Akiko

[JulesRolyCrab]

Aww, they are precious. So are the names, Chico and Akiko. So cute.

[CallaLily]

The sleepy kitties are Akiko and Spiderman. I do also have a male, Chico. I'll find a pic of him to share too.

[CallaLily]

Here's one of Chico.

[JulesRolyCrab]

Oh my gosh, he is too cute! Wow, you have some beautiful cats!

[CallaLily]

Thanks.

[wodesorel]

It's good to hear that Chico has a buddy!

[CallaLily]

It's good to hear that Chico has a buddy!

I think so too! I try to give him extra attention but I think he's been very, very bored. He's put on a lot of weight in a short time....not surprising really since he hasn't been no where near as active. But now he plays with Akiko several times a day so I'm loving how it's getting him moving. I've tried a few different toys that have smells or make noises but he shows no interest. I can't pet or brush him allll day lol, even if he wanted me to (he's very clear about when he's done!). Any other ideas would be great, if you have any!! I've tried jingly bell toys, crinkly toys, catnip toys, chirping toys. The highest he'll climb is the dining room table. He's definitely gotten a lot better about that - though I can't say I blame him about not wanting to climb too high. He has taken a few spills. I've thought about trying him out with a harness and leash to walk him to give him a chance to experience different smells and sounds. Bad idea? I know most cats are not cool with that kind of thing. I don't free feed. I'm just worried about the huge weight gain.

[meg_and_the_zoo]

I've tried my cats with a leash and harness...lets just say that I 100% won't be trying that ever again but I know some do well with it...maybe worth a test.

Mine have a tall cat tree with 4 perch levels and a few ground level scratching posts. But honestly, the things that get them racing around the most are Qtips they steal out of the bathroom trash, hair elastics and balled up pieces of paper (receipts especially). I think the "naughty" aspect of those toys appeals to them and they'll chase them( and each other) for hours


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 4 crabs (Balla, Spot, Twitch & Big Shug)

[CallaLily]

Thank you for the ideas. He has higher options, no fancy cat trees but shelves and things we've made just for the cats. Akiko loves those sorts of "toys" too and Spiderman loves all the high places. Trouble with Chico is he's blind. That's why he doesn't climb so high anymore and I've been trying noisy or smelly toys. I forget that I haven't shared that here.

[meg_and_the_zoo]

Oh well...that would make a difference in that case I've got nothing lol


Zoo mom of 3 cats, a dog, a fish and 4 crabs (Balla, Spot, Twitch & Big Shug)

[fantasybookworm]

What kind of smells have you tried? Have you tried using very small bits of healthier treats to get him moving around? Something smelly like some canned fish, maybe? If he shows interest, you could hide very small bites all around a room as a kind of "hide & seek", so he has to move around to get all of the treats. You could do the same with his kibble too, split it up & place it in a few areas around the room, so he has to work a little more to find it.

Since he's so picky about toys, IMO, it wouldn't hurt to try slowly conditioning him to a harness, but I would move very slowly to avoid freaking him out. He may be spookier about being outside since he can't see, but can still hear/smell potential threats. Maybe just stick with quiet backyard(s) or a quiet section of a park or something, if you can get him acclimated to a harness? My friend has harness-trained her cat and found that she does okay with the harness (now), but she spooks easily outside and freaks out when she hits the end of the leash. I don't know if that's a common thing or individual to that cat.

This might be something that isn't doable with expense. But since he's spooky about jumping (understandably), could you maybe get or build him a custom cat tree? Something that he can climb, but with the levels closer together so he doesn't have to jump with all four feet in the air at once. Close enough that he can get his front paws on the upper level while he's still on the lower one, so he can gauge where he's going better. To keep him from going off the wrong edge when trying to get down, maybe little lips on the edges of the platform that don't go down to a lower platform?

I understand that might not be doable, and unless you know he likes to climb or go up high (which not all cats enjoy), it might not even be worth it if he's just a floor-only kind of kitty. But if you had him before he was blind & know he likes to climb or if he seemed interested before taking his tumbles, it might be something to think about! I hope you can find some good ways to spend time with him, it's can be so difficult to figure out good ways to interact & play with blind animals. I have a 15-year old pup who's blind and deaf & it's hard to guide her around sometimes.

[wodesorel]

Cardboard box jungle gym? It'll be low and I'm sure Akiko will play hide and seek with him.

I haven't had good luck with harnesses. The one cat I would love to bring outside has proven time and time again that cats do not have shoulder blades and he slips it every freaking time and goes running. I've tried four different styles, even down to a plain collar. (Squeezed out of that, too.) I've wanted to try one of those cat walking jackets, but I have a feeling he could back out of that in record time.

[kornchaser]

Boxes to hide and seek in might prove difficult to seek back out an exit lol The freak out from being lost omg! The lip guides aren't a bad idea. And climbing is the best exercise. Something I've seen tried, didn't work, was putting their cats food on the dryer. Fat cat sat up there and stayed warm all day lol! Being blind though, the stair like climb with guidance would help!


Mommy of 12 PP babies - Baby, Toby, Sid, Matty, Junior, Kaylee, Aries, Adrian, Turbo, Flower, Boo and Freckles.
RIP Octavius

[CallaLily]

Thanks for the ideas! We're about to build a cat cubby with empty litter buckets. I'll have to come up with some others for him.

He did like to be up on things before, though not as much as Spiderman. At first after losing his eye (surgically removed due to bad infection), he only stuck to the floor. Slowly he's climbed higher and higher. The lower cat shelves, chairs, the table. The house is an open floor plan but he mostly sticks to the dining room.

Edit: I moved that box I hung a toy in for Akiko to the floor and put another box on its side on top. I don't know why I didn't try this before (duh!).... I guess because I didn't think he'd bother with the hanging toy since he ignored all others. But it looks like him being buddies with Akiko now has helped. He found his way into it and in playing with Akiko, discovered the hanging toy and went at it for several minutes. Now he's napping in the box. I can see lots of future box kitty castles for us.

The obvious things I overlook sometimes.

[CallaLily]

Sooooo. I got suckered into another kitty. This one was dropped at my MIL's house and my oldest son wanted him. His name is Abaddon.