My cat's pupils are always round, never vertical. Is this normal?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This doesn't sound normal to me and good thinking with the at home vision tests. There may be something abnormal going on with his vision that should be checked out with an eye exam at your veterinarian's office. There, your vet should be able to tell you what the issues with his eyesight may be. I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Good job noticing such a small change. This is only a reason of concern if it continues. Sometimes cats can have some minor trauma that may result in pupil constriction and will go away on its own. If this continues though and it is still present in a few days, I would recommend that you have Harry evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Small or constricted pupils may be a sign of uveitis, which means inflammation in the front chamber of the eye. This can be due to infectious causes (bacterial/viral/fungal), high blood pressure, immune-mediated diseases or trauma, among other things. Cats with uveitis are often painful, however, and will show squinting of the eyes, will be sensitive to light, are often hiding, etc. It is possible that he has no ocular issues, and that you have just never observed his pupils in a dark room (this is very hard to do!). You can test if he can see by gently motioning toward his eyes with your hand (called a menace response) to see if he blinks. If he is squinting his eyes, has abnormal discharge (yellow/green, thick/mucoid), or very red conjunctiva, I recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be evaluated. I hope this is helpful!

The main thing I would be worried about and cats that have persistently dilated pupils are issues with the right now which is the covering on the back of the eye. Middle-aged to older cats can develop high blood pressure as well as kidney issues that can cause the retina to be damaged, leading to blindness and persistently dilated pupils. I would recommend having your veterinarian examine Athenais's eyes to make sure everything's normal and there's no underlying disease that needs to be addressed.

Hello, I agree that Buddy's left pupil appears more dilated than the right. This could be associated with age related atrophy of the iris (makes up the pupil). However, cats can get cancer of their eye and this it would be best to have him evaluated to ensure there is not mass growing behind the pupil and to rule out other potential abnormalities within his eye. Hope this helps and best of luck.

It is not normal at all that Leo's pupils stay wide when he has a light shined near them. They should constrict in the presence of light. This can be a sign that Leo is blind, and I would have him seen by a vet today. The vet can confirm he is blind. If Leo is blind, it is recommend to making him an indoor only cat if he isn't already one.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds that Aurora should be seen by your local vets as soon as possible. Dilated pupils can be a sign of pain, acute blindness, high blood pressure and more. Neck flexion is a common sign of spinal pain, muscle problems, low potassium level. Please, call your vets right away and get Aurora seen today.