please read..i'm worried.

[Tink]

cuddles, the 17 year old i took in, is displaying something odd today. i took the old girl out for a bit of sunshine in the backyard on a leash..she was enjoying herself and i noticed something i've never noticed in the last month or so i've had her..if anyone knows what this is/could be, i'd really appreciate it.
one eye the pupil was small like when they get in the sunshine..the other completely dilated...i have brought her in and am watching her and neither are still the same. is something wrong with one of her eyes?
help, please!...:(

[Tink]

just thought i'd also add that she was barely observed before she came to my home...someone came in for food/water/litter change only every few days..and if there was an eye infection that wasn't treated, it's very likely it was missed.:cry:

[Sasadams]

Sorry you are so worried about Cuddles. I personally think you should take Cuddles to see the vet as soon as possible, just to be on the safe side. Hope all will be ok and let us know what the outcome is.

Thinking of you!
x

[Fran]

Difficult to say what it could be as it's indicative of a few things, unequal reaction of pupils. I wouldn't have thought eye infection though. Any other symptoms?? Can you get her checked over by a vet?

[Elaine]

Poor Cuddles, I think a vet visit is in order here to see exactly whats going on.

[Tink]

yes, of course they won't give me any clues over the phone..it's a must talk in person thing. don't have any cash at the moment..we could use my OH's credit card but he's at work..just wondering if i need to rush to emergency or if i can wait and plan with my OH when/how to do this. (we're in the middle of refinancing the house and it's a little hectic right now) but i don't want her to be suffering or anything if i wait a few days...
she sleeps a lot and has hairballs now and then..not really any other symptoms..she seems a bit slower than usual than when i last saw her but that was ten years ago so i just figured it was old age..."mentally slow" i mean..but she's kind of always been that way..i think there was inbreeding that happened in the stray parents she had.
so..opinions? freak out or is this something that can wait.
she seems okay..was eating some grass outside and just acting like an old kitty kat.
someone on another forum mentioned neurological..or a stroke...would i be able to tell if she had a stroke?
sorry, i'm kinda freaked out at the moment.

[Fran]

Ok, I'm not a vet but these are my thoughts. No, I don't think you have to rush off to the vet s an emergency but I'm certainly thinking something neurological, it could be one of a few things but she does need checking out as soon as you are able

[babycakes]

Yes Tink she is an old kitty an will be slower etc. I wouldn't rush her to an emergency vet but I would take her as it not a usual abnormality, sounds more indicative of something behind the eye and in humans it could be something small like glaucoma or something bigger like a tumour. sorry I don't want you getting a shock when you go

[Tink]

k, so checked on her and looked normal at a glance but if you look closer the right pupil was a bit bigger and the coloring a darker green (very slight). i'm trying the flashlight thing and the right pupil isn't reacting. i wonder if she had a stroke awhile ago and no one ever noticed because of how much she was neglected and seperated from the rest of the house.
i feel so awful i haven't noticed this before.:cry:

[Tink]

Yes Tink she is an old kitty an will be slower etc. I wouldn't rush her to an emergency vet but I would take her as it not a usual abnormality, sounds more indicative of something behind the eye and in humans it could be something small like glaucoma or something bigger like a tumour. sorry I don't want you getting a shock when you go

don't be sorry, it's better to know worst case scenarios so i can prepare myself. a tumor would be hard to take though since tigger is already dying of an inoperable tumor. can you imagine if both of them have tumors now?
my mom said she would help pay me with general costs or medications as i do have a full house and i did help her out by taking them off her hands..but she says she will not help with a surgery as they are so old...and i'm not sure if cuddles is even healthy enough to have an operation. so then it might be like they will both be dying.
i knew going in i would have limited time. tigger is only supposed to make it six months to a year...but i was hoping for longer.
i know i should not think about this but my mind always starts spinning with these things.:cry:

[babycakes]

No I know what you mean Tink. They may be too old for an op but you will know what to d when you have more information.
I know from adults that if they have had a knock to the head the pupils are a clear indication that something else is going on such as a bleed, stroke, haemorrhage, tumour, when you shine a light in there is no reaction to it, what will usually happen is that the pupil will go smaller, but also it can be little things and I may be scaring you unnecessarily as animals and humans are so different and I have never heard of the colouring difference so that is new which puts a difference slant on it as that could be anything I wouldn't like to guess at.

Put your mind at rest visit the vet and have cuddles checked over then make decisions based on fact only. You may want to say that you are a rescue centre in the hope that they may give some concessionary rate.

[dandysmom]

I agree that this isn't an emergency, but she does need to be seen. My only experience with this was when my Misty lost her sight in both eyes at about 18. So it could be that Cuddles is blind in one eye..the non-reactive pupil is a sign...and that she's compensated for it so well that no one would notice. Cats are very good at this; no one would have known Misty was blind. And, the eye color change is possibly a sign of a tumor. I hate to mention this, but it is better to be prepared when you get to the vet. I do hope and pray it's nothing serious. Try not to worry too much, I know that's easier said than done...(((hugs))), Tink, and do give us an update....

[Steph]

Parsley went `big eyes`-his retinas had detached due to high BP. There is always hope-my fella got his eyesight back. A stroke finally took him but he went on for a couple of years after geting his sight back

[random]

Could she have had a seizure? Sometimes this will cause problems with dilating pupils.

[Tink]

Could she have had a seizure? Sometimes this will cause problems with dilating pupils.

honestly, she just sleeps a lot and cuddles when awake. but like i said, anything's possible in the duration she was hardly looked at and kept in a separate room of the household and a bit neglected. i'm just wondering if i'm noticing the effects now as i've had her just over a month and i haven't noticed anything weird while i'm home, which is usually a lot.

[dandysmom]

Tink, here's a link I sent to Boys Mum when her cat had a noticeable color change in one eye...might give you some information...

http://petcaretips.net/cat_eye_problem.html

[Tink]

thank you for the link..i'm wondering about kidney failure..don't know why i picked that outta the bunch, that's just "the feeling i get"...
i know i need a vet to diagnose..just need to sit down with my OH and figure this out. also, should call my mom and ask her if she's had any infections in that eye before and when was her last exam...maybe she'll even help out with the cost of the visit. usually i can rely on my OH for an emergency need for money but with the refi happening right now he's tied up alot of things to make this happen so i know he's stressed about any amount of money.
but i will get her checked.
keep u updated.

[Tink]

just talked to my mom on the phone..i am so angry you guys:evil: .
she laughed and said nonchalantly "oh she's had that for three or four years now". i told her the possibilites of the cause and she just said "yep. probably one of those is my guess".
i know she's not mentally well...and i know she's my mother but i am fuming:evil: :evil: :evil:
i could just cry for cuddles..and cry because i want to hate "the previous owner" so badly. think i'll give the old girl an extra cuddle tonight. i ended the phone conversation abruptly as she doesn't take much of anything very well these days.

[dandysmom]

Oh dear!!! :( Your own mother.......

Well, if she's had it this long at least I guess we can assume its not immediately life-threatening and can wait until you have funds for the vet visit....

Try not to be too upset, (((hugs)))

[Kay]

A trip to the vets will hopefully get to the bottom of this but try not to worry. One of my friends cat has unequal pupils and has had them from being very young. There is nothing at all wrong with her. Just get her checked as soon as you can.

[diskinc]

From the sound of it a vet visit can wait until you are more able to afford it but will definetely be worth doing, if only to set your mind at ease.

That extra cuddle sounds just the medicine :-)

[rachm]

as cats get older they sometimes lose eye sight. i'm not a vet or anything but it may just be that she has gone blind in that one eye, therefore it doesn't register the changes in light? just a thought.