Hello, I have had my Bengal boy, Spartacus, 2 and a half years and we have recently got another kitten, Loki, both boys.
I noticed that Spartacus although obsessed with the new kitten was not joining in all the chasing games, especially the "cat" games on the ipad, and then thought that perhaps his eyesight was not that good. So I did a few of the tests they suggest online, and it did seem as if his eyesight was bad, so I took him to the vets. They did all the tests that I did, and checked for cataracts etc., confirmed that he could be blind, and referred me to a specialist vet eye hospital.
They did the tests and said that his optic nerves have deteriorated completely in one eye and nearly completely in the other, so is most likely blind or soon will be.
They said that it could be an overdose of a certain antibiotic (but he has only ever had antibiotics once and it was not that type), or a genetic blindness that they have only known in Abyssinians, not Bengals.
The vet seemed to think it would of been gradual, but I would think that I would of noticed as we have moved house only 6 months ago and he has managed to get around normally then.
Now I know, he does occasionally bump into things and relies on his mind map of the house, and noise and smell to get around.

So, would love to hear anyone who has any experience of this genetic condition in Bengals?

Or if anyone has any advice of living with a Blind cat?

Poor guy. We have a moggie who has lost all vision in one eye, it was gradual for him but he also still has a good eye. I'm sure your boy will do fine even being blind, it's amazing how animals can adapt.

_________________
Dallas, TX USA
Diesel - snow Bengal born 09/01/2013 adopted Feb 2014
Tuck, Chloe, Buddy, Lewis & Tia - rescue kitties
Clyde, Bleu & Coal - Great Danes

I have lived with blind cats before, and a blind dog. Not specifically bengals though. You will be amazed how well he will adapt. You may notice him rubbing along the walls and furniture more as a guide. We always kept the layout as similar as possible and made very few changes.

Our 14 year old siamese mix is losing his eyesight right now. He can see shadows at most. But he still plays and interacts same as always :)

There is a bengal owner who has a bengal that went blind. I believe, though i may be wrong (old age plays havoc with my memory), the problem was PRA (progressive Retinal Atrophy).

I'm friends on facebook with her so i'll ask her to pop over for you.

_________________
Lollo

Hi
As Lorraine said in the post above, I have a four year old Bengal, sky, who is blind from PRA. I think this is probably what your specialist is referring to. It is not common in Bengals but there are some cases. Its a gradual process as the veins in the retina gradually die. But don't worry he will be a very happy cat and able to cope extremely well. Sky started going blind at about 18 months. Her eyes look normal and most people don't believe me when I tell them as she manages so well. Most of time you wouldn't know. Once you know what to look for though there are signs. She feels her way with her paws but it's very subtle. She uses her whiskers a lot too and holds them out at front. Most of the time she remebers her way perfectly. But as she's a Bengal she does prefer to go at top speed and then she will crash into things.

Some things I have found that might help are:

Find noisy toys, or lay newspaper pages down to run the toy over. Sky lives that. The best present you can give her is a paper bag she can get into. Anything crinkly. She needs much more stimulation and playtime than my two sighted boys do.

I take Sky out on a lead, just in the front garden and she loves it. We also had the back garden fenced in with purrfect fencing so she can go out there. She uses the cat flap perfectly. She learns a route and sticks to it.


Sky likes routine it makes her feel safe. And obviously keep food and litter trays in the same place, as these have a scent they know and will navigate by.

If you move furniture or add something new 'show' him. Take him to it, use sound to show him the edges. I tap along them with my fingers.

She likes to sleep up high out of the way, I guess that must feel safer too. So an easy to acces ed in a nice safe high spot is good.

Keep toilets lids down. They can't tell if it's up or not.

Keep hot liquids away from the edge of any surface he's likely to jump up on. Sky jumps everywhere. It seems that not being able to see where she jumping just makes her more likely to do it not less.


I hope some of this helps. If I think of anything else I'll add it. Please do ask. And he will do just fine.

_________________

Progressive retinal atrophy which is the genetic disease seen in Abyssinians also occurs in Bengals, but in Bengals it is actually a different mutation, so there is not yet a DNA test for it, the Abyssinian DNA test was negative in affected Bengal cats.
I know there was a research project commissioned in Bengals but I have no idea of the findings of that research.
I would inform the breeder of his blindness if you can.

Thank you for the replies, really helpful and good to hear that Spartacus is not the only one. He has adapted really well, and even caught a fly the other day. His new brother Loki has a bell on now so he can hear him coming if he decides to jump on him.
They are chasing each other up and down the stairs as I type,
Thanks again all,
James

I don't have a blind cat but I did have a blind dog. Animals adapt very well to what we see as handicaps.

As other have suggested1) put bells on other animals, 2) don't move the furniture, litter boxes, food/water 3) find noisy toys.

There are lots of You Tube videos with blind cats, too. Maybe you could get some game ideas from there, too.

My Yoshi (the white one below) has very limited vision. He really likes his hidey holes (rigid), he can feel his way around the outside of them and be completely protected. He also sits on rugs a lot, I think it is a different-texture thing+knowing that the rug is in a certain spot (in the corner by the door or in front of the warm window in the afternoon).

One of the things I do have to be careful of is moving furniture. He plowed head-on into a coffee table once when it was a few feet further out than normal. I felt terrible and he was pretty leery or that area of the room for a while.

My little guy has a happy, playful life, and I am sure your Spartacus will too. More than likely, he has been adapting for a while and you are playing catch up now.