Seclusion response gradual blindness?
Hello, I'm wondering if anyone has had experience with a cat going blind and secluding themselves?
Lenny is 6 and has had only one eye since we adopted him at 6 months, but he was always very active and curious. Over the past year, he's slowly stopped jumping on things and stopped entering rooms of our apartment, and he would often panic and run around bumping into things in certain spaces. Now he stays in one room and won't leave it.
We recently had a baby, so we thought for too long that this was a behavioral issue. Then we thought it might be a neurological issue, since his balance seems to have gotten worse too. We brought him to a neurologist but without an MRI, they could only put him on an antibiotic and steroid, which didn't change anything. They confirmed he seems to have vision issues.
If this behavior change is from blindness, we have no problem letting him take over this room where he feels safe. But I'm also wondering if there are ways we can help him adapt and feel comfortable moving around a bit more, in case that would improve his quality of life - especially on days when we can't get the chance to spend as much time with him in that room.
Any advice would be much appreciated!