Blind Love

What does one do with a blind cat? We’ve been pondering that question quite a lot lately. Our elderly cat, who had one eye removed several years ago, has lost sight in the remaining eye.

The Princess gets lost now and then but doesn’t seem particularly distraught when it happens. She finds her litter box, knows where her food and water bowls are, and manages to find her favorite nap locations. She never was much interested in going outdoors, so she does not feel deprived of her freedom. Or so we hope.

Freedom is a fragile thing, however. We have had to become careful of our surroundings. A water bowl placed only a few inches off its usual spot is missing, Princess believes. A rug near the fireplace confuses her because it feels like the rug at the front door. Stairs have no beginning, but they do have an abrupt end. The litter box must remain precisely where it has always been – in the laundry room in the basement near the door. We added a second litter box to her favorite room upstairs so she wouldn’t have to find her way down to the basement. She does not know the new box is there, yet we hesitate to introduce her to it. We worry that she will become confused and think she is in the basement, with her usual box.

Are Princess’s losses frightening to her? It doesn’t seem so, but then again cats tend to hold their own counsel. Are her losses frightening to us? Most certainly.

So what does one do with a blind cat? There is only one thing to do: love her.