My PIglet, the PIglet that I am slave to is not blind but terribbllly  cross
eyed.  which causes her some of the same problems as blindness.  Blind cats,
as with blind people have one basic requirement, DON'T PLEASE MOVE THE
FURNITURE.  If you must, one thing at a time.  A neighbor has a blind cat,
from age, and she has no trouble finding her food or litter box.  If you
have other cats, one will probably turn into a seeing eye cat.  It really
isn't that much of a deal.

Wonder if they have tried a flashlight to see if the kitten responds to
light?  Just going into a dark room and then turning on a bright light could
give them some clue.

On 19 Sep, 02:33, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER>
wrote:

There is no need. I'm sure that anyone would do the same if they ere
faced with the same problem. I immediately thought of you, because I
am aware that your little fellow Duffy has done so well since coming
to live with you.

Gosh! I had no idea that this would raise so many results & comments.
Thanks to all of you who had comments to make. They were all helpful.
I'm also sorry that it has taken me so long to get back to you too. I
have been trying to find out what help we could get, where from, &
what funds we can access, from where & who might be able to help her.
Since last posting, I have had two firm offers of financial
assistance. One from PDSA (people's dispensary for sick animals), &
also the RSPCA. It's not a huge amount- ?220 so far, but it all helps.
We are very grateful to both organisation. We are still waiting to
hear from the Blue cross. Perhaps we will have more news on that offer
after the weekend

I have also been in touch with Queens Veterinary School, in Cambridge
with regard to asking them if they would be prepared to look @ the
kitten too. I spoke with David Williams who lectures @ the small
animal hospital there on Opthamology. His main area is actually dogs,
but he has a colleague that is actually researching into cats with eye
problems, & I have just received a call to say that he would be able
to see her next Thursday. As you can imagine, I am delighted. I have
already explained the financial dilemma, & he is looking into funding
to help with the cost of any treatment that they might be able to
offer her. It is not certain that they will be able to help her, but @
least we will know exactly what is wrong, & get an idea of how bad her
sight is & how best to treat her even if they can't. He was hopeful
that the case could be used to help post graduates who are currently
doing research on Ophthalmic problems on cats. There is a possibility
that we might get a reduced cost scenario , as long as we agree to
allow them to study her as a case history. It would mean taking her
down to Cambridge once a month for 6 months, but that is a small price
to pay for the help that she needs.

Microphthalmia is the current diagnosis, but he informs me that it is
not unusual for a general practitioner vet to get a diagnosis wrong
sometimes, which is why we need a referral, so I went straight down to
tour surgery & asked the vet if he wouldn't mind giving us a referral
to him, & he has agreed to. Isn't it nice when things go right
sometimes?

Just for now, we have decided to call the kitten Miss Whiskers, rather
than call her "The kitten". It seems so impersonal, & it was the best
that we could come up with @ the time. Miss Whiskers is called that
because her whiskers always seem to be twitching, even when she is
asleep!

Miss Whiskers has been removed from the litter & is now being hand
reared. We are sharing the responsibility & care of her, because this
is new territory for both of us. Having said that, the kittens are now
on the move, so when the litter come out of the box, we do allow her
to mix with her siblings. we thought it would be the best thing to do,
so that she doesn't loose her bond with other cats. We didn't want her
to feel out of place with her siblings, because they all seem to love
her dearly, & treat her no differently to the rest of them. In an odd
way, it "seems" like they know that there is something different about
her, because they are not nearly so rough with her, as they are with
each other. The only other thing that we do when we let her mix with
her siblings, is shut mum off from her litter for an hour or so @ a
time. We don't want mum to attack her again, so we remove her.

It was Duffy's story that inspired me to look into further
possibilities. That, & the declaration by the vet that the kindest
thing we can do for her, was to put her to sleep.! It went against the
grain, & I, like you, am convinced that she can have a good quality of
life without sight. I would be more than grateful if you would send
that article about Duffy to me via email, if it is not too much
trouble please?
I'm @ sheelagh_Madden @ hotmail. co. UK (without the spaces in lower
case)
Thank you very much for the offer. We appreciate it very much indeed.
I know that gill will be delighted, & she has asked me to forward her
thanks as well. Duffy's story convinced us that anything was worth a
go to see if we could make a decent life for her

Below this is a link to the facility that has offered to look @ Miss
whiskers, for your interest.

http://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/hospital/small.html

Other than her blindness, she is a super kitten with a wonderful
temperament. She loves to be held & "paddles" when she feeds from a
bottle ( like a kitten does when it kneads their mother's tummy to
induce the milk to flow). She is ever so sweet, & I am certain that if
we can find the right mummy for her ( or daddy, there is no
discrimination here, lol.) All parents considered for this speacial
little girl.
I will keep you up to date with how we progress & post a photo of her
as soon as I get around to it, just so that you can see her. She is a
stunning looking kitty too.

Thank you all for your comments, & I will take take all advice on
board & put it into action as well. I know that Gill will be delighted
too.
Best wishes,
Sheelagh >"o"<