Sudden Onset Blindness In Cats

If the pupils stay dilated your cat has probably lost his eye sight.
Sudden onset blindness in cats. A blind cat will be less active and will often bump into furniture especially if the loss of vision is recent. Some antibiotics may cause blindness that can be reversed if you catch it early enough and discontinue the medication immediately. When one eye is blind most cats act and behave normally. The aspca lists signs of sudden blindness to include.
In rare cases a cat s ingestion of an antibacterial medication called enrofloxacin has also been shown to damage the feline retina and cause sudden blindness. Bumping into or falling from familiar objects. Symptoms of sudden blindness if blindness develops very rapidly however then there is no chance for the cat to adapt. The owner may not realize vision has been lost in one eye until such time as it is decreased in the other.
The actual onset of blindness may be difficult to pinpoint because cats senses of hearing and smell can often compensate for a decrease in vision. They may wander apparently aimlessly may bump into things and may become distressed. It is important to understand the difference between true sudden onset blindness and suddenly noticed blindness. Your cat will show you some very definitive symptoms such as suddenly bumping into furniture or objects as well as a loss of balance.
If you see any of these signs develop very quickly immediately check their pupils. If the pupils shrink this means that your cat is not blind. Unfortunately some other medications such as baytril enrofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones can cause irreversible blindness. A few medications are known to cause sudden blindness in cats.
Sudden blindness in cats isn t all that unusual in older cats and pb is 17 years old. If you suspect your cat may be blind you should perform a few tests. But watching her adjust to being sightless is both distressing and heartening. Get a flashlight and dim the lights then point the flashlight close to the cat s eyes.
Acute sudden blindness occurs when vision is lost in both eyes simultaneously. For the affected cat they can become extremely disorientated and may behave in a strange and unusual way. Sudden blindness in cats will not be hard to spot even if it is absolutely the furthest thing from your mind. They may also start to cry out because they have absolutely no idea what is happening.
True sudden blindness usually occurs within hours whereas suddenly noticed blindness is a condition that has been developing gradually over the course of weeks or even months and often goes unnoticed by cat parents because cats are so good at adapting. She can still sense light and dark in her left pupil so she walks along the wall on her left side feeling in front of her as she slowly walks. Signs of vision loss can. Sudden onset blindness in cats can be a very worrying and confusing disease.