Warning Contains Pictures! How To Treat Severe Enophthalmos In Cats?

s.heseri

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So, I have a blind cat who looks like he has no eyes. He does have them, but they sank deep into their sockets. The SPCA surrendered him to us. they were going to euthanise him.

[As a kitten he had a virus that caused his eyes to sink into his skull. He used to be able to see for a time before that. He was extremely malnourished when we got him(still a kitten, after he became blind). He was all skin and bones. The stench was unbearable. He was covered in fleas and filthy. His teeth were all rotten and we had to get them extracted, now he has only front teeth. He was very angry and upset, and very very afraid. He was terrified of human contact, and would become very aggressive and angry if someone got close to him. For 2 weeks he sat in his crate NOT MOVING AT ALL, like his soul was drained and he had nothing to live for. ]

It's been a year. We call him our Boy. :) He put on weight, and is healthy. He is the sweetest, most loving cat. He helps other cats to learn to trust, and he really is an amazing friend to cats around him. He is really the most gentle, affectionate cat I have ever known. Our own vet was giving him a few regular standard procedures when he also had a look at those eyes and told us that through surgery it is possible for the cat to see perfectly well again. Our Vet thinks that there is nothing wrong with the eyes themselves, so as long as they can be positioned forward, the cat would be able to see. He isn't able to perform surgery involving the eyes, so we have to seek a Vet specialist in this area.

I found out there is only one eye Vet specialist in my entire City. Sent this guy an email and he replied in what I felt was a rather condescending manner. His appointment fee is at $220 each just to talk to him, and he wants ultrasound($450) and other tests($$$) done as well as an invasive procedure to slice open my Cat because he reckons he needs to have a closer look before he would even know if he is capable of treating my Cat. We are looking at a minimum of 5 or 6 appointments(each $220) with this guy. And the clinic is very far away so would take a very long drive. The whole thing could costs us $6000+ or even $10,000 if this vet wanted to.

I'm afraid that even if I manage to come up with that much money, and after all that bloody time doing those initial check ups and even having my cat cut open with a scalpel to get a closer look, that he's going to say he's not qualified and experienced enough to help my cat. After all, he refused to say what the procedures were and claims he would only decide whether he can perform surgery on my cat after we do all those things he asks of. I would be absolutely devastated if that happens.

I want to know if you've encountered Enophthalmos in cats before? And really any information about how to help my Boy would be greatly appreciated. I feel I really need to have some of the relevant knowledge so that I don't end up paying for unnecessary and risky procedures.

Thanks Guys.


I'm going to put some pictures of Boy up, please look away if you think you would be uncomfortable looking at them.

 

gammycatpurrson

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Beautiful cat, all that white fur!!! And what a wonderful purrsonality you describe!

Specialist sounds like a 100% jerk (can I use that word without being banned? IDK. I just joined thecatsite a few minutes ago after lurking for years). You can do much, much better!

I would guess you can take the time you need to find the best surgeon you can, because your boy is probably as indifferent to his problem as any cat is. They can thrive regardless of what us toopy hoomans would consider a limiting disability. I tell you: cats rock!

My Dovey is dealing with a cancer on his third eyelid, most of which was scraped off when he went for a CT and biopsy. But now Dov, too, has enophthalmos (oi! Did I spell that right?!) because the mass grew so large so fast as I was searching for a good vet. I'm a lot less concerned at the moment about the position of his eye than getting him the cancer treatment he needs--and hoping he can keep his eye at all! (Dovey is indifferent. Eye or no eye, cancer or no cancer, he gets his greatest pleasure--eye-ronically!--from cleaning the eyes and faces of the other cats, and he is an extraordinarily generous & gentle soul, beloved by all. Before every meal, everyone is potential target for a vigorous face-washing--like it or not!)

If it weren't 4:45AM, and I didn't have to be awake to check my email before noon to see what the Cornell surgeon has said about another cat, and especially if I were typing at my PC rather than sitting in the kitchen borrowing my boyfriend's Samsung Galaxy S4 (mini) and typing with my pointer finger, I would share more of my experience about finding a veterinary specialist.

I will try to find time to add some helpful thoughts tomorrow. Blessings!
 

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So, I have a blind cat who looks like he has no eyes. He does have them, but they sank deep into their sockets. The SPCA surrendered him to us. they were going to euthanise him.

[As a kitten he had a virus that caused his eyes to sink into his skull. He used to be able to see for a time before that. He was extremely malnourished when we got him(still a kitten, after he became blind). He was all skin and bones. The stench was unbearable. He was covered in fleas and filthy. His teeth were all rotten and we had to get them extracted, now he has only front teeth. He was very angry and upset, and very very afraid. He was terrified of human contact, and would become very aggressive and angry if someone got close to him. For 2 weeks he sat in his crate NOT MOVING AT ALL, like his soul was drained and he had nothing to live for. ]

It's been a year. We call him our Boy. :) He put on weight, and is healthy. He is the sweetest, most loving cat. He helps other cats to learn to trust, and he really is an amazing friend to cats around him. He is really the most gentle, affectionate cat I have ever known. Our own vet was giving him a few regular standard procedures when he also had a look at those eyes and told us that through surgery it is possible for the cat to see perfectly well again. Our Vet thinks that there is nothing wrong with the eyes themselves, so as long as they can be positioned forward, the cat would be able to see. He isn't able to perform surgery involving the eyes, so we have to seek a Vet specialist in this area.

I found out there is only one eye Vet specialist in my entire City. Sent this guy an email and he replied in what I felt was a rather condescending manner. His appointment fee is at $220 each just to talk to him, and he wants ultrasound($450) and other tests($$$) done as well as an invasive procedure to slice open my Cat because he reckons he needs to have a closer look before he would even know if he is capable of treating my Cat. We are looking at a minimum of 5 or 6 appointments(each $220) with this guy. And the clinic is very far away so would take a very long drive. The whole thing could costs us $6000+ or even $10,000 if this vet wanted to.

I'm afraid that even if I manage to come up with that much money, and after all that bloody time doing those initial check ups and even having my cat cut open with a scalpel to get a closer look, that he's going to say he's not qualified and experienced enough to help my cat. After all, he refused to say what the procedures were and claims he would only decide whether he can perform surgery on my cat after we do all those things he asks of. I would be absolutely devastated if that happens.

I want to know if you've encountered Enophthalmos in cats before? And really any information about how to help my Boy would be greatly appreciated. I feel I really need to have some of the relevant knowledge so that I don't end up paying for unnecessary and risky procedures.

Thanks Guys.


I'm going to put some pictures of Boy up, please look away if you think you would be uncomfortable looking at them.

What a pretty boy he is... Is it possible that there is a Veterinarian College near you that might be able to help?
 

di and bob

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You could start a Go Fund Me, they are very successful in times like this, especially with those pictures and his need.
I myself would research and find another specialist first, even far away, that can tell you what the success rate would be and if it is even possible at all. if he feels there IS a possibility, then proceed. Then comes the question, is it worth it, putting him through all this with that kind of cost? He sounds happy, he is not in pain, and he has you to love and care for him. I think you really need to contact a college or vet that can answer or give you some better info that actually loves and cares for cats, not one out to make money. Don't ever feel guilty if you choose not to, he is the luckiest cat in the world to have you in his life and he himself would never hold it against you. He has your love and care, that is all he will ever need, that is all he will ever want, ask him! PLEASE keep us posted!
 

artiemom

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Your Boy is an amazing kitty; to have overcome all his obstacles, and still be so loving.. this is amazing~ a testament to your love...and perseverance ~~~ but mostly, love... You have performed miracles with Boy.

I do not know what I would do, in your situation... I really do not know...

These are thoughts and questions, I would have, before I seek further intervention:

Are you having to routinely wash his eyelids? Or are they just sealed closed? Is there an infection? Is he is pain? Does he act as if he is in pain?

I, also feel, the 'specialist' was extremely unkind; and money hungry.. I can see his point, up to a small extent.. but he his a specialist, and should be available..

LTS3 LTS3 gave you some really good tips and links..

My questions would be if you decided to go through with all of this; putting a blind kitty through all these tests.
Boy is unaware of what is happening~~seems like a sweetie and will be extremely frightened as to all the pre-op testing, and then the surgery... ... and then to do possible surgery, which has a large chance of not restoring his eye site.

I am putting the financial aspect on the back burner..

My questions would be: since it appears the eyeballs have sunk deep into the skull.. is there enough of the structure left to provide any eye site at all?? Are the nerves intact? and the eye, itself? The neural pathways and blood supply is important. It will take a ton of testing, and perhaps a ton of surgeries to discover this... is there even a eye socket to securely surround the eyeballs?

Are you willing to put a sweet, loving, happy, kind, well-adjusted kitty through all of this? what he can only understand as pain... and become so scared.. You do not know what all of this would do to his psyche and personality...

If there was an infection present, then I would, by all means, have some surgery.... but .........

Personally, if Boy is as sweet as he is, has adjusted to being blind...then, I think, I would let him be....

If you do feel as if you need to give Boy, every chance possible, then go for a consult.. and perhaps an x-ray or MRI...and then, make your decision...

I would be hesitant to go to this specialist.. But if none else were available; I would just go in and get a 'feel'....

There are a lot of blind cats who function normally.. There is even a member on here,
@stephenq who has 2 blind cats.. He is not on here very often, but one kitty has a FB page: Jenny the Blind Cat....

I am wishing you so much luck, in your decision.. I really am...

(((hugs)))
 

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I just wanted to come back and see if there was anything I could add. Glad to see you are getting excellent responses!

One of the ways I go about finding a specialist is looking up published research in the U.S. National Library of Medicine online at pubmed.com. I just visited the site and applied search terms "feline" and "enophthalmos," but only came up with eight hits, none entirely helpful. Otherwise, I would identify the authors of the research and email them with a description of the problem, to see if they might be interested in helping.

Obviously, you can also Google "feline" and "enophthalmos," and find out who has expertise with the problem, and then research contact information. I've identified specialists reading articles on DVM360.com and other animal/cat-dedicated publications. I got the name of an expert in feline ophthalmology in Stamford, CT from the website chronofhorse.com, which mentioned an expert in equine ophthalmology at Cornell, who I contacted who referred me to a feline practitioner.

Very, very important that whomever you contact is warm, trust-inspiring, and takes an enthusiastic interest in your case. Particularly because you are such an unusually caring and careful purrson, and because your cat is obviously such a lovely guy and deserves all the best care in the world, make sure you both get the respect and appreciation you deserve!
 

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If I may say so, in total agreement with artiemom artiemom , this is an incredible amount of stress on everyone involved and most particularly Boy. I'm not sure...just not sure.

I AM sure that you are incredibly fantastic people. I'm beyond words that he found you.

Is there any way to know what will happen with the eyes in the future, if you do nothing now? Will they shrink, or cause him pain in some way? gammycatpurrson gammycatpurrson provided a lot of good info and comments, as has everyone.
 
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Furballsmom

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The thing of it is, I keep thinking about your joy in him and his happiness in you.

Your vet wasn't wrong to make his comments about those eyes, and the future might be questionable regarding what happens with those eyes, but don't let all that take something so beautiful and diminish it :redheartpump:
 
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s.heseri

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Ask your vet to request a courtesy consult from here or from a veterinary school.

Is the vet hospital you are using? Veterinary Ophthalmic Services

I also found these:
OPHTHALMOLOGY REFERRAL SERVICE - McMaster & Heap
Auckland Animal Eye Centre - Veterinary Eye Specialists
I contacted the Auckland one. I am in Auckland whereas the other two are based in other cities.
Auckland is less rural compared to other areas in New Zealand, and Vets generally ask for extremely high prices. It is very difficult to find a place that has fair pricing, as vets generally claim what they charge is proportionate to the amount of "Care", "Knowledge" and "Experience" they provide to your pets which is why they charge more than the next clinic- even though all veternarians have received the same level of training at the same University.

This is what the Vets Association said regarding high vet costs in Auckland. Procedures that cost less than $100 at cheaper clinics can cost close to $1000 at the more expensive ones. "Shop around and find out exactly what is included in the price. Some of the figures blow me away. It's a free market, vets can charge as they please."
Well, there is only one eye Vet to choose from, and he is being vague about what procedures are needed, only insinuating that there will be more that he has not yet thought of... :/
I suppose I could get in touch with the other two in NZ that you found, given we use the same currency and all, but 15 different vets I've rang say it's against their policy to give a quote/estimate until after paying to book an appointment and more tests.

Do the MSPCA offer courtesy consults to people in countries outside of the US?
 
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s.heseri

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Beautiful cat, all that white fur!!! And what a wonderful purrsonality you describe!

Specialist sounds like a 100% jerk (can I use that word without being banned? IDK. I just joined thecatsite a few minutes ago after lurking for years). You can do much, much better!

I would guess you can take the time you need to find the best surgeon you can, because your boy is probably as indifferent to his problem as any cat is. They can thrive regardless of what us toopy hoomans would consider a limiting disability. I tell you: cats rock!

My Dovey is dealing with a cancer on his third eyelid, most of which was scraped off when he went for a CT and biopsy. But now Dov, too, has enophthalmos (oi! Did I spell that right?!) because the mass grew so large so fast as I was searching for a good vet. I'm a lot less concerned at the moment about the position of his eye than getting him the cancer treatment he needs--and hoping he can keep his eye at all! (Dovey is indifferent. Eye or no eye, cancer or no cancer, he gets his greatest pleasure--eye-ronically!--from cleaning the eyes and faces of the other cats, and he is an extraordinarily generous & gentle soul, beloved by all. Before every meal, everyone is potential target for a vigorous face-washing--like it or not!)

If it weren't 4:45AM, and I didn't have to be awake to check my email before noon to see what the Cornell surgeon has said about another cat, and especially if I were typing at my PC rather than sitting in the kitchen borrowing my boyfriend's Samsung Galaxy S4 (mini) and typing with my pointer finger, I would share more of my experience about finding a veterinary specialist.

I will try to find time to add some helpful thoughts tomorrow. Blessings!
Thank you. Dovey sounds like an amazing cat. I'm guessing he has white fur too, hence the name? haha
Cancer stinks. My heart goes out to your Dovey.
I'm reading the rest of the thread now. Just going to process each response and reply one by one in chronological order.
 
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s.heseri

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You could start a Go Fund Me, they are very successful in times like this, especially with those pictures and his need.
I myself would research and find another specialist first, even far away, that can tell you what the success rate would be and if it is even possible at all. if he feels there IS a possibility, then proceed. Then comes the question, is it worth it, putting him through all this with that kind of cost? He sounds happy, he is not in pain, and he has you to love and care for him. I think you really need to contact a college or vet that can answer or give you some better info that actually loves and cares for cats, not one out to make money. Don't ever feel guilty if you choose not to, he is the luckiest cat in the world to have you in his life and he himself would never hold it against you. He has your love and care, that is all he will ever need, that is all he will ever want, ask him! PLEASE keep us posted!
Thank you! I understand and agree with what you are saying 100%. I think I would have just let Boy be blind and not consider changing that if our Vet didn't say to us, there is a way to treat this through a simple surgery. It never occurred to me the effects that virus had on Boy could be reversible.. Once I knew there could be a way to help him see again, I felt responsible to explore this possibility and dig deeper. The Vet said it would just be a minor surgery with a few stitches to position the eyes forward, but a only a Specialist vet is allowed to perform this. The one eye specialist that I asked scoffed at my Vet's words and said it's not realistic; he wants many tests and an invasive surgery to cut open the cat & get a closer look before he can tell if or how surgery could help. However I find this eye Vet's response to be not very reliable as it can be motivated by money. Whatever the truth may be, I'm confident I can make the right choice for Boy once I become fully aware of my options.
 

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Do the MSPCA offer courtesy consults to people in countries outside of the US?
They do but only to other vets. So you will need your vet, either the specialist or your regular vet, to call.
 
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s.heseri

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The following is an answer from artiemom artiemom , with my answers in blue:


Your Boy is an amazing kitty; to have overcome all his obstacles, and still be so loving.. this is amazing~ a testament to your love...and perseverance ~~~ but mostly, love... You have performed miracles with Boy.

I do not know what I would do, in your situation... I really do not know...

These are thoughts and questions, I would have, before I seek further intervention:

Are you having to routinely wash his eyelids? Yes, he secretes tears which cause a black substance to form around his eyes. Or are they just sealed closed? He blinks normally, they are usually open except when he sleeps. Is there an infection? Is he is pain? Does he act as if he is in pain?I don't think he is in pain. Occasionally there is a bit of yellow pus oozing from it, and we wash his eyes then the infection is no more. It's inevitable to not be infected once in a while, as it's essentionally an exposed opening.

I, also feel, the 'specialist' was extremely unkind; and money hungry.. I can see his point, up to a small extent.. but he his a specialist, and should be available..I can't agree how cutting open the cat with a scalpel is necessary to get a closer look. There's the ultrasound, and to get an idea of the depth and location beaming a light would probably be enough? I can see the outline of his eyes, The pink flesh covering Boy's eyeballs is thin and translucent enough that I can tell where his pupil is because there is a dark shadow.

LTS3 LTS3 gave you some really good tips and links..

My questions would be if you decided to go through with all of this; putting a blind kitty through all these tests.
Boy is unaware of what is happening~~seems like a sweetie and will be extremely frightened as to all the pre-op testing, and then the surgery... ... and then to do possible surgery, which has a large chance of not restoring his eye site.

I am putting the financial aspect on the back burner..

My questions would be: since it appears the eyeballs have sunk deep into the skull.. is there enough of the structure left to provide any eye site at all?? Are the nerves intact? and the eye, itself? The neural pathways and blood supply is important. It will take a ton of testing, and perhaps a ton of surgeries to discover this... is there even a eye socket to securely surround the eyeballs?
Our Vet's opinion was that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the eyes themselves. There is a layer of flesh covering it which is blocking Boy's vision is what the vet reckons. Sometimes the cat is able to grow the eyes back to where they should be. Boy has shown that, his eyes came forward as he grew to where we can clearly makeout it's outline and see his pupils. But we haven't observed any further growth since. I believe he can at least see light and dark at the moment. His pupils follow what he is trying to look at.
Are you willing to put a sweet, loving, happy, kind, well-adjusted kitty through all of this? what he can only understand as pain... and become so scared.. You do not know what all of this would do to his psyche and personality...

If there was an infection present, then I would, by all means, have some surgery.... but .........
I don't know..If it was really as simple as a few stitches I think I'd go forward with it. I see his eyes move around to try to have a look at me when I come to the door and he doesn't know who it is. I get the feeling maybe he wants to see. Of course he can't tell me that, but he is trying to use his eyes...
Personally, if Boy is as sweet as he is, has adjusted to being blind...then, I think, I would let him be....
It took a long time, but he is finally familiar with the structure of his surroundings. However even so, he doesn't recall where he is sometimes. Like he would jump onto a bed on a cat tree to rest, then want to get down and starts freaking out struggling to hold onto the scratching pole because he doesn't know it's a safe drop and thinks the floor is really far away.

Boy is terrified of the sound of cars. Even if he is inside the house and he knows that, any sound, even if small, of traffic makes him scared. It's trauma from when he got lost from his foster home after being spooked by cars and further aggravated by when he wandered starved and terrified for miles and miles before he was sighted weeks later and the SPCA got him.

Boy has numerous girlfriends. :D We got him desexed right away from the start, but every female cat can't help falling head over heels in love with Boy. And Boy loves his lady friends just as much. He always asks to go outside to sunbathe, nick other cats' food and cuddle with the female cats. He doesn't go far from the driveway, and it's a one end street so rather safe for cats. Still, neighbours drive off and pull into their own houses, and the sounds of their cars sometimes send him into a very anxious state. When this happens and we don't notice his panic attack to let him in soon enough, we find Boy in distress and very upset.

It hurts to see him scared. I can't shield his ears from all the car sounds in the world without taking away his hearing and make him a blind AND deaf boy. I think that's why I'm inclined towards getting his vision back, so that Boy can feel more safe.

If you do feel as if you need to give Boy, every chance possible, then go for a consult.. and perhaps an x-ray or MRI...and then, make your decision...

I would be hesitant to go to this specialist.. But if none else were available; I would just go in and get a 'feel'....

There are a lot of blind cats who function normally.. There is even a member on here,
@stephenq who has 2 blind cats.. He is not on here very often, but one kitty has a FB page: Jenny the Blind Cat....

I am wishing you so much luck, in your decision.. I really am...
Thank you <3
(((hugs)))
 
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s.heseri

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If I may say so, in total agreement with artiemom artiemom , this is an incredible amount of stress on everyone involved and most particularly Boy. I'm not sure...just not sure.

I AM sure that you are incredibly fantastic people. I'm beyond words that he found you.

Is there any way to know what will happen with the eyes in the future, if you do nothing now? Will they shrink, or cause him pain in some way? gammycatpurrson gammycatpurrson provided a lot of good info and comments, as has everyone.
No, it's not going to get worse. :) It can improve and grow forward a bit more, or stay the same. Even if it starts to grow again, it will be a slow process and tissue is flexible and can stretch so it won't cause him pain. And luckily, our Vet says that it will never be too late regain Boy's vision through surgery. Even if many years pass, his eyes will not deteriorate or lose their function from not getting used. Meaning even if he is an Old Man the success of the surgery would not be affected by how much time has passed since enophthalmos happened. So I don't have to stress about the aspect of raising money for it now. It's a relief because I don't need strain for time.

Yup, everyone has been so helpful and kind! I'm overwhelmed by all the positive responses I have received here. Thank you so much to everyone who has replied to my post regarding Boy. :D Big hugs and kisses to you all <3
 

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...our Vet says that it will never be too late regain Boy's vision through surgery. :D Big hugs and kisses to you all <3
Have you considered traveling abroad? We've driven 8 hours up to Ottawa Ontario Canada three times since the beginning of August, first to have a tumor removed from a cat's jaw and a titanium prosthesis implanted, then twice more when the stitches didn't hold. I found the Ottawa onco-surgeon (I think?) by Googling cat- mandible- and prosthesis-, after a vet told me they do jaw replacements for dogs. Yes, it cost a bunch of money, but the Canada-U.S. exchange rate is also favorable.

If I had had to take this fella, "Todo Bueno," to The Aleutian Islands or Timbuktu, I would have found a way. Bueno, like my Dov (aside, this name is a bit of word-play: "dov" in Hebrew means "bear," and his mentor when he was a kitten was my big, fat, wise, beloved Pooh Bear; Dov is also as gentle as a dove, and his coat is dove grey), is an Elder Statesman of the house. I treasure my senior cats, I am so grateful for the years of steady support they have given when the chips were down, and the laughter! The laughter!! The things cats do!!

Cats can travel in the airplane cabin in a suitable carrier, and even if you had to give him a bit of sedation to endure the trip, you both might end up having fun. On my trips to Canada, I took Bueno, his best friend, Brownie, Dovey, and Dovey's sister, Sweet Pea. Bueno and Brownie seemed to have a great deal of fun jumping between the double beds in the motel rooms, because of the way the soft mattresses BOUNCED on landing! Dov & Sweet Pea were quite content to lie on the bed and watch television with me, something we never get to do at home. PLUS, they got to eat as much Fancy Feast as they wanted, without competition from the other cats (I live on a farm, we care for lots of cats).

For the sake of comparison, you might want to look up the ophthalmologist at the Ottawa practice, Dr. Tinsley of VCA Alta Vista Animal Hospital. You might also look into the ophthalmology practice at Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, CT. Truly, there are veterinary surgeons the world over who can help, who can make a reasonable determination of what is possible and necessary from ultrasound or CT images, and who will give you an estimate without making you jump through hoops or bow in obeisance! Generally, the top specialists take great pride in their work, are happy to be able to use their skills to help, and may be glad for the opportunity to perform some great transformation that they can then publish delightedly for all the world to see.

And, of course you can figure the cost of travel into your GoFundMe.

Boy may have nine lives, but as a toopy hooman, as the saying goes, "YOLO."
:goodluck:
 

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The Vet said it would just be a minor surgery with a few stitches to position the eyes forward, but a only a Specialist vet is allowed to perform this. The one eye specialist that I asked scoffed at my Vet's words and said it's not realistic; he wants many tests and an invasive surgery to cut open the cat & get a closer look before he can tell if or how surgery could help.
As a nurse, a ~human~ nurse, and to be devil’s advocate... he may not have the best bedside manner (the second vet), but he may be just being honest and absolutely right. Comparing it to human healthcare, the primary doctor- the first vet- may have had the best intentions and have given advice to the best of his knowledge. But the specialist is telling you it’s a little more complicated and involved than that, realistically. That minuscule input being said....

I found this site and thread looking for advice on my elderly cat’s condition. She is 18 years old, and in the last 6-8 months has developed enopthalamus herself, with eye drainage accompanying it. It worsened progressively over that time period. At first I thought it was an infection, drainage only being the first sign, and treated by gently wiping the eye and a little later beginning to apply a prescribed antibiotic ointment. It didn’t seem to clear up the drainage at all, and then the sinking of the eyeball began, again, progressively, until where she is now which seems to have stabilized and no longer worsening but definitely not improved either. She doesn’t seem to have lessened vision at all, or very minimal. And shows no sign of pain. The only time she seems bothered by it was when (1) I clean the area gently with a warm soft cloth- she hates it and pushes away from me to free herself the whole time- I feel horrible- and (2) when I would apply the ointment (I’ve since stopped, given the time period, if it was going to work surely a month of doing so would’ve shown improvement)- anyway when I applied the ointment she would paw and “cleanse” her eye to rid the ointment. No other times have I EVER seen her clean the area, pay any mind to it at all. She seems comfortable and is as attention seeking and loving as ever. No other changes whatsoever. But now the other eye is starting to show signs. Only faster- not beginning with drainage but enopthalamus right from the get go. They seem to have equalized at this point, both eyes. Her age is so advanced, surgery of any kind is not even an option- we’ve been told this before a long time ago- unrelated- so given her advancing age, should I just let her be? Given that it’s not causing any distress apparently? And lastly, to be perfectly honest, money is an issue......
 

di and bob

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I would think with her advanced age, and since it is giving her no apparent pain,I myself would let it be. i had a sixteen year old that developed drainage in one eye, and it lasted for at least 6 months, with numerous treatments tried. It finally cleared up. As long as your sweet girl appears to be in no pain, let her live out her time in peace. And treasure every moment you have left with her......
 
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