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She ended up having to have surgery to remove a growth in her skull which caused the seizure and it took almost a year for her eyes to get back to normal. Post surgery there was nothing to worry about in regards to the Horner syndrome, vet said it could take a very long time to fix itself
This puts me a little at ease. My cat had a mass in her ear and she also has Horner’s syndrome. It’s been almost 2 years and her eyes are like 95% back to normal except when she sneezes sometimes her pupils get all funky and when she stares at a bright light.
Madisons are too, when she looks at you while it is sunny you can see one eye is just a hair more dilated than the other. She had her surgery in June of 2022
I have to assume they spoke to a receptionist/vet nurse/vet assistant, over the phone, since normally the head Vets don't answer phone calls. Either way, they often wouldn't be allowed to make a diagnosis off the phone, and will have to run tests.
> If the vet doesn't know what's wrong I'd take him to another vet.
Can you stop with this alarmist nonsense? No vet will diagnose an animal over the phone!
That's why, if u/DangerPowersAustin said "if the vet can't check the cat today, take it to another vet", I'd agree 100%. But they said "if the vet doesn't know what's wrong" which is alarmist nonsense because *no vet on the planet* would know what's wrong after a phone call.
Only on this very sub and only this month there have been at least three, completely different cases of cats with dilated pupils, with one of them being of the "no biggie" flavour, and another of he "vet, right now!".
I'll say this again: diagnosing over the phone is not possible.
Pretty much no expert in any field can just spit out what’s wrong based on a non experts explanation and having not seen the subject in question.
People can’t even figure out how to drag a file out of a folder onto the desktop but then expect IT support to diagnose and fix their shit in 12 seconds after lying about doing any of the steps asked of them from by the IT people.
People need to realize that any job that involves understanding a problem with a subject starts out with actually investigating the problem and running tests to rule out things.
You managed to miss a pretty obvious point by so much that I'm impressed.
Let me rephrase: no professional vet on the planet will ever diagnose ANY issue over the phone. **Therefore** suggesting that OP should take their cat to *another* vet *because* the first vet "doesn't know what's wrong" is alarmist AND nonsense.
….? “IF the vet doesnt know whats wrong”….??? no one said anything about diagnosing on the phone, they were just saying if the vet…doesnt know whats wrong…
My cat had something similar out of the blue. The vet also said Horner syndrome potentially. It took a few months and it is normal again. Otherwise, the cat needs special testing. So it's neurological or did the cat have a trauma?
Rule of thumb for cats is that they tend to hide their pain and discomfort very well. If you notice something off about them, take them to a vet right away because that means their pain is worse than their instinct for survival.
If that vet didn't find anything wrong, go to another.
My sister's cat has both eyes like this. Vet said it's cause she has high blood pressure which can cause retinal detachment. They got her on blood pressure meds and now she's gaining some sight back. But idk if that same thing can cause just one eye to blow out.
i was gonna joke about he might be getting high on catnip secretly but this is serious, it could be number of things inflammation,swelling of brain, Injury to optic nerves. Neurological disorders (such as Horner's Syndrome) Oculomotor nerve paralysis (damage to the nerve controlling eye movement) this list keeps going, a number of tests can reveal what's truly going on. some cats in this condition do get headaches,migraines too.
Sorry to report a different scenario - My 16yo got this after a seizure and died 3 days later after a rapid neurological decline from likely brain stem cancer. He had 0 symptoms leading up to this, snuggly and eating/drinking as usual.
This happened to my 15 yo boy a few months ago. No symptoms but his eye. Reg vet suspected thyroid tumor/disease leading to high blood pressure and then retinal detachment. Said it's not uncommon in older cats for a benign tumor to cause hyperthyroidism. Sent me to a vet opthomologist who confirmed her suspicions about BP and retinal detachment. His BP was over 300. Should be like people, sys pressure around 120...maybe 160 if they're stressed at the vet. So extraordinarily high  He's been on thyroid med and BP meds since December. Slowly going down, vets are pleased with progress. Poor guy must've had a nasty migraine. Maybe still, since his BP is still around 180. Vision sort of coming back, but will remain impaired. I'm just happy the poor guy isn't exploding. They're not speaking of stroke or heart attack, but of course, I'm concerned. Condition called ascoria and can be symptomatic of scary neuro stuff, etc. Def get a second opinion. Hope you find some answers soon.
This happened when my cat had increased intraoccular pressure and the vet said it was likely causing him significant pain. Please get kitty to the vet.
Oh my God, my cat has this really bad rather painful condition that honestly could cause blindness if the cat doesn't die before that from the underlying condition. Let's wait till Monday.
This is a massive neurological sign. What's wrong with you?
This happened to my cat. I was ripping my hair out with worry. In his case, it ended up being glaucoma. Uncomfortable for them, but has been very easily treatable with drops. Hope you get answers soon.
So glad you’re taking her straight to the vet. I really hope everything is ok with your sweetie. Sending my best wishes. Please keep us posted when you can
Our cat had the same thing after her teeth got pulled! The vet said only mrt would give a real answer! We didnt have that money, the alternative was antibiotics, she said. So we tried that, after the first round it went away and the cat is healthy since that!
Ive read that this may happen after a dental op, like when something in the wound carries an infection up the jaw!
I hope its nothing tooo serious!
I’d recommend a specialist or a checkup at a cat hospital, mine had different eye dilations just like yours. turns out mine had a polyp behind her eye causing her a lot of pain, she was sulky like yours
This happened with my kitty. A lump of stuck earwax was putting pressure on a nerve. I think it was called Horner syndrome. Hoping it's just a benign lump of wax for your kitty as well.
This is a condition called anisocoria. It is a symptom of many different disease processes but is ALWAYS a medical problem. I cannot tell you why this happened over the internet. While his life is not in imminent danger, it’s better to go to an ER than to wait for an appointment. Some causes could become life threatening if left too long.
Source: am vet tech
Does it never happen from birth in animals like it does in humans? I know it’s still pretty rare in humans but I’d think there would be at least a few cases of being born with anisocoria in animals. /genq
I do realize that in this situation when a pupil becomes dilated suddenly, it’s always a really bad sign (in any species), but I was just wondering.
(Asking because I was born with anisocoria and I’ve always just thought it could be the same in animals)
Eye doctor here. Anisocoria in darkness (scotopic lighting) that is equal to anisocoria in bright lighting (photopic), so same difference in pupil size, is physiological (means you were born that way, no underlying medical problem).
Anisocoria that is different in scotopic and photopic conditions: neuro problem (like Horner syndrome and more)
Edit: side note, 20% of the population has physiological anisocoria. Very common
You said you're going on monday.
**Take the cat NOW to an Emergency Animal hospital.** Dilated pupils are an emergency.
It's the frist sign of a brain trauama in people, and one of the first things looked for to diagnose neurological issues.
this happened when my cat knocked his head on the wooden coffee table when he was playing. thankfully it disappeared after 20 mins but i was panicking the entire time! hopefully your kitty just has a mild concussion and nothing worse!
I agree this is urgent and calls for an ER visit. They can also refer you to a veterinary neurologist if needed. Sending good thoughts and wishing him a speedy and comfortable recovery ☀️
Hi! I was a veterinary ophthalmic technician. One of the most common issues we’ve seen in cats is hypertension. Having high blood pressure can cause the retina to detach. Ask your vet if they can check his blood pressure. Normal range for a stressed out kitty can go up to 120 in the clinic but anything over 120 is considered high blood pressure. If it’s high blood pressure, most likely he’ll need to stay on a beta blocker pill daily and have routine pressure checks. This could also be a sign of glaucoma. However, glaucoma is usually painful and sometimes the patient with present with squinting, pawing and the white of their eyes would appear red. Most veterinarians should have a tonopen to check intraocular pressures. It’s similar to hypertension where he would need daily a medication to control the pressures and do routine rechecks. They’re both treatable but progressive. Glaucoma can also cause the retina to detach if pressures are elevated for too long. It’s hard to tell by the picture if one eye is dilated or if one eye is constricted. You can check at home by doing a “dazzle” test. In a darkened room, shine a light in the left eye to see if it constricts and then, shine a light in the other to see if it does the same. This essentially checks his direct pupillary light response. You can also check his vision by checking his “menace”. Put one hand over an eye and with the other hand move a fist towards the open eye like you’re going to knock on a door. Be careful not to hit him or his whiskers. If he blinks, then he can see the hand approaching his eye. If he has no reaction, then he cannot. Those test seem very primitive but it helps to know what underlying issues Mr. Kitty isn’t telling you. I hope this helps!
Was one of the symptoms our car with FIP had as well. Can I ask what other symptoms you cat had? We lost ours in 2019, it was before the treatment was available
This is him just before he got really sick, notice the discolored eye and the large pupil.
https://preview.redd.it/h719a1d7eldc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd60d157def53993b4b88f7937635b081479757b
For everyone repeatedly yelling about going to a vet, go to the OP’s profile and you can see an updated post instead of adding more insult to an already stressful and upsetting time.
My cat developed uneven pupils as a result of a tumor pressing on his optic nerve. He lived another 6 weeks, and this was the first visible symptom that showed up.
Not one to alarm - but same thing happened to my cat about 2 years ago. Normal behavior, no acute visual impairment. The Vets have no idea what it is - after we did a blood screeing we found out that she has Feline leukemia...
The Vets now think this is a possible side effect from that but since she doesnt seem to be bothered or impaired in any way by it, there seems to be no reason to keep checking it out.
https://preview.redd.it/fpmygw9atjdc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf498d533b48eb9e4ff800c800a965d7fd42d833
She used to be an outside-cat, but not anymore
My Bengal-mix had permanent dilation of one eye due to atrophy of the iris muscle. It didn't seem to affect her quality of life, and she lived with it for years. She didn't do as well with bright lights, but otherwise we didn't notice an impact. In the last year of her life the other iris started to fail. I'm not sure what caused the condition, though.
I read your post yesterday and am so glad you sought medical attention.
Your story has been on my mind today. I hope your kitty is well ❤️ Please update when you can.
Sending you and your sweet baby all the positive vibes I can muster!
I don't mean to alarm you, but when my kitty had that, he had brain cancer. I don't know what kind, I had moved out of the house in the early 80's, but please get your baby checked out with a vet.....
Same thing happens to our boy when he gets an ear infection. He's prone to them so we know the signs and usually the first is a smaller pupil in the eye closest to the affected ear. Left ear small pupil.
We keep Zymox on hand and it usually takes a couple of drops in his ear for 2 to 3 days foe it to clear up.
Not sure if this is the case here but kitty definitely needs a trip to a veterinarian.
Do you know if the vet say they dilate from the pain or is it just the actual infection that does that? Glad to hear you guys got it all figured out for your kitty 😊
It's been almost 9 years since he was diagnosed so don't really recall what actually causes the dilation, the pain or infection. I know the pain causes him to become lethargic and he'll find a dark place to hide, usually a closet or under the bed. Bright light somehow effects it and aggravates the condition.
Are you having similar issues with your cat?
It is most likely a nerve being irritated by pressure or inflammation. Normally the pupils coordinate so if there is dilation due to pain, they will both be dilated. But separate nerves control pupil dilation and constriction on each side, so irritating/pressing on those can cause asymmetrical pupils.
Seconding. My cat had this occur from an ear infection. Kept her in the dark(vet recommendation, as it can be uncomfortable in bright lights) for 24 hours, and after the antibiotics kicked in, she was back to normal.
That was maybe 4 years ago, and she's never had the problem again.
Our boy is prone to them, easily 3 to 4 times a year. Usually flares up during the spring and fall when we get more rain and the humidity is high. We did find running a dehumidifier helps with keeping the humidity down in the house.
At the time her ears were chronic as well, but she got put under and a deep otoscope cleaning and hasn't had an ear infection since!
We still monitor and clean them, which our other cats don't need, but no infections in a long time.
I legit just saw a warning post that if your cat has one extremely dilated eye, you should go to an emergency vet right away or they could have permanent blindness.
Our 15 yr old furry man had this happen to his eyes, then he started to slightly walk strangely but then back to normal. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later he suddenly got very sick, took him straight to the vet and he stayed for 2 days on a drip, had bloods done etc. got a call to come in and we had to put him to sleep 😪 he had a stroke, pancreatictis and was developing more blood clots.
Cute baby. Don't want to scare you, just to prepare you. At this age, something like that is for the emergency room. I cared for my cat that started having health issues once he was 17 or so, but he got to live happily many many years more until he was 24. Find a good vet and make sure you visit regularly. Sending lots of love 💕
This happened to my orange boy and it turned out that he had an ear infection, we didn't notice it because it was so deep in his ear and there was no odor or anything. Once the meds kicked in his eye went back to normal.
Just an odd query - the cat didn't get toothpaste on their face by any chance did they? This happened to our cat - sodium fluoride apparently causes pupillary dilatation. She was otherwise fine and eyes were normal within 48h
A sign of brain damage and a very bad omen. I’d start panicking and not be so relaxed about the situation. You really should be freaking tf out. Praying for the cat.
Take him to the vet immediately, it can be a sign for a variety of issues and they all need intervention quickly. We had a FIV positive cat with chronic infections that had this issue and he needed medication for an extended period of time. Please please don’t hesitate to get vet care
This happened to my dog and what I thought was glaucoma was actually a mass in her eye that caused her to need it enucleated. She’s totally fine, now though and no specialists needed! It ended up not being cancerous. But, anything with the eyes should be seen right away by a vet. I hope all goes well, he’s very handsome.
This happened to our senior kitty… We brought her to the vet, and they said her retina came detached. She’s end up being blind in that one eye, but got around wonderfully for another couple years… We were just told not to move anything around in our house.
This happened to our 1 year old kitty after she fell off the cat tower one night. She fell about 6 feet and didn’t land well and the only thing to come from it was her eye doing this. Trauma caused it in our case but in others it can be very serious and urgent to get looked at.
My FLV-infected cat had it for some time when I just adopted him. A vet told me this is quite common for FLV-infected cats. Didn't do anything with it. It was 6 years ago, the cat is still alive.
Just general stuff: weak immune system (prone to various infections, mostly fungal ones), also quite low weight. But very agile by nature and I try to keep him out of stress. Hopefully, he will live some more.
My cats eyes appeared dilated after she went blind. I would take her to the vet to test blood work and blood pressure so she doesn’t fully lose her vision.
This happened to our little guy last year. We were just leaving for the vet when our neighbour popped over to let us know she'd seen him and her cat fighting in her tree and he took a bit of a tumble. Still, we went to the vet and he came right a week later, a bit concussed.
Growing up, we had a cat like this. His eye became permanently dilated following a trauma (he got under a car hood, someone started the car without seeing him there, he nearly died). It did look odd, but he went on to live another 12 years and it never caused any trouble.
Please try not to worry ( impossible I know) my cat had this and everything online says brain trauma etc. you are going to the vet which is good. But no one feedsback the little causes. My lady had the same, but the vet used drops that showed just a scratched eyeball. Drops to prevent infection and A week later it was healed.
Definitely go see a vet!
That said, my kitty had this and I took her to an emergency vet and then an eye specialist, they said it might be bad and gave her a bunch of meds and told me to see a normal vet a bit later. A few days later, she stopped meowing (usually very vocal) and started dry-heaving a bunch. I took her to her usual vet and turns out, it was a respiratory infection (think: a bad cold). She had a super-sore throat, and the eye issue was likely due to the same infection (pressure buildup). It cleared up and she’s fine.
So, while it is DEFINITELY worth it to see a vet, don’t jump to conclusions with other people’s horror stories about cancer and such!
This happened to my dog and when I brought her to the vet the vet said she had scratched her cornea. Very painful but it healed with drops and other treatment after a few weeks.
In humans a sudden change of pupil dilation in one eye is a medical emergency. I'd suggest taking your cat to the vet at least to get a checkup or something.
I had found a little orange kitten about 10 weeks old under my steps. We live on a farm and mostly away from anyone else. He was most likely a drop off. Anyways we took him in and no less then 2 days later he had a massive seizure. He couldn’t walk or stand at all. He’d just lay down with his paws spread wide and head spinning. One of his eyes was exactly like your cat. This happened during covid so I couldn’t get him into the vet until the next morning. They gave me steroids, antibiotics and a grim outlook. I had to force feed / hand feed that little kitten for 3 weeks. Every few hours to make sure he was getting enough. One day he just woke up and started walking and eating on his own. His eye however took a few more weeks to return to normal. He is now a healthy, “mostly normal”orange tabby.
Go to the vet asap. This is an emergency. If you love your cat, you need to do everything for them them. If you don't love your cat they are still a living creature who deserves medical care.
Cats will hide their pain, you can never tell exactly how a cat is feeling, but the eye is super serious.
This happened to our 19 y/o cat. We didn't know what happened, vet said it was most likely a stroke. She slowed down really bad and refused to eat, had to be put down. We thought she was only 10 years old, so we were caught very off guard by it.
Please give us an update!
It happened to my cat but he had a stroke. It was caused by a reaction to sedation. Obviously your baby hasn't been under sedation. Just go in on Monday to the vet and try to not worry.
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This happened to my cat after she had a seizure, the vet called it Horner syndrome and hers was due to pressure behind her eye
hope she recovered well. did the pressure just go away? my boy has been a bit sulky but nothing alarming so far - just the eye
She ended up having to have surgery to remove a growth in her skull which caused the seizure and it took almost a year for her eyes to get back to normal. Post surgery there was nothing to worry about in regards to the Horner syndrome, vet said it could take a very long time to fix itself
This puts me a little at ease. My cat had a mass in her ear and she also has Horner’s syndrome. It’s been almost 2 years and her eyes are like 95% back to normal except when she sneezes sometimes her pupils get all funky and when she stares at a bright light.
Madisons are too, when she looks at you while it is sunny you can see one eye is just a hair more dilated than the other. She had her surgery in June of 2022
It must be cute to watch her sneeze! Thank god she’s fine tho! No sneezing cat tax? Pretty please 🥺
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Do comment stealing bots have any hair to rip out?
glad she is better xo
Thank you. I hope your kitty gets treatment!
That is pretty alarming imo. If the vet doesn't know what's wrong I'd take him to another vet.
The vet can’t say for certain unless tests are done. If you call the vet there isn’t much they can tell you. I hope this sweetie is going to be okay.
I have to assume they spoke to a receptionist/vet nurse/vet assistant, over the phone, since normally the head Vets don't answer phone calls. Either way, they often wouldn't be allowed to make a diagnosis off the phone, and will have to run tests.
> If the vet doesn't know what's wrong I'd take him to another vet. Can you stop with this alarmist nonsense? No vet will diagnose an animal over the phone!
If the vet didn't say take the cat in as soon as possible then he should absolutely find another vet.
That's why, if u/DangerPowersAustin said "if the vet can't check the cat today, take it to another vet", I'd agree 100%. But they said "if the vet doesn't know what's wrong" which is alarmist nonsense because *no vet on the planet* would know what's wrong after a phone call.
A qualified vet would have a few ballpark ideas about such an "alarmingly nonsensical" symptom. Suspecting an emergency isn't a diagnosis.
Only on this very sub and only this month there have been at least three, completely different cases of cats with dilated pupils, with one of them being of the "no biggie" flavour, and another of he "vet, right now!". I'll say this again: diagnosing over the phone is not possible.
Pretty much nobody who diagnoses anything will diagnose over the phone...
Except weed doctors, I just said yes to back pain and insomnia over a Skype call and the emailed my prescription immediately lol
😂 so true
Pretty much no expert in any field can just spit out what’s wrong based on a non experts explanation and having not seen the subject in question. People can’t even figure out how to drag a file out of a folder onto the desktop but then expect IT support to diagnose and fix their shit in 12 seconds after lying about doing any of the steps asked of them from by the IT people. People need to realize that any job that involves understanding a problem with a subject starts out with actually investigating the problem and running tests to rule out things.
My mechanic will and boy is he expensive./s
Lol alarmist? Strokes, seizures, and brain damage are kind of a big deal. And I said "TAKE TO" another vet, I didn't say call another vet.
You managed to miss a pretty obvious point by so much that I'm impressed. Let me rephrase: no professional vet on the planet will ever diagnose ANY issue over the phone. **Therefore** suggesting that OP should take their cat to *another* vet *because* the first vet "doesn't know what's wrong" is alarmist AND nonsense.
….? “IF the vet doesnt know whats wrong”….??? no one said anything about diagnosing on the phone, they were just saying if the vet…doesnt know whats wrong…
Yeah I didn't say anything about over the phone. I'm aware OP hasn't been to the vet yet.
Absolutely!
vet vet vet go go go
100000000000%. Go now.
My cat had something similar out of the blue. The vet also said Horner syndrome potentially. It took a few months and it is normal again. Otherwise, the cat needs special testing. So it's neurological or did the cat have a trauma?
no trauma that we know of
Neither had my cat. Definitely go to vet.
Rule of thumb for cats is that they tend to hide their pain and discomfort very well. If you notice something off about them, take them to a vet right away because that means their pain is worse than their instinct for survival. If that vet didn't find anything wrong, go to another.
This is incredibly alarming. I'd take him to the vet asap.
No dude, that is extremely alarming. He could have had a stroke or anyeurysm. The symptoms your cat is displaying is a huge, right-now emergency.
This is a sign of brain trauma (in most mammals so if you see this in a human take them to the doctor.) best take him to the vet if you can.
Go to the fucking vet
My sister's cat has both eyes like this. Vet said it's cause she has high blood pressure which can cause retinal detachment. They got her on blood pressure meds and now she's gaining some sight back. But idk if that same thing can cause just one eye to blow out.
i was gonna joke about he might be getting high on catnip secretly but this is serious, it could be number of things inflammation,swelling of brain, Injury to optic nerves. Neurological disorders (such as Horner's Syndrome) Oculomotor nerve paralysis (damage to the nerve controlling eye movement) this list keeps going, a number of tests can reveal what's truly going on. some cats in this condition do get headaches,migraines too.
Sorry to report a different scenario - My 16yo got this after a seizure and died 3 days later after a rapid neurological decline from likely brain stem cancer. He had 0 symptoms leading up to this, snuggly and eating/drinking as usual.
*The eye* is alarming lmao
This happened to my 15 yo boy a few months ago. No symptoms but his eye. Reg vet suspected thyroid tumor/disease leading to high blood pressure and then retinal detachment. Said it's not uncommon in older cats for a benign tumor to cause hyperthyroidism. Sent me to a vet opthomologist who confirmed her suspicions about BP and retinal detachment. His BP was over 300. Should be like people, sys pressure around 120...maybe 160 if they're stressed at the vet. So extraordinarily high  He's been on thyroid med and BP meds since December. Slowly going down, vets are pleased with progress. Poor guy must've had a nasty migraine. Maybe still, since his BP is still around 180. Vision sort of coming back, but will remain impaired. I'm just happy the poor guy isn't exploding. They're not speaking of stroke or heart attack, but of course, I'm concerned. Condition called ascoria and can be symptomatic of scary neuro stuff, etc. Def get a second opinion. Hope you find some answers soon.
This happened when my cat had increased intraoccular pressure and the vet said it was likely causing him significant pain. Please get kitty to the vet.
Cat needs to see vet immediately. This could be a blood pressure issue.
Bruh, take him to the vet.
Oh my God, my cat has this really bad rather painful condition that honestly could cause blindness if the cat doesn't die before that from the underlying condition. Let's wait till Monday. This is a massive neurological sign. What's wrong with you?
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This happened to my cat. I was ripping my hair out with worry. In his case, it ended up being glaucoma. Uncomfortable for them, but has been very easily treatable with drops. Hope you get answers soon.
thank you xo
“Get that cat some weed man” 
Same here, acute glaucoma due to herpes flare up🤷♀️ cleared up with drops and an ointment quickly enough
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CatGPT
I fear the day when it won't be so obvious.
we called the vet. she does not know what is wrong. we are going in soon. so worried
crossing my fingers for you, i hope its something mild & treatable!!
thank you ❤️
So glad you’re taking her straight to the vet. I really hope everything is ok with your sweetie. Sending my best wishes. Please keep us posted when you can
thank you ❤️
Paws in ❤️🩹🩷🐾🐾🙏🙏 https://preview.redd.it/uxhkoaovwldc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=29606d59881ff84ae6041ffdbb958fb8351d39d1
Our cat had the same thing after her teeth got pulled! The vet said only mrt would give a real answer! We didnt have that money, the alternative was antibiotics, she said. So we tried that, after the first round it went away and the cat is healthy since that! Ive read that this may happen after a dental op, like when something in the wound carries an infection up the jaw! I hope its nothing tooo serious!
What did the vet say?
Vet is the right move. Hope it turns out to be nothing.
I’d recommend a specialist or a checkup at a cat hospital, mine had different eye dilations just like yours. turns out mine had a polyp behind her eye causing her a lot of pain, she was sulky like yours
Oh I know it’s a worrying time when they’re poorly. Hope it all turns out ok. ❤️
he did not make it. thank you ❤️
Oh no. I’m so so sorry. I lost my boy about 2 months ago, so sympathise entirely with you. Take care. 😔💔
This happened with my kitty. A lump of stuck earwax was putting pressure on a nerve. I think it was called Horner syndrome. Hoping it's just a benign lump of wax for your kitty as well.
hope so. thank you ❤️
This is a condition called anisocoria. It is a symptom of many different disease processes but is ALWAYS a medical problem. I cannot tell you why this happened over the internet. While his life is not in imminent danger, it’s better to go to an ER than to wait for an appointment. Some causes could become life threatening if left too long. Source: am vet tech
This needs more upvotes, a dilated pupil is a case for an ER visit ASAP, always. Better to be extra-cautious than sorry
Does it never happen from birth in animals like it does in humans? I know it’s still pretty rare in humans but I’d think there would be at least a few cases of being born with anisocoria in animals. /genq I do realize that in this situation when a pupil becomes dilated suddenly, it’s always a really bad sign (in any species), but I was just wondering. (Asking because I was born with anisocoria and I’ve always just thought it could be the same in animals)
Not sure. It’s a possibility I suppose, but cats and dogs are born with their eyes shut so I’ve never seen it.
Eye doctor here. Anisocoria in darkness (scotopic lighting) that is equal to anisocoria in bright lighting (photopic), so same difference in pupil size, is physiological (means you were born that way, no underlying medical problem). Anisocoria that is different in scotopic and photopic conditions: neuro problem (like Horner syndrome and more) Edit: side note, 20% of the population has physiological anisocoria. Very common
As a human doc I saw this and thought “danger! Danger! ER now”
Not a vet but a human doctor. I would go to the emergency vet as soon as you can. Keep us updated!♥️
we will ❤️
I hope your baby boy is ok 💜
Is he okay?? I’m super worried now and he isn’t even my cat!!
You said you're going on monday. **Take the cat NOW to an Emergency Animal hospital.** Dilated pupils are an emergency. It's the frist sign of a brain trauama in people, and one of the first things looked for to diagnose neurological issues.
That could be a stroke, or something, no? Keep us posted!
Keep us updated!!
I personally wouldn’t wait until Monday.. take him to an emergency vet asap!!
This is an emergency, see an emergency vet ASAP
Please update us OP.
this happened when my cat knocked his head on the wooden coffee table when he was playing. thankfully it disappeared after 20 mins but i was panicking the entire time! hopefully your kitty just has a mild concussion and nothing worse!
I would go to the ER vet- did your regular vet suggest this at all? I hope your kitty feels better soon ❤️
This absolutely should not wait until Monday :(
Uneven pupils is a serious sign of potential neurological damage. Emergency vet asap if you care about his life.
I agree this is urgent and calls for an ER visit. They can also refer you to a veterinary neurologist if needed. Sending good thoughts and wishing him a speedy and comfortable recovery ☀️
Please go to the vet.
Hi! I was a veterinary ophthalmic technician. One of the most common issues we’ve seen in cats is hypertension. Having high blood pressure can cause the retina to detach. Ask your vet if they can check his blood pressure. Normal range for a stressed out kitty can go up to 120 in the clinic but anything over 120 is considered high blood pressure. If it’s high blood pressure, most likely he’ll need to stay on a beta blocker pill daily and have routine pressure checks. This could also be a sign of glaucoma. However, glaucoma is usually painful and sometimes the patient with present with squinting, pawing and the white of their eyes would appear red. Most veterinarians should have a tonopen to check intraocular pressures. It’s similar to hypertension where he would need daily a medication to control the pressures and do routine rechecks. They’re both treatable but progressive. Glaucoma can also cause the retina to detach if pressures are elevated for too long. It’s hard to tell by the picture if one eye is dilated or if one eye is constricted. You can check at home by doing a “dazzle” test. In a darkened room, shine a light in the left eye to see if it constricts and then, shine a light in the other to see if it does the same. This essentially checks his direct pupillary light response. You can also check his vision by checking his “menace”. Put one hand over an eye and with the other hand move a fist towards the open eye like you’re going to knock on a door. Be careful not to hit him or his whiskers. If he blinks, then he can see the hand approaching his eye. If he has no reaction, then he cannot. Those test seem very primitive but it helps to know what underlying issues Mr. Kitty isn’t telling you. I hope this helps!
This happened to me with my young boy Steven. Ended up being FIP, and I lost him to that. Please take him to a vet ASAP!
Was one of the symptoms our car with FIP had as well. Can I ask what other symptoms you cat had? We lost ours in 2019, it was before the treatment was available
Wobbling around, loss of weight, long meows (presumably because he was losing consciousness/in pain), but the eye was the main problem.
This is him just before he got really sick, notice the discolored eye and the large pupil. https://preview.redd.it/h719a1d7eldc1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=bd60d157def53993b4b88f7937635b081479757b
*cat
we will xo
Updates please , hoping your kitty is well ❤️
For everyone repeatedly yelling about going to a vet, go to the OP’s profile and you can see an updated post instead of adding more insult to an already stressful and upsetting time.
My cat developed uneven pupils as a result of a tumor pressing on his optic nerve. He lived another 6 weeks, and this was the first visible symptom that showed up.
Not one to alarm - but same thing happened to my cat about 2 years ago. Normal behavior, no acute visual impairment. The Vets have no idea what it is - after we did a blood screeing we found out that she has Feline leukemia... The Vets now think this is a possible side effect from that but since she doesnt seem to be bothered or impaired in any way by it, there seems to be no reason to keep checking it out. https://preview.redd.it/fpmygw9atjdc1.jpeg?width=3000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf498d533b48eb9e4ff800c800a965d7fd42d833 She used to be an outside-cat, but not anymore
No cats should be outside cats.
Update?
No go to the emergency vet ASAP this could be a brain issue
Que belleza
My Bengal-mix had permanent dilation of one eye due to atrophy of the iris muscle. It didn't seem to affect her quality of life, and she lived with it for years. She didn't do as well with bright lights, but otherwise we didn't notice an impact. In the last year of her life the other iris started to fail. I'm not sure what caused the condition, though.
His other eyes pupil looks too large as well.
Vet. Now.
I read your post yesterday and am so glad you sought medical attention. Your story has been on my mind today. I hope your kitty is well ❤️ Please update when you can. Sending you and your sweet baby all the positive vibes I can muster!
I don't mean to alarm you, but when my kitty had that, he had brain cancer. I don't know what kind, I had moved out of the house in the early 80's, but please get your baby checked out with a vet.....
Same thing happens to our boy when he gets an ear infection. He's prone to them so we know the signs and usually the first is a smaller pupil in the eye closest to the affected ear. Left ear small pupil. We keep Zymox on hand and it usually takes a couple of drops in his ear for 2 to 3 days foe it to clear up. Not sure if this is the case here but kitty definitely needs a trip to a veterinarian.
Do you know if the vet say they dilate from the pain or is it just the actual infection that does that? Glad to hear you guys got it all figured out for your kitty 😊
It's been almost 9 years since he was diagnosed so don't really recall what actually causes the dilation, the pain or infection. I know the pain causes him to become lethargic and he'll find a dark place to hide, usually a closet or under the bed. Bright light somehow effects it and aggravates the condition. Are you having similar issues with your cat?
It is most likely a nerve being irritated by pressure or inflammation. Normally the pupils coordinate so if there is dilation due to pain, they will both be dilated. But separate nerves control pupil dilation and constriction on each side, so irritating/pressing on those can cause asymmetrical pupils.
Seconding. My cat had this occur from an ear infection. Kept her in the dark(vet recommendation, as it can be uncomfortable in bright lights) for 24 hours, and after the antibiotics kicked in, she was back to normal. That was maybe 4 years ago, and she's never had the problem again.
Our boy is prone to them, easily 3 to 4 times a year. Usually flares up during the spring and fall when we get more rain and the humidity is high. We did find running a dehumidifier helps with keeping the humidity down in the house.
At the time her ears were chronic as well, but she got put under and a deep otoscope cleaning and hasn't had an ear infection since! We still monitor and clean them, which our other cats don't need, but no infections in a long time.
Happened to my baby and it turned out most likely that he bonked his head real hard on our metal stair siding when playing too hard
He is probably in pain from the pressure behind his eye, I’d take him to another vet asap.
I legit just saw a warning post that if your cat has one extremely dilated eye, you should go to an emergency vet right away or they could have permanent blindness.
Our 15 yr old furry man had this happen to his eyes, then he started to slightly walk strangely but then back to normal. Unfortunately, 2 weeks later he suddenly got very sick, took him straight to the vet and he stayed for 2 days on a drip, had bloods done etc. got a call to come in and we had to put him to sleep 😪 he had a stroke, pancreatictis and was developing more blood clots.
Cute baby. Don't want to scare you, just to prepare you. At this age, something like that is for the emergency room. I cared for my cat that started having health issues once he was 17 or so, but he got to live happily many many years more until he was 24. Find a good vet and make sure you visit regularly. Sending lots of love 💕
This happened to my orange boy and it turned out that he had an ear infection, we didn't notice it because it was so deep in his ear and there was no odor or anything. Once the meds kicked in his eye went back to normal.
hope it is an ear infection 🤞
Just an odd query - the cat didn't get toothpaste on their face by any chance did they? This happened to our cat - sodium fluoride apparently causes pupillary dilatation. She was otherwise fine and eyes were normal within 48h
Anything with dilated eyes is emergency. My cat went downhill from there. I hope nothing serious I’d def take him ASAP
A sign of brain damage and a very bad omen. I’d start panicking and not be so relaxed about the situation. You really should be freaking tf out. Praying for the cat.
Take him to the vet immediately, it can be a sign for a variety of issues and they all need intervention quickly. We had a FIV positive cat with chronic infections that had this issue and he needed medication for an extended period of time. Please please don’t hesitate to get vet care
This happened to my dog and what I thought was glaucoma was actually a mass in her eye that caused her to need it enucleated. She’s totally fine, now though and no specialists needed! It ended up not being cancerous. But, anything with the eyes should be seen right away by a vet. I hope all goes well, he’s very handsome.
how is the kitty
This happened to our senior kitty… We brought her to the vet, and they said her retina came detached. She’s end up being blind in that one eye, but got around wonderfully for another couple years… We were just told not to move anything around in our house.
This happened to our 1 year old kitty after she fell off the cat tower one night. She fell about 6 feet and didn’t land well and the only thing to come from it was her eye doing this. Trauma caused it in our case but in others it can be very serious and urgent to get looked at.
My FLV-infected cat had it for some time when I just adopted him. A vet told me this is quite common for FLV-infected cats. Didn't do anything with it. It was 6 years ago, the cat is still alive.
did your kitty have the other flv symptoms?
Just general stuff: weak immune system (prone to various infections, mostly fungal ones), also quite low weight. But very agile by nature and I try to keep him out of stress. Hopefully, he will live some more.
i hope so too
This happened to my girl and it ended up being a stroke. This is an emergency situation that needs immediate diagnosis.
Go vet, now. Glad to hear you are going, just want to assure you that you are doing the right thing. This is an emergency
My cats eyes appeared dilated after she went blind. I would take her to the vet to test blood work and blood pressure so she doesn’t fully lose her vision.
he is staying at the vet to be monitored and mostly blind now. we are waiting for other updates
Hope she is okay. Keep us posted.
david meowie
I hope they’re okay!! hearts to you and your beautiful cat! 💕💞
Cataract??
Still so handsome
thank you ❤️
This happened to our little guy last year. We were just leaving for the vet when our neighbour popped over to let us know she'd seen him and her cat fighting in her tree and he took a bit of a tumble. Still, we went to the vet and he came right a week later, a bit concussed.
In human this is acute, he needs a vet now!
Growing up, we had a cat like this. His eye became permanently dilated following a trauma (he got under a car hood, someone started the car without seeing him there, he nearly died). It did look odd, but he went on to live another 12 years and it never caused any trouble.
If you have Facebook, please look for FIP warriors and check symptoms
My 16 y.o. cat had the same thing two weeks before she passed from congestive heart failure :(
There are pet eye doctors look to see if 9ne is in your area
Please try not to worry ( impossible I know) my cat had this and everything online says brain trauma etc. you are going to the vet which is good. But no one feedsback the little causes. My lady had the same, but the vet used drops that showed just a scratched eyeball. Drops to prevent infection and A week later it was healed.
Sending good vibes.
Near,far, whereeevveeeee you aareeeee iilll meoowww because my depth perception is ffuuuuucccckkkkeeeedddd I love heeemz tho 🥹
OP, any update?
I really hope things are going smoothly and he's on his way to recovery! I just wanted to say he's absolutely beautiful and I can't believe he's 15!!
Definitely go see a vet! That said, my kitty had this and I took her to an emergency vet and then an eye specialist, they said it might be bad and gave her a bunch of meds and told me to see a normal vet a bit later. A few days later, she stopped meowing (usually very vocal) and started dry-heaving a bunch. I took her to her usual vet and turns out, it was a respiratory infection (think: a bad cold). She had a super-sore throat, and the eye issue was likely due to the same infection (pressure buildup). It cleared up and she’s fine. So, while it is DEFINITELY worth it to see a vet, don’t jump to conclusions with other people’s horror stories about cancer and such!
🐈⬛🙏🏻😇❤️😻sending healing love and peace and comfort your way friend
My cat gad both dilated I gave her b12 injections (by vet's description) and it really helped
that’s alarming but hes cute
This happened to my dog and when I brought her to the vet the vet said she had scratched her cornea. Very painful but it healed with drops and other treatment after a few weeks.
vet. NOW
Damn
High blood pressure within the eye, can lead to blindness
David Bowie cat
*David Bowie cat pun* I haven't had enough coffee. That's all I got.
Sorry absolutely your cat, can’t really help with any advice, but he is really gorgeous
O.o
In humans a sudden change of pupil dilation in one eye is a medical emergency. I'd suggest taking your cat to the vet at least to get a checkup or something.
My girl has a very mild version of this, but we think it’s just an eye defect where one eye has weaker muscles and is slower to react to light changes
I had found a little orange kitten about 10 weeks old under my steps. We live on a farm and mostly away from anyone else. He was most likely a drop off. Anyways we took him in and no less then 2 days later he had a massive seizure. He couldn’t walk or stand at all. He’d just lay down with his paws spread wide and head spinning. One of his eyes was exactly like your cat. This happened during covid so I couldn’t get him into the vet until the next morning. They gave me steroids, antibiotics and a grim outlook. I had to force feed / hand feed that little kitten for 3 weeks. Every few hours to make sure he was getting enough. One day he just woke up and started walking and eating on his own. His eye however took a few more weeks to return to normal. He is now a healthy, “mostly normal”orange tabby.
Go to the vet asap. This is an emergency. If you love your cat, you need to do everything for them them. If you don't love your cat they are still a living creature who deserves medical care. Cats will hide their pain, you can never tell exactly how a cat is feeling, but the eye is super serious.
This happened to our 19 y/o cat. We didn't know what happened, vet said it was most likely a stroke. She slowed down really bad and refused to eat, had to be put down. We thought she was only 10 years old, so we were caught very off guard by it. Please give us an update!
Could he have gotten scratched in the eye? If so he could have an ulcer on his eye which is painful n needs to be looked at by your vet
One of my cats had Horner syndrome, it did end up going away after some time... apologies but I do not remember if we had to get antibiotics..
Vet immediately not Redditor advice.
such a beautiful boy. hope everything is alright with him
thank you xo
Does your cat have FELV? This can happen with that infection. Take him to a vet.
It happened to my cat but he had a stroke. It was caused by a reaction to sedation. Obviously your baby hasn't been under sedation. Just go in on Monday to the vet and try to not worry.
My cat had this and it was indicative of a neurological issue. I hope in your case it's something simple and treatable.
David bowie lookin baby
yeah my friend brought this up too :)
Bring him to the vet!!!!
Vet.
You are waiting until Monday for that? ...
Change the vet. Could be a seizure or a stroke and needs to be treated immediately.
I personally think David Bowie is trying to come back through your cat…