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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / November 2007Duffy finds Holly
I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in front of the closet door and staring intently at it. I couldn't figure out why he was so interested, but I opened the door -- and out marched Holly. It's actually a good thing that Duffy "directed" me because I seldom use that closet. It would have taken me a long time to search for Holly in that location. HAPPY THANKSGIVING (U.S.), everyone! MaryL Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and all their kitties. Hazel Az >I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for dinner >awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in front of the [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > MaryL Oh, and BTW did I mention that I think Duffy is one of the coolest cats ever? Everyone here has very special cats, (especially me) but Duffy is magic. > Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and all their kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> >> MaryL > Oh, and BTW did I mention that I think Duffy is one of the coolest cats > ever? Everyone here has very special cats, (especially me) but Duffy is > magic. > > Hazel Az Thanks. Duffy really is magic. That's a very good description of him. MaryL > Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and all their kitties. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> >> MaryL Duffy is The Man. ;) > I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for > dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > MaryL AWWWW! It's great Duffy knew where Holly was and let you know. I accidentally shut Persia in the closet here in my office once. I had no idea she'd followed me in there (it's a walk-in closet). Now it's one of her favourite places to lounge so I have to leave the door a little bit open ;) >> I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for >> dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > open > ;) Yes, and I just noticed that I said Duffy was "staring" intently at the door. That's a good trick for a blind cat! But this shows how well he compensates, and his blindness isn't a disability at all. Of course, he was really "listening" or possibly "smelling." MaryL >>> I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for >>> dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > MaryL Blindness isn't a factor. He knows where his pal is! Duffy has compensated for his disability amazingly well. (This reminds me of that poster "sue" who wanted a cat but no cat ever satisfied her. Methinks she never wanted a cat at all.) Please post the link to the photo of Duffy in the Christmas tree again. It's timely since so many people are already putting up Christmas decorations. Duffy makes a lovely one :) Jill >>>> I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for >>>> dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Jill Here you are. . .in fact, here are *three* "Duffy and the tree" photos. Thanks for asking! Duffy redesigns the Christmas tree: http://tinyurl.com/33y4fb Duffy conquers the Christmas tree: http://tinyurl.com/2rqdlc Duffy helps take down the Christmas tree: http://tinyurl.com/35tvr6 MaryL > Duffy redesigns the Christmas tree:http://tinyurl.com/33y4fb > Duffy conquers the Christmas tree:http://tinyurl.com/2rqdlc > Duffy helps take down the Christmas tree:http://tinyurl.com/35tvr6 > > MaryL Wonderful photos :) I think someone forgot to tell Duffy he is supposed to be blind! Helen M >>>> I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for >>>> dinner awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > > Jill I will always love Duffy "singing." I kept that over my desk for months. ;) > Yes, and I just noticed that I said Duffy was "staring" intently at the > door. That's a good trick for a blind cat! But this shows how well he > compensates, and his blindness isn't a disability at all. Of course, he was > really "listening" or possibly "smelling." I thought that was interesting, too. ;) But I udnerstood what you meant. Good for Duffy!  SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > Yes, and I just noticed that I said Duffy was "staring" intently at the > door. That's a good trick for a blind cat! But this shows how well he > compensates, and his blindness isn't a disability at all. Of course, he > was really "listening" or possibly "smelling." I used to sing with a blind woman who constantly used visual wording, such as what you said, in her ordinary conversation, and she lost her sight at a very young age, so I don't think this was due to a strong memory of vision. And many of Stevie Wonder's lyrics contain visual images of things he would actually have no idea of, yet they sound convincing to me. I think it's hard not to, with the language being so visually oriented. In any case, Duffy knew Holly was in there, and that's something I find remarkable. He's able to keep track of where another cat is, even though he can't see her coming and going. Maybe she was making soft noises in there that you couldn't hear, but Duffy could. Or maybe he's just very aware of his surroundings and keeps track of Holly's whereabouts. Either way, he's a good kitty! And Holly must have been relieved! I remember a segment of an Animal Planet program (called "Animal Miracles"), where a cat scared off a burglar who'd broken into her people's home while they were asleep. She jumped on the burglar, taking him by surprise, and scratched him in the face. The guy scrambled out the window to get away, leaving a bloody handprint on the windowsill that helped the cops catch him. And the heroic kitty? Totally blind. Joyce > > Yes, and I just noticed that I said Duffy was "staring" intently at the > > door. That's a good trick for a blind cat! But this shows how well he [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > > Joyce Those are good points. I had a blind friend (still do, but she no longer lives in this area), and she also talked in visual language. She would talk about seeing something or someone, and she would even match clothing colors. She was blind since shortly after birth (very premature, too much oxygen in the incubator), so she had never actually seen colors. Nevertheless, she had favorite colors and had a very strong sense of what would "look right" together. I would take her shopping and describe clothing and colors to her, and she had a way of marking them so that she would know later which things went together. She read continuously -- sometimes in braille and sometimes by listening to spoken books -- and that probably contributed to her strong sense of colors. I used to take her shopping and then out to dinner once a week. She would use the system of a "clock face" to know which foods were at which position, but it was not pleasant to watch her eat because of the way she had to push and "shovel" food around. I occasionally had someone ask me how I could "stand to eat with her" when she did that. My attitude was that I was fortunate to have sight and those who would criticize someone who couldn't see simply because their table manners looked "unpleasant" were completely lacking in compassion and empathy. The old legend of "walking a mile in someone else's moccasins" comes to mind. MaryL > I had a blind friend (still do, but she no longer > lives in this area), and she also talked in visual language. She would talk [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > had favorite colors and had a very strong sense of what would "look right" > together. Interesting. I wonder how she conceived of these colors internally? They must have been quite different, subjectively, from how we conceive of those colors in our minds. (Of course, we don't even know if sighted people conceive of colors the same way. How do we know that what *my* brain thinks of a "blue" is the same as what your brain interprets it?) When she chose colors that she thought looked good together, would those pairings match our cultural ideas of what colors went together? > She would use the system of a "clock face" to know which foods were > at which position, but it was not pleasant to watch her eat because > of the way she had to push and "shovel" food around. You mean, pushing the food around her plate? It's interesting that she had the concept of something spatial like a clock face. But you can get that from touch, and a clock face is a small thing, so I guess that does make sense. It's not like being able to conceive of, say, relative sizes of different rooms. I would think that would be hard to imagine if you can't see. Did anyone read that story (true story) of the man who was blind from a very young age, who had his sight restored in his 50s? His brain had never learned of things like what size looks like. I remeber one particular example, where he had a black and white dog and a black and white cat, and he couldn't tell the difference between them just by looking at them, evn though the dog was much larger. He could see their colors, and he could see that they were the same colors. But size as a visual concept didn't mean anything to him. He could only be sure which animal it was when he touched them. Joyce > > I had a blind friend (still do, but she no longer > > lives in this area), and she also talked in visual language. She would [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > When she chose colors that she thought looked good together, would those > pairings match our cultural ideas of what colors went together? Yes, her color parings pretty matched what most of us would select, but she did not have any concept of different shades of the same color. I think she derived her perceptions -- and possibly her favorites -- from her extensive reading and from talking to friends. > > She would use the system of a "clock face" to know which foods were > > at which position, but it was not pleasant to watch her eat because > > of the way she had to push and "shovel" food around. She attended a school for the blind as a youngster, and the taught her to ask the person with her to ask what was at the 12:00 position, 3:00, position, 6:00 position, and 9:00 position. She also had a wristwatch with a cover that would lift up so she could feel the various positions to tell time. She did the same thing with an alarm clock except that the cover was always "off." > You mean, pushing the food around her plate? Yes, and sometimes some of it would spill over the edge or she would have to use her other hand to help scoop up the food. She had a lovely voice and sang in a choir, but she was rather awkward physically -- again, probably because she could not see things. > It's interesting that she had the concept of something spatial like a > clock face. But you can get that from touch, and a clock face is a small [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > visual concept didn't mean anything to him. He could only be sure which > animal it was when he touched them. I'm not familiar with that. Do you know the title of the book or name of the author? -- MaryL > Joyce > <bastXXXette@sonic.net> wrote in message >> Did anyone read that story (true story) of the man who was blind from >> a very young age, who had his sight restored in his 50s? His brain had [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> visual concept didn't mean anything to him. He could only be sure which >> animal it was when he touched them. > I'm not familiar with that. Do you know the title of the book or name of > the author? The story is called, "To See and Not See", and it is included in a collection of essays called "An Anthropologist on Mars" by Oliver Sacks. If you have not read Sacks, he is a *must-read* for anyone interested in the functions of the brain and its effects on human perception. I can't think of anyone who writes more interestingly or humanely about neurological disability, from the subjective viewpoint of the person who has it, than he does. He is a neurologist, and most of his essays are about his patients. He tries very hard to find out how life and perceptions feel to to the patient. His descriptions are quite vivid, and really immerse the reader in the patient's world. If the patient can talk and express him/herself, then Sacks will include quotes from the patient. If not, he will offer some speculations on what life must be like for that person, based on his direct observations and on what he knows about the brain. This is far more interesting (to me) than a more clinical approach. I can't recommend this book, or his others (especially "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat") enough - they are among my favorite books ever. I'm currently reading his latest book, "Musicophilia", which is about what parts of the brain are involved in our appreciation of music, and also about what can go wrong when someone has a brain injury - what different kinds of deficits people can have in their ability to understand or appreciate music - and also about some people's extraordinary musical abilities, some of which might be paired with major disabilities (such as an autistic savant who is musically brilliant, etc). The essay about the blind man who regained his sight in middle age was made into a movie about 10 years ago, called "At First Sight". I thought the movie was pretty sub-par, as compared to the story. Of course, they made the main character about 30, rather than mid 50s, and it was mostly about the love story between him and his girlfriend. (That relationship was important in the written story, too, because it was the girlfriend who pushed him to have the procedure that restored his sight. However, things did not turn out as planned.) Joyce > > I had a blind friend (still do, but she no longer > > lives in this area), and she also talked in visual language. She [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Did anyone read that story (true story) of the man who was blind from > a very young age, who had his sight restored in his 50s? My aunt went blind due to diabetes in the 1940s. She had multiple surgeries for cataracts throughout her life. She was legally blind. In the 1980's she called me. She said she told the doctor she didn't want another surgery. He said but wait, I can dohelp you. Her friend talked her into it. So she had the surgery. And she called me. She said, "Jill, I can SEE!" He did laser surgery. For the first time in 40 years she could see her image in a mirror. And she joked, "You're uncle always told me how beautiful I was... now I know he was lying!" LOLOL She was such a great lady. Sadly, she died of a heart attack 6 months later. So sad that she couldn't enjoy being able to see longer than that. Chester recently rescued stormmee in a similar fashion, Lee > I opened a closet door to replace the leaf of a table I had used for dinner > awhile ago. A short time later, I noticed Duffy sitting in front of the [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > MaryL |
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