Disabled Cat: What Solutions To Support It?
The Different Handicaps In Cats
Disability in cats can have different origins such as accident there abuse, the disease and especially sometimes if it has not been treated. Among the disabilities most frequently identified in cats are:
- Feline cerebral hypoplasia whose level of severity is variable: a neurological disease acquired during the gestation period.
- A malformation in a limb.
- The absence of a leg due to amputation.
- Deafness.
- Blindness.
- Paralysis.
- Equipment And Accessories For Disabled Cats
Some equipment and accessories for cats with motor disabilities are marketed by websites specializing in pet products. But it is also possible to refer to the veterinarian.
They have been designed with the aim of facilitating the daily life of these animals. It’s the case :
- Of the ‘mobile and folding staircase : it allows the cat to get on the sofa if it can no longer jump,
- A ramp : she lands on the stairs,
- Of walking aid trolley : it is suitable for cats with paralyzed hindquarters,
- Of the cat socks : very useful so that it does not slip on the ground and can move around the house or apartment more easily.
What To Do On A Daily Basis To Make Life Easier For Your Disabled Cat?
For the cat to live serenely it is absolutely necessary to arrange one’s environment according to one’s handicap. He can indeed experience difficulty in walking, whether following the amputation of a leg, because of paralysis or even hypoplasia. This arrangement consists of:
- Facilitate access from the cat to its basket, its litter, its bowls by positioning everything on the same floor. The goal is to prevent him from having to use a staircase to move around the house.
- Ask a carpet or one carpet in the places most frequented by the animal to limit the risk of slips and falls as much as possible, especially if the cat is suffering from hypoplasia. This pathology leads, among other things, to serious balance problems, the limbs being completely out of sync.
The master of a handicapped cat must get involved at different levels to give back to his little companion the more pleasant life. In addition to doing everything so that his little companion can be followed up as best as possible by the veterinarian, he must take care of his cat several times a day to help him.
- Carry your cat to the litter box,
- Bring him his bowls so that the cat does not have to move,
- Brush the cat once or twice a day to remove dead hair if he cannot groom himself normally,
- Install an access ramp on the stairs so that the animal can go up and down more easily,
- Cut his claws regularly because they do not wear out enough in a disabled cat who hardly walks outside anymore,
- Accompany your cat in the garden or in a public park because it is very important that it takes the air, sniffs the smells…
It is essential to take certain precautions when living with a deaf or blind cat, especially with regard to its approach because it can very quickly be surprised and be in a permanent state of stress. In order not to frighten it, it is necessary to take the precaution of:
- Talk to her before petting her or to take him in his arms if he is blind,
- Place yourself in his field of vision before interacting with her deaf cat.
If the cat is blind, it is of course necessary to avoid moving the furniture around because the animal would be lost and could also bump into it. Since he has his landmarks, it is fundamental to do everything so that he can keep them. In this way, the blind cat can go to its litter alone, it can also be autonomous to go drink, eat, climb on the sofa or lie down in its basket.
We should not never leave alone a cat that suffers from deafness or blindness. The animal must of course always be accompanied by its master so that it is well protected from the various hazards to which he is particularly exposed because of his disability.
Finally, whatever the handicap from which his cat suffers, it is necessary to continue to play with him because he has need for interaction with members of his foster family, like all other cats. THE signs of affection are also crucial to make life easier for him, especially since the animal has certainly had very strong ties with his master.
