Elderly cat s third eyelid one eye only

Leesy · 01-02-2009, 06:01 PM

Hope things get better for Max and that he will not need a visit to the vets

.
My Maxi is the same when it comes to going to the vets he seems to get really stressed, I am certain that his continual visits to the vets for the problems that he has makes him worse, it is a vicious circle

jan · 03-02-2009, 01:24 AM

Hi all,
its very difficult to see his pupil really most of the time as his third eyelid is two thirds over his eye. When I came in earlier and he was meowing for his food it certainly seemed to be open more and look a bit better but since eating and sleeping in front of the fire again it has covered over more again. It seems a bit weepy at times but the weather has been dreadful here today and very difficult to drive in so visiting a vet was out of the question really, and as said, it upsets max and the one I want to go to as recommended to me is about half hour away on a good day. So am still playing the waiting game, but other than his eye he is acting the same as normal. As he is totally deaf now I stopped letting him out last summer and he doesnt bother one bit. I was bothered about him not hearing a car and getting run over. Oh well, will continue to keep an eye on it, no pun intended. Jan

Elaine · 04-02-2009, 10:31 AM

I have a very stressy cat but I'd rather she went to the vet if something was not right with her rather than leave it.
I understand the weather thing and the not liking the vet but I personally would have her seen to.
With respect about the blood tests, vets do try to keep an eye on the kidney function of older cats, the quicker they can diagnose CRF, the quicker it can be managed and hopefully the progression of this illness slowed down.

jan · 06-02-2009, 12:23 AM

Well, its a week tomorrow that we got up to find max s eye problem - on 3 occasions yesterday and including this morning his eye has looked almost back to normal for awhile, but then once he s been asleep the third eyelid comes back over more again. This morning i got a good look at his pupil and it looked normal to me once more but as I said it s now pretty well covered with the third eyelid again. I couldnt get out to work today as the village roads I live in are so covered in snow but this morning i was sure he was on the mend. If i have any doubts tomorrow I m going to have to take him to a vets weather permitting . He s still behaving normally thankgoodness ! Jan

jan · 08-02-2009, 08:13 PM

Hi all, Update on max - I took him to the vets yesterday morning. He was brilliant travelling - meowed a couple times but very calm tho my son sat in the rear of the car stroking him and talking to him. The lady vet gave him a very thorough check up and it isnt an infection. He can see out of it and she didnt seem certain but suspected horners syndrome, where the nerve for some reason gets damaged, I have read about it and it does seem like it can be a variety of reasons and some are serious and some are not. I am on a low income and my son is unemployed so I couldnt afford a mri scan but we did have blood tests taken and the thyroid being enlarged was ruled out - his kidney s were also tested and his diet needs to be monitored ( I already put him on the senior cat food on Tuesday) with a further blood test taken at some point in the near future. So, we arent much further forward but I know it isnt an infection. I shall just keep a close eye on him more so than usual in the future. I slept better than I had for eight days last night, it has been a constant niggle in the back of my mind and I was waking early worrying. Thanks for all your support. Jan x

farthing · 08-02-2009, 08:28 PM

Hi Jan,
our Samson was taken into the vets for nearly a year, as I don't feel he was quite right, they found nothing obvious and it didn't look like his thyroid- no enlargement. It turned out that he did have a thyorid problem and has been better since on treatment. I hope you find out what the problem is, I did wonder about horner's. If you come to no conclusions it might be worth going for a thyroid test, it is very common. If he has a thyroid problem, ask about vidalta as a treatment , it is much cheaper than felimazole and only needs to be given once daily.

Elaine · 11-02-2009, 09:44 AM

I dont know anything out horners syndrome but I hope it's not been caused by anything serious.
With regards to the kidneys, did the vet give you her kidney function levels? I can give you loads of info on CRF, Chronic Renal Failure. Dont be frightened about the title of the illness, it's not uncommon for older cats to develope this. The important thing is to make sure she gets enough fluids and a low phospherous diet. Also CRF can mask an over active thyroid and vice versa.
If you want any info dont hesitate to ask, I would be only too happy to help in any way i can.

jan · 11-02-2009, 09:02 PM

Thankyou both for your input - Max did have his thyroid checked by a blood test I realise I didnt put that clearly! That came up normal. The vet didnt give me the readings for his kidneys but said as I had put him on a senior cat food diet just this week to maybe go back for another blood test in about a month to see if it s stabilised or I would have to buy the prescription diet from them directly which is apparently even lower? Max does drink tons of water - my second eldest cat is Tess she s fourteen (15 in April) she is also now on the senior cat food though she does nt seem overly impressed! She doesnt seem to touch water, is this a problem? It is always put down twice a day fresh. I see you can buy tinned hill s senior cat food direct online, is this what the vet provides, do you know? Any information is gratefully received. Have had cats for years but Max is now the eldest (just) of all my cats. Thanking you Jan x

Elaine · 11-02-2009, 10:07 PM

http://www.catsey.com/showthread.php?t=25488
This link might be helpful for you.
You might want to try adding a little cooled, boiled water to their wet food. Fluids are very important for cats with failing kidneys. The best thing is to try to get them to eat a good quality, low phospherous diet. The prescription diet is low protein and low phospherous.
Applaws chicken cat food is quite good but it's not a complete food. This is ok if you feed dry food as well but with cats with kidney issues dry is not good as it makes the kidneys work harder due to the lack of water content.
The felinecrf.org site has a wealth of knowledge on foods etc. I'll find the link for you.

Elaine · 11-02-2009, 10:09 PM

http://www.felinecrf.org/which_foods.htm
It might be an idea to get as clued up as possible about CRF, if you need any help, just yell and I'll do my best to help.

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