looking lots better
Gertie arrived with us in a bit of a state a few weeks ago. She was found collapsed in a field by dog walkers and taken to their vets. The vets made her comfortable but when no one came forward to claim her, her life was at risk again. Thankfully we heard about her and brought her into rescue here, and then off to see our own vet. It was clear that at that point she was quite blind, her pupils were like huge saucers as she walked around in circles before bumping into the wall. Nevertheless, she was able to find her food and litter tray and her comfy bed to sleep in.
when she first arrived
Here’s the miracle though! …… our vet found that the blindness was caused by high blood pressure and was hopeful that with appropriate medication, her blood pressure would settle and her sight return … at least to some extent. It sounded a bit too good to be true, but sure enough, by the second day of medication her eyes had begun to look markedly different … her pupils were smaller and were clearly responding to light. It may not be 20:20 vision, but she can see enough to be able to climb up onto the comfy chairs, or my lap, or the window sill.
Whilst high blood pressure is often the result of kidney problems, this isn’t always the case, and tests show that currently there is no problem with her kidney function.
Gertie is vaccinated and microchipped, and obviously wormed/flead. Our vet thinks she’s aged between adult and senior, so probably about 8 years old. We think it’s best that she now be an indoor only cat. She’d be the ideal puss for a quiet home (possibly one with no other cats, as she’s currently not very happy having a room mate) with someone who loves to snuggle and purr a lot 🙂 She does need that bit of extra care with her limited sight, and will need her condition monitoring from time to time. She’ll also need to stay on her medication (Istin) more or less permanently we think. It’s not a hugely expensive med …. especially when she only needs a quarter of a tablet per day. She takes her meds very easily ….. crushed and wrapped in tuna.
Could you be the home to offer Gertie a lovely settled retirement?
We always homecheck prior to adoption, and ask an adoption donation to enable us to replenish our funds for the next poor soul who comes along. There’s more about our adoption process here: http://www.8livescatrescue.org/adoption-process.html and you’ll find more photos and stories about Gertie here: https://www.facebook.com/8Lives
8 Lives: Sheffield 8 Cat Rescue 