Cloudy Eyes, Dialated Pupils

[gatorfan2891]

Hello everyone!! I'm new here! I have 3 spoiled rotten kitties who i absolutely love! For the past few days, we have noticed that our girl cat has had cloudy eyes and huge pupils. She sometimes acts like she can't see which has us worried that she is either blind or going blind. We had this problem a few months back and our vet said that she had very healthy eyes but now I'm not so sure. When she is in the house, her eyes are cloudy and dialated, but when we take her outside in her carrier, the cloudiness disappears and her pupils go down to almost slits. She acts like she can see outside but as soon as we bring her back in it starts again. She eats, drinks, naps, and uses the litterbox fine, but she has gotten to where she doesn't want to play. She meows alot at night and acts scared. We are going to take her to the vet in a few days, but i was just wondering if anyone else had experienced this with a cat. She is up to date on all of her shots and will be 10 this year!

 

[SeventhHeaven]

Sounds like Cataracts. Best to take pictures of what you are describing to show the Vet on

next visit.

Experienced this with dogs this may help:

http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-diseases-conditions-a-z/cataracts-cats

 

[gatorfan2891]

Thank you for replying! We see the vet next week, so hopefully he can tell us what is going on. Two days after I posted on here, we noticed that her eyes looked clear and bright and she acted like she could see. This lasted for about a day and a half and now they are back to cloudy and dialated like the pic. In the pic below, her pupils are big, but when it happens her pupils are even bigger. It just concerns me that one minute her eyes are fine looking and the next they look awful. I have been trying to see if she could see or would play with a red laser light. When I aim it at the wall or on the floor, she moves her head and eyes to the direction of it. This is giving me a little hope that maybe she can see a little.

IMG_1273.JPG

• gatorfan2891
• Jun 3, 2016

 

[JMJimmy]

The pupils going down to slits when outside is normal, assuming its day time.  The dilation controls how much light is let in so when it's bright they become slits.  Interior lighting is much duller than the sun so its normal for them to be dilated while indoors.

That said the thing that's concerning is the cloudiness.  The cat doesn't look old enough for age to be an issue, it could be inflammation/fatty build up or possibly diabetes.  Your vet should run a CBC (blood panel) and you'll likely need to fast the cat - call the vet to find out how long before you should take the food away to ensure accurate results.

 

[gatorfan2891]

Thank you for replying! She's going to be 10 in August. I opened the window this morning and let some light in and since then her eyes have went down to slits and she is acting like she can see. I'm praying that everything will be okay! The topic of diabetes has come up with her before, so that could be it. As I said, we see the vet next week so hopefully we will have some answers soon!

 

[JMJimmy]

10 really?  Looks more like 6-7!  Age related cataracts is definitely a possibility then.  Definitely call for fasting instructions... the cloudiness really needs a CBC (including glucose) test done to properly diagnose the problem.

 

[DreamerRose]

Having had cataracts myself, I think this does sound like cataracts. The increase of light outdoors allows her to see better. When inside, she can only see short distances; everything tends to go white and get fuzzy. I had surgery, but I don't know what the prognosis is for a cat.

 

[Margret]

I also have had cataracts, and that was my first thought.  I certainly see why her pupils would contract in bright sun, but I don't see how cataracts could just disappear that way.  What is the extent of the cloudiness?  Is it more around the edge of her pupils, so that you could be missing it when her pupils contract?

Cataracts don't start out large, and they don't necessarily begin in the center of the eye.  When my cataracts were first observed they were extremely small, and the doctor thought it likely that they would never grow large enough to cause problems, but then I began having trouble properly focusing on traffic signs.  It turned out that the cataract in my right eye, while still small, was right in the center of the pupil, which was causing major problems for me while driving, so I opted for surgery, and it seemed wise to have both eyes done at once (well, actually, a couple of weeks apart) rather than waiting for the cataract in the other eye to become larger.  And despite the fact that they were small, it's obvious that they were seriously obstructing the light because ever since they were removed I find myself wanting to wear two pairs of sunglasses on bright days, which I never needed before.

    

Even if it turns out that she's going blind and nothing can be done about it, please be aware that this is not the end of life for her, nor is it the end of her having fun.  Cats have been around much longer than the red dot, and so have toys that make noise or contain catnip.  Yes, cats tend to be very visual, but that doesn't mean that sight is a necessity for a house cat.

Margret

 

[stewball]

Thank you for replying! We see the vet next week, so hopefully he can tell us what is going on. Two days after I posted on here, we noticed that her eyes looked clear and bright and she acted like she could see. This lasted for about a day and a half and now they are back to cloudy and dialated like the pic. In the pic below, her pupils are big, but when it happens her pupils are even bigger. It just concerns me that one minute her eyes are fine looking and the next they look awful. I have been trying to see if she could see or would play with a red laser light. When I aim it at the wall or on the floor, she moves her head and eyes to the direction of it. This is giving me a little hope that maybe she can see a little.

IMG_1273.JPG

• gatorfan2891
• Jun 3, 2016

What a pretty girl.

 

[DreamerRose]

The way the eyes appear depend on the light crossing the lens. If it's from the side, you will probably see the cloudiness more. If it's straight on, it may not be so obvious.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Be sure you take this photo with you, since he didn't seem to see it last time, and it is hard to see in bright light.