Cataracts are a common eye problem in cats, especially as they age. A cataract is a pathology that consists of an alteration and a loss of transparency of the crystalline or intraocular lens that makes vision difficult. Although some cats show no signs of decreased vision, especially if only one eye is affected, in most advanced cases cats have vision impairment, which can progress to blindness. Sometimes cataracts can be irritating and painful.
In order for you to be able to recognize a cataract in your cat, we are going to explain in this article on our site the symptoms of cataracts in cats and their treatment.
Cataract symptoms in cats
If our cat suffers from cataracts, the main symptom that we are going to observe is a bluish gray spot when looking at our cat's pupil. This dull spot may stay small or get bigger over time.
Sometimes cataracts in the eyes of cats evolve quickly and cover the entire pupil, so it is common to observe loss of visionas a consequence of the opacity of the lens. Vision impairment can be variable and symptoms you might see in cats with cataracts include:
- Abnormally high steps.
- Abnormal ambulation.
- Insecurity when walking.
- Tripping over familiar objects.
- Miscalculate distances.
- Does not recognize familiar people.
- Your eyes are abnormally moist.
- Eye color change.
- Change in size or shape of the pupil.
Cataracts can Develop in just one eye or both. Many cataracts are congenital: they are present from the cat's birth.
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Causes of Cataracts in the Eyes of Cats
Now that you know what the symptoms of cataracts in cats are, we are going to focus on what causes them. The truth is that the causes of cataracts in cats can be diverse.
Therefore, we can see that they can be caused by:
- Inherited cause: Cats with cataracts usually start showing symptoms after 6 years of age. Even so, it is true that there are some breeds of cats that have this hereditary anomaly among he alth problems, such as the Burmese cat, the Russian Blue or the Persian.
- Secondary cause: It could be an injury or another illness. For example, a cat with cataracts may have a cloudy or clear nasal discharge. Actually this secretion comes from the eye and this occurs especially when the cause of the cataract is an infection, when cataracts are caused by an underlying infection. Although rare, cataracts can also occur as a result of diabetes, although this is more common in dogs. Other causes of cataracts in cats can be poisoning, inflammation of the eye, poor diet, trauma and aging.
Diagnosis of Cataracts in Cats
At this point you may be wondering, how do I know if my cat has cataracts? As soon as we see the above symptoms of cataracts in cats, what we have to do is go to our trusted veterinarian.
There, the professional will carry out a detailed study of our cat's eye in which he must observe the lens. To do this, he must apply a few drops on the eye so that the pupil dilates. To get to the cause of cataracts in cats, veterinarians also often perform urine tests, blood tests and even ultrasound and electrorenitography.
Cataract treatment in cats
An early diagnosis is decisive to treat the primary causes and stop the progression of the cataract, whether in puppies or adult cats:
- Cataracts in kittens: may improve spontaneously and may not need treatment.
- Cataracts in adults that present a slight opacity and do not alter vision: do not necessarily need treatment.
Even so, in these cases some anti-inflammatory eye drops can increase our cat's comfort. There are also cataracts due to nutritional deficiencies, the evolution and worsening of these cataracts can be stopped by balanced diets and food supplementation.
Cataract surgery for cats
For cats with impaired vision, surgical resection of the affected lens is the only fully effective treatment. Then it is replaced by an artificial lens, if an artificial lens is not implanted the cat will only be able to see far away and very poorly.
The prognosis is best when surgery is performed early in the course of cataract development and the veterinarian will make sure the cat is he althy before operating.
Now, how much does a cataract operation cost in cats? This surgery must be performed by a veterinarian specialized in ophthalmology and its high cost makes many guardians decide that it is not necessary since their cats are able to adapt to their environment even with his vision loss. Depending on the severity, the price can range between €200 and €800
Prognosis for cats with cataracts
Indeed our feline friends use their sense of smell for most of their activities and they don't originally have very good eyesight. Still, for their safety and well-being, cats with partial or complete vision loss should be kept indoors
If a guardian decides not to operate on her cat for her cataract, she should ensure frequent follow-up by the veterinarian to monitor the progression of the cataract. When losing vision, at a certain point, the cat could suffer pain, and then it might be best to surgically remove the affected eye of our friend on all fours to avoid unnecessary pain.
Therefore, it all depends on whether we are talking about an indoor cat that is able to adapt to its surroundings or if, on the contrary, we are dealing with a cat that usually goes outside and is accustomed to investigating his surroundings.
You may also be interested in knowing how to clean a cat's eyes on our site.
