Anyone Have Any Experience With A Mentally Retarded Cat?

Please note: I'm using the term retarded the way it is used medically in the animal community. The term "Intellectual Disability" does not correctly fit this specific case because it applies to a cat.

I've been here 10 years and very infrequently post things in off topic but I figure I need all the info I can get so why not ask the community I've been a part of for just about a decade?

I have a cat who did not respond well to the anesthesia used to perform a medical procedure and has been mentally retarded ever since. He has a brother who is by his side all day long and cares for him. The main problem comes that he forgets things often to the point where he forgets that he has a brother and sometimes he wakes up curled up with his brother, doesn't recognize him, and then attacks him to get away.

Most days he is fine, he is slow to understand and react to things but he leads a full life. It is just the "spells" the he gets from time to time that I'm concerned with.

I've done all the basics. I keep him on a very set schedule to not scare him, I have a fountain in his bedroom to give some background ambient noise. He gets premium food that covers all the vitamins he needs. He has simple toys that are easy for him to work and understand even during his bad times.

Has anyone else been a guardian of a cat like this? Is there anything you did that made their lives easier?

Well it wouldn't survive long in nature by the looks of it.

TC I have no experience with such cats. All those I've met have been clever devils.

How old is the cat?

If his quality of life was in question that would be a consideration of course. As it stands today he is perfectly healthy and able to live his life eating, sleeping, and playing.

He and his brother are both 15. He has lived with this for 14 years now.

They were originally feral cats who lived in my parent's garage. They were part of a colony that we spent years trapping, neutering/spaying, domesticating, and adopting to homes. These are the last two who couldn't be adopted out. Now that I have a house they have their own bedroom (a whole house but it's a gradual thing getting them used to having a house).

They moved in the day after Thanksgiving and the one that's mentally retarded still has all the behavior that he had outside. He's actually shown that he's calmer in a house there are still times where he doesn't know where he is, who I am, or who he brother is. Now these don't happen often, the last one was about a week and a half ago.

He's a good cat who has overcome despite some less than optimal circumstances. I'm just looking to help him more.

I'm a cat person, I'm actually a cat behaviorist but I'm always open to learn more.

@Jaysonguy: I could tell you were a either a car behaviorist or at least someone who has studied cats a lot, the fact you refer to a cat owner as a cat gaurdian gave that away lol

I don't think there is a lot you can do, if it doesn't happen all the time the cat seems to have a good life I wouldn't do anything else other than what you do

Thank you

I understand what you mean about status quo, if it's not broken don't fix it.

I just want to enrich their lives as much as I can. For my other cats I can do that. He's special when it comes to his needs and I want to give him the best life I can.

What's the difference between a retarded cat and a normal one? They all seem retarded to me

@Jaysonguy: it sounds like he already has that.

the behavoiur could also be age related, it's not impossible an older cat could have a type of dementia

I think it's great you are caring for this poor guy. And you are a cat behaviorist! Crazy! I wish the best for the little guy. It's a pretty sad story.

write him a mail, I mean if hes as slow like you say

Given your avatar, I was really rooting for this to be some self-deprecating humor. That would have been high-five worthy (I'm a huge fan of self-deprecating humor).

Unfortunately, no, I don't have any expertise to provide on the actual topic. It sounds like you're doing all you can outside of deciding that he'd be better of put-down than continuing on in this state.

I was really rooting for this to be some self-deprecating humor. That would have been high-five worthy (I'm a huge fan of self-deprecating humor).

me too! but sometimes its hard to get for the others who are not yourself ^_^

and why put him down now, since you have done everything you can to ease his suffering it seems

sounds normal, cats are always doing weird cat shit, they're quirky animals, frankly I kind of find it the perk of having cats

grow some big healthy catnip plants, and/or buy a big bag of fresh stuff from the pet store, stick it in his face and see what happens

It's beautiful how you care for your cats. Ask your Vet. for some advice since this is surely a unique situation. Keep up the good work and hopefully the attacked brother can handle it. Some cat owners separate cats once in awhile to give the cats a little space from each other.

I thought all cats were retarded? Both of mine are for sure. For example, I'll walk along and they keep getting right under my feet so I end up stepping or tripping over them. They scream bloody murder then they'll literally do it again...and again...and again. Talk about slow.

Thor ;)

You know what, I never really thought about animals like cats and dogs having mental disability that often. I mean I know they could go crazy and attack but I never really thought about how these animals could be slow too. So I'm not sure what to do with your cat. I'll browse YouTube soon.

@Jaysonguy: I don't have experience with disabled cats, but it sounds like you're doing a lot to help your cat deal with his problems.

One thing I might suggest, if the cat gets kinda dangerous with his claws when he has those moments of forgetfulness, is to buy a nice, sturdy scratching post. Or there are these rubber things you can buy and put over his claws also, if he doesn't mind them too much. Anything to keep the cat from accidently tearing up your arm or his brother cat might be worth buying and trying out.

My cat is a little goofball, he wasn't properly weened off of his mother cat's milk. As a result, he still will come up to me and push on my arm or chest with his paws, and suck on my shirt and bedsheets in an attempt to extract non-existent milk. Sometimes it's annoying, especially when I'm trying to sleep, but I just put up with it or don't mind it sometimes.

Be careful posting about pets here. This is sure to end up as an argument about how you shouldn't have the pet or you should give the pet away or how you should have it put down.

Ask for a refund or some sort of recall of the cat.

I greatly appreciate everyone's helpful and encouraging words, it means a lot to me.

First of all all cats are not mentally retarded. They all have different mannerisms that branch off of their natural ones that all cats have. That's one of the reason I know that my cat is different that way.

I've done a lot of research on dementia in cats and thankfully he doesn't show those signs. His behavior is the same today as when he was 2 years old. I'm always on the lookout that his problems may make it easier for him to develop dementia so I'm always on the lookout for him. I appreciate your input, it was a good lead.

Yeah, I'm more than just a jerk on a message board which is shocking to most people lol It's not even my thing. I do PR for companies and artists, the cat stuff is just out of love.

Thank you for the kind words. I have asked my vet. I'm currently saving for a full workup of both brothers. The hope is that maybe there's some sort of deficiency during the times that he has episodes. The brain is a tricky thing though so it's one step at a time.

I tell people that's a kitty parade. They've accepted you as one of them and you're all going along together. It's a very big compliment from your cat. Some cats do it better than others. What you should do is learn about their cadence and hopefully that will stop you from stepping on them.

Thank you for the advice. We've given both brothers the computer room as their bedroom. They are able to have people in and out sitting as a desk but not always involved with them. It helps a great deal with both of them being inside now. The room has 4 beds, 2 covered ones that allow them to sleep tucked in either as a pair or single, 1 huge bed in case they want to sleep out in the open, and one open bed under a desk in case they want something in between.

I have one cat tower in here that has 4 legs for scratching plus another scratching post, It's a hardwood floor but I have an area rug that they play on, and for toys it's some tennis balls, some bell balls, and a natural grass fishing pole toy. I also have one of those cube storage things where you can keep smaller cubes fill of things inside it? I have some empty cubes that are pulled out a little so they can jump in and out and I found some lawn furniture cushions and I put one on top, since it's in front of the window they can look outside whenever they feel like it.

For their claws I clip them regularly but even then I still worry. He's never aggressive, all the damage comes from him trying to escape everyone he doesn't know during an episode.

Thank you and I appreciate you trying to save me from being attacked. If you're familiar with my posting in other areas I'm pretty used to speaking loudly and taking whatever consequences come my way. lol

The only behavior I'm worried about is the spells he has where he doesn't know anyone, not even his brother. During those times it's like introducing yourself to a completely new cat who has never seen you before. It's not all the time and even at their worst they last for no more than 2 days. I'm just seeing if there's something someone has done to either help or diagnose what was causing them. I'm not sure it's just pure brain and I'm looking for some way to care for him during those times or if it's something that's causing it that I can do something with so I can prevent them.

Never had a cat with mental issues though each cat was different. My first cat was chilled and relaxed sadly he got hit by a car, his pelvis was crushed and we put him down. My second was hyperactive almost unlimited energy he ran off. My third and current cat is moody and cautious not around me but people she's unfamiliar with. She started to pee on my bed a lot and after exhausting all possible causes I found it was lack of play her predatory instincts weren't being stimulated she also refused to sleep in her own bed but I solved the issue and not had any problems.

Tc just keep doing whatever it is you're doing, if he can still have a happy life then that's what matters. I've learned that cats need to have their environment catored to their needs like not using scented litter or giving her toys that resemble the stuff she hunts. I used to prefer dogs but I've become a cat person.

I had two cats in my life, we were able to give one to our grandparents wich lifed at a farm instead of castrating him, in the first time he couldnt get out of the house there, thats when I realised how big the difference between a house cat and a cat is that is able to live a free/wild life ... after a few month he addapted himself to the situation and became a real strayer, but everytime we visit the farm he still remembered me ... at some point he just disapeared from the yard ... cats ^^

I ones worked with a girl wich was concept artist and she had a cat she loved more then everything else, even when the cat became sick, she spend big amounts of her small salary to pay for medicine and vets ... humans ^^

He's just a bit autistic, not retarded...