Like human infants, kittens are born with the ability to detect horizontal lines

Kittens were raised in environments consisting entirely of vertical stripes or of horizontal stripes.
Without normal visual experience, the neurons in the brain that would normally respond to horizontal or to vertical lines deteriorate.
As a result, the kittens appeared to be blind to the stimuli that they had not experienced.
Kittens exposed only to vertical stripes bumped into horizontal obstacles and those exposed only to horizontal stripes bumped into vertical obstacles.
Recovery depends on the animal’s age when the damage occurs and how long the deprivation lasts.
Critical periods in visual development are also indicated by the experiences of individuals who are deaf from birth and receive a cochlear implant or blind from birth and have vision restored. 
These individuals always have difficulty making sense of what they hear or see.