LoveToKnow Cats:AllComments

From LoveToKnow Cats

Comments

Hi Annie,

The kitten will likely adapt to being blind. As long as you keep it inside, blindness shouldn't be a big hindrance. However, I am wondering if the vet tested him/her for other underlying problems and diseases. If those came back negative and this is just an eye infection that may cause blindness, then I can't see putting a cat down for that alone. However, he may be saying that he has found some underlying issues that are going to cause serious problems or be contagious to your other cats.

If you are not certain, I would phone him and ask for some confirmation. In the meantime, keep giving her the meds and monitoring her closely. Good luck!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a 8 day old kitten who has a very bad eye infection which is now out of control, there is puss coming from both eyes. Took it to my vets today who has given me medication and eye drops. He told me that the kitten will be blind and i should consider having it put to sleep, i just dont know what to do and i am so worried for the kitten. Please advise me

-- Contributed by: annie

Hi Alice,

I'm sorry to hear Wagner has been so ill. More than likely he will adjust to the vision loss with time. Most cats do. You'll just need to not move furniture around or bring new things in as he will not be familiar with a new layout or new items in the home.

However, I too am worried about the mounting vet bills when you are on a fixed income. One thing that occurred to me was that the local shelter might offer some type of assistance. Many local Humane Societies will offer assistance to fixed income individuals. I would phone them and see what they have to say.

If that is not a possibility, then spend some time phoning different vets and explaining his health issues and your income. Vets charge different rates. You may find one that will work on a sliding scale, is quite a bit cheaper or will work with you to get him the care he needs. Perhaps volunteering to help in the offices a few days a month in exchange for services, for example.

Good luck! I hope Wagner gets better soon.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My heart is breaking. We adopted our orange tabby Wagner from city animal control 4 yrs ago. He is about 12 or 13. He has only 2 toes on his right front paw, and that leg is arthritic. He has been the SWEETEST cat. About one yr ago he lost his hearing..totally deaf. Then 4 days ago he woke up and couldn't manuever his back legs, and was walking around like he was disoriented, or he couldn't see. Took him to the vet immediately. He is BLIND....feline retinal degeneration. Overnight ! But the back leg problem was a mystery. They kept him for 4 days, ran tests. Kidneys are fine, and not diabetic. But Hyperthyroidism test came back positive. ($500.00 vet bill !) I brought him home today with a 20 pill bottle of Methimazole...give to him 2X daily they said, and bring him back in 10 days for recheck of the T4. That visit will cost $91.00 I am in such a delima. Husband and I are on fixed income, but Wagner means the WORLD to us. He is deaf and now he is blind. He walks around bumping into things and won't even attempt to go upstairs to the bedroom where his favorite window and bed are. He is eating and drinking..when I show him the way to the food bowls. Hasn't used litter box yet...4 hrs since we brought him home. Sleeping on the sofa. I am scared to death to go to sleep tonight for fear that he will hurt himself if he does try to make it upstairs. Does anyone else have this experience with a deaf and blind pet? Do they adjust? And will the hyperthyroidism exasterbate things? Will he tolerate the meds? Is there anyway I can get these meds cheaper? The 20 pill bottle was $15.00 Can anyone give me advice. I don't want his quality of life to be non-existant. I am prepared to have him put down if it comes to that...but I do not want to. We had to have our 20yr old tabby put down 4 yrs ago...and his 18 yr old sister 3 yrs before that.(neithe one of them had any hearing loss, blindness or Hyperthyroidism..) So, that is why we adopted sweet Wagner. I am at a loss. PLEASE can someone advise?

-- Contributed by: Alice

Hi Patrick,

For inside the house, place him in a litter box. Most cats will litter train on their own if you show them in this way where his box is and contain him for a short period of time in that area.

I am really concerned about the pus in his eyes. It is a sign of infection and if left untreated could eventually be fatal. You can of course clean the eyes out with a warm wash cloth, but be careful of using anything over the counter as many items are toxic to cats.

I would get him to a vet as soon as you can. You may want to call the local Humane Society. Sometimes they have free or inexpensive clinics or can point you to veterinarians in the area that may work out a payment plan. Good luck. He sounds like a sweet cat.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi John,

I think that the vet definitely needs to do some more testing to see if you can determine the cause for the potential blindness. It may be something as simple as cataracts. There are surgeries for cataracts, but they can be costly. You have to make a decision based on the cat's age, what is actually causing the condition and the cost of treatment.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

I have a feral kitten and no mother around (No idea who or where she is.) He is a friendly litle bugger once I got him to eat but he has one eye missing and the other has a whitish cornea. He is blind in both eyes but very attentive and follows me around by listening to my footsteps. If I stop he stops.

Both eyes are also discharging yellowish pus and I'm trying to keep them clean to no avail. I am out of work and cannot take him to the vet right now and was wondering if there are home remedies I can try to clear up the pus?

Also, any tips on helping him acclimitize to the house would be appreciated. He just started on wet food and still takes my grandma's special formula so he's VERY young.

-- Contributed by: Patrick

Our cat is obviously going blind. We don't know when it started, but we think it has progressed quickly in just the last few weeks. He has no symptoms associated with the common causes I've read up on except maybe glaucoma, which doesn't necessarily have any other symptoms (correct?). He's had a blood pressure test and it was low. What else could it be, and does it make sense to put him on antiglaucoma meds even if we don't know for sure?

-- Contributed by: John

Hi Donna,

I'm so sorry this happened to your cat. Your vet gave you the best advice out there. You truly do have to wait and see what happens. The brain has an amazing ability to heal itself. Try to console your cat and keep him or her as comfortable as possible during this time. Don't move any furniture etc. The cat is likely still very disoriented from the accident. Also, if the cat is on any medication that could cause this type of behavior. You should know more in a few weeks.

I realize it is hard to wait and see what will happen, but this really is one of those situations where the cat needs time to heal before a complete diagnosis of the damage can be made. The vet can only tell so much from an examination and X-rays. Good luck. I hope the cat gets better. Please do keep us posted on how it goes.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

please help, my cat was diagnosed with sweling on the brain its up and about after a car accident 48 hrs ago.Its still confused and walking in circles someone said it may be blind because of the trauma 2 days ago will this be temporary or permenant, please help the vet wont give me any rough answers, he said we have to wait and see.

-- Contributed by: donna

Hi Michelle,

Your vet likely didn't recommend surgery because of her advanced age. In some cases, the surgery is riskier than the problem the cat is dealing with. Of course, you can always get another opinion or two. With the laser surgeries they are capable of now, there may be another treatment for her that is less invasive. I would ask for a referral to a vet who specializes in vision issues or cats. With a second or third opinion, you'll be able to make a more informed choice.

In the meantime, just speak to her when you approach and try not to move anything from its regular spot, which she is likely used to.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My 17 year old female cat Chloe is blind. In July 2007 she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidisim, in October 2007 we treated her with iodine radiation. She is cured of the hyperthyroidism but now she is blind. I took her to an opthamalogist who said she had cataracts and does not recommend surgery to remove them. She is so lost, she falls off the couch, steps and tables. It is so sad to see her this way, it breaks my heart! She cries so much now and she gets very scared when you first approach and touch her. Any suggestions? Would surgery be to invasive for her?

-- Contributed by: michelle

Hi Debi,

Has your cat been vaccinated for rabies? If so, then it is unlikely he or she has rabies. My concern is that the cat is circling. This indicates a potential illness of some sort. The vision problems could be from any number of things.

I realize the weather is bad, but if there is anyway you can get the cat to a vet, I think you should.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Today my cat is showing symptoms of blindness. This is an outdoor white cat with one blue eye and one green. The one eye never contracted well. When using a flashlight on the pupils there is little reaction - but some.

Currently the cat is confined to my back porch and is circling, walking into walls and such.

We have recently had snow and ice. Lots of sun today. Could we be dealing with snow blindness? Or something much more serious? Hopefully not rabies. I currently cannot locate the rabies records.

-- Contributed by: Debi

Hi Cheryl,

The high fever and infection may just have caused his eyes to be dilated, which would create a glare and make it difficult for him to see. If he is still that ill, you really should go ahead and take him back to the vet. He should be showing some improvement by now. The vet can inject antibiotics right into his blood stream and give him antiseizure meds to prevent a seizure. Hope he feels better soon!

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Our 14 yr. old cat recently got outside and came home with a scratch on the top of his head. He was extremely upset and after we cleaned him up, put antibiotic ointment on the scratch, he hid for a day. The next day he didn't eat or get up most of the day. On Monday we took him to the Vet, he had a temp of 103. After blood tests they said he had an infection. We took him home after 2 doses of antibiotic he isn't any better. Now he seems to be blind! Can a high fever bring on blindness? Will his vision come back? We definitely will get him back to the Vet if he continues to not get better. I was just wondering what advice you have,and if you have heard of anything similiar. Thanks

-- Contributed by: Cheryl

Hi Susanna,

My advice is to save your money on the psychic and go with your gut instinct on what is best for your cat. For example, will it kill him to not have the eye removed? Or cause him severe pain? If so, then go ahead with the surgery.

The kidney issues sound like things that can be cleared up, at least for now. Many older animals suffer urinary tract infections like this.

I always tell people who ask how they will know when it is time to put an animal to sleep that they will know without a doubt. When your pet is unresponsive and yowling in pain, then you know what the clear choice is. If you feel uncertain, then it likely isn't yet time. Good luck and I hope this helps a little.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Hi, my six year old cat Gizmo has been diagnosed with Glaucoma, unfortunately, it was too late to save his vision. He has already had an emergency surgery to have one eye removed. I then brought him to a cat optometry clinic for a second opinion and advice on how to save his other eye. They agreed with my vet and said that his other eye has to be removed as well. As you can imagine, I've been devasted. I didn't even believe that he was blind. His other senses are so strong. He does everything just like he has nothing wrong with him. I have made a few adjustments at home, bought a few ramps, he has trouble with stairs, other than that he's great! He can even play, with toys that make sound ofcourse! Recently his best friend, my 14 year old cat was diagnosed with kidney disease, and I put her down last month, so he's been a little lonely. I thought it was her urinating around the house, but then found out it was him, I brought him back to my vet, and found out he had a urinary tract infection. So we cancelled his surgery. It has been crazy ever since, did another urine sample, the UTI was gone but the doctor was concerned that his urine was too dilute. Did another urine sample, the UTI is back, so now we are on a stronger antibiotic, did bloodwork to check kidneys and find out why urine is so dilute, bloodwork came back fine, just as did few months back. Urine coulture came back that maybe he hasn't been cleaning himself good enough so that's why he got the UTI again. The doctor thinks that the dilute urine is either early symptons of kidney disease or possible Cushings disease, which treatment she says is very vague. My problem is, I love him, and I don't want him to live a life of misery. Do I do the surgery and have his eye out? My friends tell me I'm inhumane! What if he does get kidney disease in the future? I don't know what to do. I can't see putting him down now though, yeah, he is blind, and it does sound sick to have no eyes, but he already has one out and is fine. I've done the research and there are actually many pets that have had double enucleation and have lived long happy lives! To me otherwise he seems healthy! And Happy! What do you think? Please help! I've even been considering calling a pet psychic for some advice.

-- Contributed by: Susanna

Hi Kathy,

I agree with you. If the cat still has quality of life and seems to get around okay, I wouldn't put her down. As long as your mother doesn't move furniture around on her, she'll likely be okay, especially as the condition came on gradually. Obviously she can't go outside and any major changes might be a hardship. To me, you should only put an animal down if she is in pain or has a highly communicable and fatal disease. She may still have several good years left.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My mothers cat will be 19 in a few months. She gradually lost her hearing about a year ago. A few years ago she was diagnosed with Progressive Retinal Atrophy. It seems now that she is almost completely blind. She is healthy otherwise, gets along fine and eats well. My question is, how much of a hardship is being deaf and blind in any older cat? Some people are telling my mother that the humane thing to do would be to have euthanized. I disagree. What do you think?

-- Contributed by: Kathy

Hi Marianne,

I'm so sorry this happened to your cat. What a good "Mommy" you are to him to take such good care of him. Whether or not he regains his vision will depend on how much damage is done. Do you know how long his heart stopped? That will also make a difference in the impact of the damage. I would also take him back to the vet (or another vet, if you have concerns over the first) and see if there is anything additional you can do to help him regain his vision or get past his panic attacks. It does sound like he is just scared. Even if he never regains his vision, he will likely adjust with time and calm back down. Please check back and let us know how he's doing.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

Please help us. Our 8 month old kitten was neutered 3 weeks ago. He was given a valium ketamine mix and at some point in the operation his heart stopped and he stopped breathing. The vet was able to resuscitate him but he took a very long time to wake up, over 6 hours, at which point was extremely distraught thrashing around in his cage, banging his head and screaming. We took him home in very rough shape but over the next few days he got a lot better-even managing to wobble around a bit and eat a little. Now three weeks later he is doing much better, however, he is completely blind. His hearing is fine. He has adjusted fairly well to his surroundings, bumps into fewer things and has started climbing up onto couches and so on. He occasionally takes bad falls (and doesnâ€™t land on his feet) or runs into objects or walls pretty hard. He often has what seem to be little panic attacks where he gets a bit frantic and starts panting and can bite or scratch-probably because heâ€™s frightened or frustrated at not being able to see. His pupils do change size in response to light but he doesnâ€™t seem to be aware of the difference between light and dark (if you take him out into bright sunshine he doesnâ€™t show any signs of noticing a change. Do you think it is possible for him to regain his vision? We are encouraged by the progress he has made so far and hope he will continue to heal. Is it possible that since he is so young his brain is not fully developed and he may still have enough neural plasticity to reallocate visual function to an undamaged area of his brain? He was so lively and mischievous before this happened and watching him struggle to get along is heart-breaking.

Any advice or encouragement you can offer would be greatly appreciated

Marianne

-- Contributed by: MarianneVarial

Hi Jackie,

Has he been vomiting? Is he drinking any liquids. It almost sounds like a situation where he has gotten into something toxic to his system. I would go ahead and take him to the vet immediately for treatment. Be sure to write down all the symptoms, so you can share them with the vet.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

please help, my kittens 9months , hes been poorly, druling teething etc, now within 5hrs hes gone blind!!! well he seems blind. please help. thanks jackie.

-- Contributed by: jackie

Hi Ginger,

It's hard to say at this point, as he may still be healing from the accident. Has your vet looked at the eye? I would definitely call and mention what you've noticed. If it is a case of pressure on his eye, the vet may be able to relieve that and preserve some of his sight.

Also, you may want to ask for a referral to a vet who specializes in the ocular care of cats.

I hope he recuperates quickly.

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

My cat was hit by a car 10 days ago and suffered a broken jaw (front lower midline fracture of the mandibular joint) and no other bone fractures. He had to have teeth removed from his upper left jaw and the area around his left eye was swollen and bleeding from the membrane due to the force of being flung into the pavement. The eyeball appears normal in size as compared to the uninjured side of his face.

His lower jaw was wired and he eats well and behaves normally and the facial swelling is mostly gone, however his left eye appears to have blood behind the iris on the back of the inner eyeball and his pupil is nonresponsive. Do you think this cat maybe blind? He does not appear to be in pain.

-- Contributed by: Ginger

Hi, Tabitha. Is he an older cat? A cloudy eye could be an indication of cataracts or any number of other problems. I would take him to the vet and get a checkup. There are some procedures for dealing with cataracts, if that is the issue. It also might be safer to keep him inside until you are sure if he can see anything or not. Check back and let us know what the vet says :)

-- Contributed by: LoriSoard

what if my cat is an outside cat and just went blind.When i got him from my mama he had one good eye my mom thought the bad eye was due to a fight but ive had him mabe 4 mo and the other eye has began to look cloudy and yucky and he acts if he cant see.thanks tabatha

-- Contributed by: tabatha

Hi Bettina,

Hyperthyroidism sometimes leads to high blood pressure, and the high blood pressure can lead to blindness if it's not discovered and gotten under control soon enough. You mention you had tests done, but what tests were they- a follow up on the thyroid issue, or tests done specifically on the eyes?

At the ripe old age of 16, age could certainly be the culprit. Causes aside, your cat can still live quite easily with the sight loss if you take a few precautions.

Leave your furniture and his own things in their current place. Your cat knows where everything is and will remember this as his sight fades.
Be extra careful that your cat doesn't wander outside by himself. This could lead to accidents and injuries.

Thanks for your question.

-- Contributed by: Kelly

My cat was treated for hyperthyroid about a year ago using the radioactive iodine treatment. About 8 months later I noticed that his eye sight has been deteriorating in the last couple of months. I had tests done and everything appears to be normal. Any thoughts as to what else could be causing this other than old age? He's 16. Thanks!

-- Contributed by: Bettina P

Hello Sally,

That was a very kind thing you and your husband did by adopting this disabled kitten. Unfortunately, I can't recommend an over the counter medication without being sure of what's causing the discharge. It could be an infection in the sockets, or it could be a sign of illness. It would be better to bring the condition to your vet's attention so he/she could prescribe or recommend exactly what you need.

In the meantime, you can keep the area free from crust by using a warm wet cloth to loosen the debris and wipe it away.

Thanks for your question~~ Kelly

-- Contributed by: Kelly

I have a female cat who my husband found at his first job. We believe her to be a year old now. It appears that she was born without her eyes. She is perfectly happy and appears to be healthy, aside from this problem. Her eyes do release alot of discharge and it dries up on her nose,but she doesn't appear to be sneezing which would make me fearful of her having feline herpes. Aside from her eye problems, she is fully functional and plays like normal cats do, except she is more drawn to sounds. She responds quickly to the sound of our voices and the bells in her kitty toys. Is there a certain medicine that you could possibly recommend to us to help her with the discharge? We would appreciate your help. Thank You, Sally Rodriguez

-- Contributed by: Sally Rodriguez
> Return to article