Could my 17 yr. old Maine coon be going blind? He's always had large pupils, as

1. 52

   Boots_Mom62posted 8 years ago

   Could my 17 yr. old Maine coon be going blind? He's always had large pupils, as the picture shows.
   
   I have noticed lately that Boots, my 17 yr.old neutered Maine coon tomcat,
   has, as the article mentioned, "a round large pupil almost filling the whole
   iris area" , both at night and during the day. Should I be concerned about possible blindness?? It will kill me if so, because my other cat (who's since passed on) developed glaucoma. Boots has never been outdoors in his life, and he has suddenly gotten very vocal. My vet said the other cat went blind because, for one reason,  he was out in the sun all day. Any help would be appreciated. The picture is of Boots taken 5 yrs. ago, in 2005.
   
   

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2. 59

   pueblomanposted 8 years ago

   We have two Russian blues and the tom has had cataracts since he was a kitten. This sometimes makes the pupil look big and sometimes cloudy - depends on the light and your angle of sight. we have never done anything about it, not wanting to put him through the trauma of an operation.
   
   He's nine now and he manages fine. Humans often assume that animals are like we are. Smell is the most important sense to a cat not sight, which is poorly developed by our standards and largely used by the cat to detect movement when hunting. Ours runs along walls, jumps gaps, doesn't bump into things and certainly doesn't know he's disabled!
   
   Hope this helps.

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3. 60

   mandolynnposted 8 years ago

   Blind cats can lead happy and healthy lives. My Himalayan has Progressive Retinal Atrophy and he lives on my parents' ranch and goes in and out, he even catches birds and mice. If his pupils don't dilate at all that's not a good sign. But, it may be something other than glaucoma, and it doesn't mean you don't have time left with him. Talk to your vet ASAP.

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