings and in hopes that the opthamologist might be able to look at her between appointments. My sister, who rescues cats in Thailand, insists that blind kitties can get around just fine by hearing and smell. She says they don't ruminate about what's happening or fret over lost abilities, they just figure out how to use what they have and get on with their day. She encouraged me to stay calm and positive, and since there is no helpful alternative to "calm and positive," that's what I'm trying to do. It's a tall order, though.
Keeping you in our thoughts. Keep us updated about sweet Chispa. I grew up with a kitty that became mostly blind. One eye was removed due to injury, the other the lens had popped out and crystalized, so all he had was a sliver of sight at the edge. Darn cat still wanted to jump fences. He was fine in the house as long as we kept things where he expected them to be. So we can look back at the story - yesterday.
Oh Karen You must be worried to pieces. But good thing you were so perceptive and was able to take her in right away. I hope they can stabilize her soon and she'll be back to her favorite crinkle papers. I'll be thinking of you and sweet Chispa
Oh Karen, I am so sorry to read this. If her sight does not return, she will do fine. Max lost his hearing and looked to me like he had cataracts and did just fine,
Thank you all SO much for your good wishes and concern. I'm especially glad to hear news of blind kitties who adjusted and did ok -- that's very encouraging. So here's the update: they kept her there for a couple of hours longer than they said and so I only just got her home less than an hour ago. She did get to see the opthamologist (YAY) who said that Chispa's eye's haven't changed since the last time they saw her 6 months ago. Her blood pressure was normal and there was nothing physical that they could see to explain the sudden vision loss, but there's been no small amount of stress and disruption here lately, so it's possible that her blood pressure spiked and that caused it. Here is the GOOD NEWS: As soon as I got her out of her carrier, Chispa went straight to her water dish and drank almost the whole thing. And then she went straight to her litterbox and pooped. After that she went under the table to sit on her crinkly paper and clean her paws. And she did all of this without running into anything!!! She was getting to her destinations with NO trouble, unlike this morning when she was clearly way off course and bumping into things. She was weaving around chair legs and table legs like an Olympic skier, so she definitely has at least some vision. It's a miracle. I'm beyond grateful. She is snoozing in her carrier now, but just before she drifted off, she told me to thank all of our friends here for thinking of her. It means a lot to both of us.
Awwww,,, Wonderful news Karen, you must have been beside yourself with worry.... I read your first post earlier, with no time to repond... been thinking of you all day. its so good to hear the news that she has a relatively clean bill of health otherwise. If her vision does become an ongoing issue, Chispa will surely adjust to it, as your sister and Wendy can attest to. A good friend of mine's little doggie Jack went blind, and she was really amazed how quickly he was able to adjust. She said for herself, she was more worried than he was and it took longer for her to adjust than him. She just needed to talk to him more and he'd follow her voice, (and she wouldn't touch him when he was in a deep sleep as it "scared" him awake). The cute thing was that she had 2 little dogs, and it was obvious that the other (Noodles) also picked up on it quickly, and within a couple weeks Noodles would repeatedly bring Jack his favorite toy and smush him in the face with it until he played tug of war. There are many stories of how animals adjust to their lot in life, and just get on with the business of "eatin, playin, sleepin and poopin". I hope the best for you and Chispa,,,, and hey.... she only needs her ears and paws to luv the crinkly paper right? And, of course, her mama's luv!
Oh what a day you've had Karen! I'm so happy Chispa is feeling like herself and she checked out great at the Vet
@tiffmaxee @Wendy&Neko @Melinda and Kitkat @Angela & Cleo @Deb and Sylvester @Mikanmama Thank you all sooooo much for your kind notes and good wishes. Miss Chispa is happy to be home with her crinkly paper, and I'm feeling like the luckiest person in the world. She really is a tough little cookie, which is so funny because most of the time, she is the quietest, most demure little person. You'd never suspect it, but when her back is against the wall, out comes the SuperGirl cape and sparkly tights. She even surprised me with a nearly green preshot tonight!! Please hug your kitties extra tonight. Even smush their tooshies, if you are so inclined! xoxox
