Oh, shit! I think I may have blinded my cat.

[C2H5OH]

I got a new arc-welding machine this week, and I've been trying to get used to it. I was doing some with it this evening, and as I flipped up my mask, there's Melinda sitting there, looking at what I was doing.

Oh, shit.

After I put everything away, she's walking across the floor and ran face-first into a blanket hanging down from her and Katie's (the senior cat) couch.

Oh, shit.

I pulled out the 'cat toy' from my pocket and tested her vision. Her peripheral vision works just fine, but she seems not to be able to see from her central vision. What she would have been looking at the arc with. I may have arc-blinded her. Permanent damage certainly happened, but some recovery happens in a day or two, too. We'll see... but maybe she won't.

Oh, shit.

From now on she goes into her cat-carrier and I point that so she can't "supervise" when I run the welder.

[C2H5OH]

Yeah, she's been arc-blinded. She just chased Katie, and missed Katie jumping up onto the couch. She kept looking around wondering where Katie went. Oops. I've blinded my cat.

We'll see how she recovers in the next couple of days. Oh, shit.

[raventhief]

I hope she recovers.

Poor kitty!

Get well soon arc-blinded key-cat.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by raventhief

I hope she recovers.

Poor kitty!

Get well soon arc-blinded key-cat.

On the plus-side, it doesn't hurt at all. You won't even notice it happened. You'll just not see shit, anymore. That's why they tell you in welding school "DON'T LOOK AT THE FUCKING ARC!!!!".

Katie may be a beneficiary of this. Melinda tasks her, big-time. Maybe not anymore, eh?

[C2H5OH]

Melinda used to be a good mouser. Death on four legs! I hope she can still see 'em and kill 'em after this. Katie is bloody useless at mouse-killing.

[Random Precision]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

On the plus-side, it doesn't hurt at all. You won't even notice it happened. You'll just not see shit, anymore. That's why they tell you in welding school "DON'T LOOK AT THE FUCKING ARC!!!!".

Katie may be a beneficiary of this. Melinda tasks her, big-time. Maybe not anymore, eh?

I have arc burned my eyes before. I did it with a UV lamp, but it's the same thing. And a further point of reference, my older brother arc burned his eyes watching arc welding.

It does hurt. It hurts quite a lot. In my case it felt like an extreme case of sunburn, but on my eyeballs. Brother reported similar.

My case was mild and I recovered in a day or two. Brother's was more severe. No blindness, but the doctor made him keep his eyes covered for 3 or 4 days and even then stay in darkened rooms.

You may want to check with a vet about this, but you might need to get some kitty sedatives and miniature eye patches for the next couple of days.

[Anacanapuna]

RP's right, it's gonna hurt. Good ol' Wiki has some info for you. And yuh, call a vet. Your kitty will thank you for it in her own special way.

[C2H5OH]

Thanks. I'm calling her vet tomorrow morning. 315-343-4300! [one of the few phone numbers I know by rote]

[Jaglavak]

When the eye catches photons, it uses up a little off the end of the rods and cones. These are some of the fastest growing tissue in the body. So in addition to the uncomfortable surface burn, your cat's photon detectors are used up right now. They should grow back in a day or two.

[Radical Edward]

It's kind of disturbing that you had to be told to call your vet.

[C2H5OH]

She seems to be seeing fine this morning, and the vet says as long as she acts normally and doesn't seem to have any eye irritation, there should be no problem. I'll be watching her and testing her vision all day today.

[JackieLikesVariety]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

It's kind of disturbing that you had to be told to call your vet.

yes

[Inna Minnit]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

It's kind of disturbing that you had to be told to call your vet.

You assume that wasn't the plan already. Just because he replied that the call was going to happen was in response to someone saying it, does not mean it wasn't going to be done anyway. Call me a bad pet mom but something like this I would wait for the office to open the next day too. Bleeding, uncontrolled vomiting or diarrhea, or broken bones get ER treatment. Watch and see stuff gets a call in the morning when the office is open.

[DoubleJ]

There's also a certain element of "nothing that can be done". He was initially under the (incorrect) assumption that the vision loss was the only symptom, and there's nothing a vet can do about that. Once you know the critter might try to claw its own eyes out, yeah it's time to put the vet on notice so he can get patches and painkillers if needed.

[Radical Edward]

Ok, but that's not a good or safe assumption to make without consulting a medical professional.

[stormie]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

She seems to be seeing fine this morning, and the vet says as long as she acts normally and doesn't seem to have any eye irritation, there should be no problem. I'll be watching her and testing her vision all day today.

Yay! Post more because I don't need another damn thing to worry about.

And a photo would be nice.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by stormie

Yay! Post more because I don't need another damn thing to worry about.

And a photo would be nice.

Here's a picture of her wearing a hat last year.
http://imgur.com/a/Vs2qp

She's doing fine. No apparent problems.

[Jaglavak]

Yeah, but is she cranking out decent welds? Uphill and overhead too. These days you gotta be certified if you're going to get a decent job.

[Inna Minnit]

Originally Posted by DoubleJ

There's also a certain element of "nothing that can be done". He was initially under the (incorrect) assumption that the vision loss was the only symptom, and there's nothing a vet can do about that. Once you know the critter might try to claw its own eyes out, yeah it's time to put the vet on notice so he can get patches and painkillers if needed.

Yes. But one can see if their pet is fussing with their eyes and in pain. Again, I think it's obnoxious to assume the worst. It's not like Alchy was ignoring the cat.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

Yeah, but is she cranking out decent welds? Uphill and overhead too. These days you gotta be certified if you're going to get a decent job.

I couldn't even get her to wear a mask! She doesn't have opposable thumbs! Whadda ya want, miracles?

[stormie]

But she wears a hat, I see >(

[mwm]

Originally Posted by stormie

But she wears a hat, I see >(

But she doesn't.

Sorry, too soon, I know, but it was just sitting right there. I hope your kitty gets better.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by mwm

But she doesn't.

Sorry, too soon, I know, but it was just sitting right there. I hope your kitty gets better.

No, not too soon. She recovered by the next day. She seems totally back to normal, now.

[C2H5OH]

For everyone wanting to know how Melinda's eyesight is doing, that 'cat-toy' I mentioned pulling from my pocket to initially test her vision is a dog-whistle (for my dog) with a chain that connects it to a .45ACP cartridge emptied out of powder and primer, then filled with epoxy to hold the chain. It's "the bullet with Melinda's name on it". It's also a human toy. I twiddle that thing in my hands while my mind is occupied with other things (like reading the Durp).

Just a few minutes ago, I had it in my hand, with her bullet hanging down and barely moving. I wasn't giving her enough attention. Even though the light-level was grossly insufficient for a human to see, she whacked her bullet a couple of times (to get my attention) in a way that makes it quite clear that she can see again, with her central vision, just fine, in the dark, cat-style.

I doubt she has any vision impairment at all from this. Still, I'm not going to give her an opportunity to supervise my welding, again. She goes in the cat-carrier, and the carrier placed where she can't see, before I weld near her, again.

TL;DR:
She can see as (or almost as) well as she could before this. No evidence of vision damage remains, and there was no evidence of physical eye irritation at all. She's fine. She's back to normal (may God help poor Katie!), to any and all appearances. Nothing her vet said to watch for has happened, in the time symptoms should have shown up.

Lesson learned:
Don't assume that people (which includes cats and dogs) will find the bright light unpleasant and look away. Make sure your arc isn't directly visible to random looky-loos. They might be ignorant or stupid enough to 'looky'. And possibly go blind.

[stormie]

Yay kitty!

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

It's kind of disturbing that you had to be told to call your vet.

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

Ok, but that's not a good or safe assumption to make without consulting a medical professional.

It's also disturbing, the kind of stupid assumptions you make. How's your crap-shack? How are your pets dealing with the construction that's going on around you? How is it going for them that you make them live in your pitiful hell-hole?

You are in no position to judge anyone else. Why don't you shut-the-fuck-up, you incompetent bitch.

Done. I've said all I have to say to you. Don't EVER presume to be superior to me, again.

[Radical Edward]

Lawl, because you're somehow the boss of me.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

Lawl, because you're somehow the boss of me.

You really are as stupid as your reputation. Bite me, bitch.

[Radical Edward]

Whatever dude, just because you don't have the common sense to check in with a vet rather than assuming your probably-blind cat is just fine don't act like I'm some kind of crazy cat lady living in a cardboard box in a parking lot with no electricity and some curly fries.

[Jaglavak]

You wouldn't think anyone old enough to walk would need to be told. But if that had been your neighbor's kid, you would have had to hock the hacienda to pay for the fit his parents would throw.

One time I almost managed to hurt a bystander. I was welding on a hammer mill located in a concrete blockhouse. For recycling timbers and small trees. Shortly before lunch the boss' girlfriend stopped by. I waited for them to chat for a minute and then went back to work. It wasn't direct line of sight, but apparently she had never seen an arc welder light up and thought it was some kind of explosion. She jumped so hard she nearly fell off the catwalk. I just assumed that it was OK since she was dating an ironworker and climbed up on the catwalk while we were working. But then I was grinding at the time not welding. It was also a smallish room painted white so the flash was kind of in your face, although I was dealing with it from the other two guys alright. Anyway I'm sure glad she didn't go over the railing and I'll never do that again.

ETA: Whaaaaaat!??! You have curly fries and you didn't give me some?? Come across, Gloss!

[Radical Edward]

Ok hang tight I'll email you some.

[Jaglavak]

Sweet!

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

Whatever dude, just because you don't have the common sense to check in with a vet rather than assuming your probably-blind cat is just fine don't act like I'm some kind of crazy cat lady living in a cardboard box in a parking lot with no electricity and some curly fries.

I think you missed something, here, "Retardical Edward", (the nonnies named you, properly). I actually realized, once I saw what my cat was looking at, that she might have been blinded. I tested for it. I found out that it actually happened. I also have been testing her for several days. I've been monitoring her vision ever since. I finished the weld, flipped up my mask, and saw, to my horror, that Melinda was looking right at that. What are you insisting I should have done, instead? If I had called you and asked, what would you have told me to do that I didn't? You really are stupid. I pity any dog or cat that you ever have. Dumbfuck.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

Whatever dude, just because you don't have the common sense to check in with a vet rather than assuming your probably-blind cat is just fine don't act like I'm some kind of crazy cat lady living in a cardboard box in a parking lot with no electricity and some curly fries.

I must admit, you seem to have some self-awareness, here.

[Radical Edward]

Here's a fun fact: I don't actually live in a cardboard box, or a parking lot, my lights work, and I don't have 50 cats. I do, however, eat lots of curly fries. The long story short is that I'm the greatest troll who ever trolled, and don't you fucking forget it.

[Pere]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

You really are stupid. I pity any dog or cat that you ever have. Dumbfuck.

You know, I wasn't going to say anything at first, because you had confessed your own mishap, and I thought you felt appropriately shitty enough on your own. But you are being a severe dickhead here, and you really have no room to talk. You fucked up with your cat. You fucked up worse than any pet owner I have ever known; if the cat is really OK that just means you got lucky.

Originally Posted by Inna Minnit

It's not like Alchy was ignoring the cat.

Obviously he was; that's how it happened. The degree of attention afterward is mitigation, at best.

[Jaglavak]

Dude, you can't see anything but the arc with the welding hood on.
But he's on his own with the tantrum, though. I got five bucks on Crazy Eddie.

[Radical Edward]

Then might it not have been prudent to say, shut the cat out of the room?

[Jaglavak]

If one had thought of it, yes. But this is a real oddball situation. Aside from temporary job sites I only worked at one shop where they didn't at least have a dog, and usually a couple of cats too. One place even had horses. They all pretty much bugged out whenever we were working not only because of the light but also the grinders, hammering, and cursing. None of them ever sat there and stared at the arc. It's a pretty unusual thing for an animal to do.

But besides that, Alky is being a total dick who should immediately grovel for forgiveness.

[Pere]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

If one had thought of it, yes.

It seems to me that, as with any other case where you're handling something inherently dangerous (fire, firearms, explosives, poison gas, high voltage, chainsaws, heavy equipment), it's on you, always, to think of it--to be aware, and to keep children and pets clear of the danger zone. If something bad happens, that's a priori proof that you weren't responsible enough to be doing it.

[Jaglavak]

I don't know where my cat is right now and that is the usual situation. If I see the cat around when I'm working there is a particular noise I make to tell her to GTFO. There is another noise to tell her it's OK and she doesn't have to move. But if she walked up while I was welding, I wouldn't know about it until the weld was done.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Jaglavak

I don't know where my cat is right now and that is the usual situation. If I see the cat around when I'm working there is a particular noise I make to tell her to GTFO. There is another noise to tell her it's OK and she doesn't have to move. But if she walked up while I was welding, I wouldn't know about it until the weld was done.

Yeah, this. I was a bit over the top, last night, but what it really comes down to is that I had no reasonable reason to believe that Melinda would actually come and watch, reason to believe she wasn't around at the time, and plenty of reason to believe she would see the excessively bright light and not stick around. I was shocked to flip up the mask, and see her loooooooking at what I was doing.

It turns out that my beliefs were wrong. And Melinda was looking at the arc. Hence, this thread, where I said "Oh, shit! I think I may have blinded my cat." And have spent several days testing her vision.

Naw... I don't care about my kitty. I'm just ignoring the whole thing. Or, at least, that's what I have been accused of. By someone who can be documented to actually ignore shit like that. My response was/is a hearty "Fuck You" to her. And it still stands. You can look down on me, ReTardEd bitch, the instant you actually do better, rather than worse than me, in life. Until then, kindly go fuck yourself.

[KidVermicious]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

I couldn't even get her to wear a mask! She doesn't have opposable thumbs! Whadda ya want, miracles?

I dunno about miracles but I really want a welding cat because my welds suck. Will you rent me yours?

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by KidVermicious

I dunno about miracles but I really want a welding cat because my welds suck. Will you rent me yours?

Sure, as long as you don't let her blind herself again. She tried it once, and apparently it sucks. You'll have to hold the mask on her head. She can't keep it there, herself.

As far as rental fees go, though, you'll have to work it out with her. She's her own cat.

[C2H5OH]

Edit: Naw, too far, even for me.

[DoubleJ]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

I was shocked to flip up the mask, and see her loooooooking at what I was doing.

If I hadn't seen pics earlier, I'd swear she was an orange (tabby?) cat. A college roommate of mine had one, and he liked to stare at random things too. Or more like he'd point himself in a certain direction and shut his brain down for about 10 minutes. Maybe they're all like that, I dunno. I'm horribly allergic to most of the little fuckers.

[Radical Edward]

Originally Posted by C2H5OH

It turns out that my beliefs were wrong. And Melinda was looking at the arc. Hence, this thread, where I said "Oh, shit! I think I may have blinded my cat." And have spent several days testing her vision.

Naw... I don't care about my kitty. I'm just ignoring the whole thing. Or, at least, that's what I have been accused of. By someone who can be documented to actually ignore shit like that. My response was/is a hearty "Fuck You" to her. And it still stands. You can look down on me, ReTardEd bitch, the instant you actually do better, rather than worse than me, in life. Until then, kindly go fuck yourself.

Son, you know nothing about my actual life. If you're so worried that I think less of you because you may have blinded your cat, maybe that's an indication that you have more insecurities than you think.

[C2H5OH]

Yeah, I was wrong. You don't have the slightest bit of self-awareness.

Bite me, bitch.

[Radical Edward]

If it makes you feel better to have the last word, carry on.

[C2H5OH]

Originally Posted by Radical Edward

If it makes you feel better to have the last word, carry on.

<Heh.> So why did you post in an attempt to get in the last word?