Why is my senior cat lethargic, wobbly, and has dilated eyes?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The symptoms do suggest short seizures or mini strokes. You should take Cheshire to your local vets for full clinical examination and a blood test to check his blood sugar level, red cell count, kidney and liver function. If the blood results come back normal and he keeps having the episodes, he may need further investigation, like MRI scan of the brain. Alternatively, your vet may recommend treatment with anti-epileptic medication asa trial.

I would recommend that Monet see a veterinarian. Sudden onset of blindness and dilated pupils can be secondary to high blood pressure in older cats. They can suffer from hyperthyroidism or a heart disease called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Both of these geriatric cat problems can cause these changes with her eyes. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I am not quite sure. It may be that you are seeing a severely dilated pupil. Some disease can cause hypertension, which if unmanaged for some time, can cause damage to the retina which causes a dilated pupil and blindness. I would recommend that you have Tiger examined by the vet. They can look at the eye and do bloodwork and blood pressure testing to see what is going on. Some of these cases can be reverse, while others the blindness will be permanent.

It may not be his time yet but he does need to be examined by the veterinarian today. The disorientation and potential blindness is concerning for low blood sugar, hypertension, a brain tumor and a few other conditions. Some of these conditions respond very well to treatment and some don't but first, you must know what is happening so you know the treatment options. Just like humans, diseases are best diagnosed and treated early so have him examined today. I hope he gets this figured out quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

There is anisocoria (the two pupils are unequal in size) and possibly ptosis of the upper eyelid (the eyelid cannot open normally) on the left side (where the pupil is bigger). There are many causes that can provoke this presentation: -Corneal injury such as an ulcer. -Disease or injury to the brain or to the nerves running to the affected eye, such as Horner’s syndrome. -Glaucoma, a disease in which there is increased pressure within the eye (the pupil in the affected eye will be dilated). -Uveitis, or inflammation of the interior of the eye (the pupil in the affected eye will usually be constricted). -Retinal disease. -Scar tissue formation between the iris and the lens (called posterior synechia), a condition that may develop following uveitis. -Iris atrophy (a decrease in the amount of tissue within the iris) usually a degenerative change associated with aging. -Congenital defect of the iris, in which the iris tissue does not develop properly. -Cancer within the affected eye. -Spastic pupil syndrome - a syndrome that may be associated with feline leukemia virus infection. -Other infectious diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus or toxoplasmosis. Unfortunately is difficult to be more specific than that and a clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Gary likely suffers from arthritis (almost all cats begin to get arthritic changes by the time they are 7 or 8 years old) which is quite painful. Your veterinarian can prescribe an NSAID suitable for cats for Gary. I am not sure which NSAIDs are licensed for the use in cats, but in Europe, for example, Metacam (Meloxicam) is licensed for cats. Dilated pupils can point to high blood pressure which needs to be addressed, and can cause blindness. Your cat may also have had a stroke or suffer from a neurological problem or cognitive disfunction disorder. Please take Gary back to a veterinarian for a recheck.

He may be having vision problems, high blood pressure or might have had a seizure. If his pupils are wide open, please take him to an out of hours or emergency veterinarian now. He may have high blood pressure and fast intervention can reverse any blindness caused by this. If his pupils are normal and react normally, take him to a vet tomorrow for an exam.