I know there's some pet lovers on this site, and my googling is turning up zilch. My 19 year old cat, Sibley, has suddenly gone blind. She's been deaf most of the year. My family has experience with a blind cat, I've got strategies for a deaf cat, but most of the things that work for one or the other do not apply to deaf and blind.
Sibley is old, creaky, she's got kidney disease, a heart problem, recurring cysts that sometimes cause problems, etc. She sleeps most of the day, and basically lives in 2-3 rooms upstairs. She's been in the house long enough with vision that she is doing ok navigating.
Problems I'm seeing right now: she can get UP (to the bed, the cat bed, the stairs, etc), but down is another matter. She's already fallen off the bed once, and is obviously scared she'll fall again. But some of her favorite places are UP. How can I help her with getting DOWN?
I'm having to touch her to announce my presence. She's resistant to being picked up and carried, and also to being gently guided (cat, duh!).
Also, she ends up in the vet for one reason or another every 1-2 months. I'm going to take her this week, due to the suddenness of the blindness. She doesn't do well in a cat carrier, and I actually put a harness on her and just carry her. I'm planning on making sure I'm touching her the whole time, so she knows she's not been abandoned or anything.
Any tips, experiences, etc? At this point, she and I are fumbling around trying to adjust, so anything that might give me some ideas would be appreciated.