Could my cat be losing her eyesight?

[bcrocker]

Hello! We have a beautiful Ragdoll kitty named Willow. She was born in October 2016 and was the cutest Christmas kitty ever for our family’s Christmas that year. She has been an inside and outdoor cat in her life but since Covid, she has mostly inside. The only time she goes outside now is just to lay on our back porch or in the grass next to the garage. Last spring, she went outside for the first time in months and sat outside in the sunshine (and grass) for about an hour and then came in. A few days later, I noticed her R.eye was a little pink and watery so I thought she poked her eye while laying in the grass. Then she started sneezing and was actually sniffly! She started sleeping a lot more and not eating so after a vet consultation, I was told she had the “cat flu”. We treated the symptoms, did all the things suggested and she recovered and healed! But it seems like her R. eye has never been quite the same. Fast forward to a just few days ago, she seemed to be gazing and looking up at the ceiling and walls and kind of venturing slowly around like she wasn’t sure where she was going. We had to go out of town for a funeral over the weekend but my oldest son checked on her constantly and gave me updates which was her eating and sleeping in her bed. When we got home last night, she met us at the door and meowed and meowed and was so happy but it seemed like she couldn’t really see us. She still walks around the house but gingerly and doesn’t actually bump into walls but senses them and then stops. She’s never had a health crisis, always healthy except for the cat flu/cat herpes but I did call MedVet and they said to take her to a Cat Opthamalogist? I mean, are cats at risk for blindness like that? I just thought I should get some additional insight. Thank you so much in advance.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I think taking her to a specialist is a good idea. I'm not a vet but maybe it's something that if caught early, treatment could help. She looks like a wonderful, gorgeous sweetheart

 

[NekoM]

I’ve had so many cats over the years and have had to deal with just about every health problem at least twice! Definitely get her into an ophthalmologist, cat flu is basically a herpes flare up and can move into the eyes and take on an ulcer appearance. An animal ophthalmologist will know what antiviral eye drops work best and what to look for as they heal. I always ask a ton of questions and something interesting is ophthalmologists know exactly how to treat cats eyes, but vet science doesn’t exactly know how cats eyes really work.

 

[bcrocker]

Hi! I think taking her to a specialist is a good idea. I'm not a vet but maybe it's something that if caught early, treatment could help. She looks like a wonderful, gorgeous sweetheart

Thank you so much!

 

[bcrocker]

I’ve had so many cats over the years and have had to deal with just about every health problem at least twice! Definitely get her into an ophthalmologist, cat flu is basically a herpes flare up and can move into the eyes and take on an ulcer appearance. An animal ophthalmologist will know what antiviral eye drops work best and what to look for as they heal. I always ask a ton of questions and something interesting is ophthalmologists know exactly how to treat cats eyes, but vet science doesn’t exactly know how cats eyes really work.

Ahhhhh, this is so helpful! I feel so lost and helpless! The problem is getting her in; called two and it’s a 10 day out appointment time! My mind keeps going back to urgent care because I’ve heard time is important in their eyesight. My heart is breaking for her! She’s eating and thriving, purring and snuggling but I’m not sure she’s drinking water cuz she can’t see it? It’s stressing me out.

 

[Antonio65]

Are those photos recent, and have they been taken when she wasn't seeing?
Usually, a blind cat has its pupils wide dilated, and your cat doesn't look like that. Have you tried to move something before her eyes, like your finger, or a string, and see if she follows the motion?

 

[Furballsmom]

I’m not sure she’s drinking water cuz she can’t see it?

Can you get a fountain type of pet waterer, where there's some sound involved with the water flow from a little splashing? Then she could hear it and be more easily able to find it.

 

[NekoM]

Ahhhhh, this is so helpful! I feel so lost and helpless! The problem is getting her in; called two and it’s a 10 day out appointment time! My mind keeps going back to urgent care because I’ve heard time is important in their eyesight. My heart is breaking for her! She’s eating and thriving, purring and snuggling but I’m not sure she’s drinking water cuz she can’t see it? It’s stressing me out.

I totally get it. What’s in your favor is they look like they’re in the early stages and its a slow progression. Something I’ve learnt over time is there’s a fast track to see a specialist. All you have to do is continually pester the heck out of them everyday for cancelled appointments or seeing if you can be squeezed in….be the squeaky wheel. If it helps any it took about the 2 weeks until I got in to see a specialist and it wasn’t a problem.
One thing you can do for now is ask your vet to prescribe some antiviral eye drops just to keep things under control. (As far as I can remember there’s only two types of eye antiviral eye drops)!You may have to order them online though, just choose the fastest shipping option.
One thing worth pointing out is urgent care won’t be able to help, they’ll just refer you to a specialist and probably charge you $200 just for doing it.

 

[NekoM]

I have an idea that may help you get an earlier appointment. Call the office, tell them that you feel it’s urgent and ask for the doctors email so you can send him/her some photos to look at, include some details and ask the doctor to call you back.