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Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
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Quick question... one of my cats has always had giant pupils, in all kinds of light. No matter what he's doing, no matter what time of day, his pupils are always massive.
He's gotten regular vet care since I adopted him at 7 months and this has never been explained by a vet, nor has it been much of a concern. But I took a picture of him just now and realized how odd his pupils really are so of course now I'm Googling it and getting all kinds of crazy information (good thing I trust my vet more than I trust anything I ever read on the Internet I suppose!).
His pupils DO change size in direct light, but generally from huge to only slightly less huge. I've had him for over two years and this has always been the case. He gets around fine, eats a nutritious grain-free diet, is a very strange cat but I have no reason to suspect there is a worrisome medical condition causing it.
Since this has already been addressed with the vet as I said... just wondering if anyone else has a cat with constantly dilated pupils?
I do. I too was concerned but the vet checked her out thoroughly and there is nothing wrong with her eyes or vision. Like you I had done a lot of researching first, ugh! The only time I see them contract to pin points is when she is in direct bright sunlight. Otherwise they are almost as big as her irises.
I guess, it's when they are uneven, one dilated the other not dilated, that there is cause for worry.
Location: the wrong side of the tracks Richmond, VA
585 posts, read 2,014,607 times
Reputation: 794
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsmom21
I do. I too was concerned but the vet checked her out thoroughly and there is nothing wrong with her eyes or vision. Like you I had done a lot of researching first, ugh! The only time I see them contract to pin points is when she is in direct bright sunlight. Otherwise they are almost as big as her irises.
I guess, it's when they are uneven, one dilated the other not dilated, that there is cause for worry.
Whew, thanks, as long as I am not the only one.
I know humans get "big pupils" when we are interested in something or someone, thinking maybe the little guy just loves life and is excited about any and everything. Would explain a lot.
Yes, my Mickey has always been this way. His vision is fine and vets he's seen have said it's unusual, but it doesn't seem to be a problem. He came from a shelter and his background is unknown. One vet theorized he may have had a nutritional deficiency as a small kitten that affected his eyes. I wondered if he might have been in a dark place when he was little, so that the muscles never got a chance to develop and "learn their job". It never seems to bother him unless he stands on the end table by me directly under a lamp. Then he looks at me like "Mom, can't you turn that off?"
....Since this has already been addressed with the vet as I said... just wondering if anyone else has a cat with constantly dilated pupils?
Our Zebulon's pupils never close to a slit like normal cat's pupils do in bright light. Also, his pupils are almost round all the time. At best they're almond shape in bright light. He also has nystagmus in both eyes. We know his vision is excellent because he can catch gnats and small moths in mid-air. Somehow his brain compensates for nystagmus. As for the pupils never "slitting" in bright light, I don't think that matters much in a cat living indoors. It doesn't seem to bother or effect him in any way. It's nothing we worry about.
I was trying to find a close up where you can really see his eyes. I hope this one isn't too dark. It wasn't taken in really bright light, but if it had been his eyes would have been the same. Click to enlarge.
Last edited by subject2change; 06-13-2019 at 06:15 AM..
genelaly oelry large pupils is most commonly a thiamine deficiency...VERY VERY common...however blue eyed cats generally have larger pupils than most other cat eye coirs due to theiricreased sensitivity to bright light.
ive got a flame pint boy with big blye eyes whos always squinting n the sun and hispupils ar emuch larger compared to my torite girl...have thiamine levels checked feeda good quity WET food diet and if everything else I normal I wuldnt worry.
One of our cats has that same thing. I nick-named her "Hoo-hoo" because she looks like an owl all the time. Her pupils will dialate in direct sunlight (and she has amazingly beautiful blue eyes), but her pupils take over immediately when she jumps out of the window.
Our vet has also reassured us that there is nothing wrong.
My boy Ralphie has always had what I thought to be "really big pupils" but when I asked other people they thought I was joking or something. I found and adopted him at around 5 weeks old - he was a stray and in the worst shape you could imagine - I truly did not expect him to live. He's now around 14 - and his pupils are and have always been enlarged. His vets over the years have never been concerned, there is nothing "handicapped" about him except IBS, and I just accept that as part of who he is. My sister always thought Ralphie "rode the short bus" into this life and is a little slow but I disagree (she suspected brain injury when he was little but there are no signs of anything like that). He is a long-haired boy wonder who is always the peace maker and peace keeper. He literally gets between others who are about to mix it up and keeps the peace - he is a lover boy extraordinaire!!!! I know that sometimes in people - with brain injuries the eyes can exhibit some signs of damage - not sure about cats though. I wouldn't be worried unless you see him struggling to get around or suspect he is having seeing difficulties. Too bad they can't just "tell" us in a succinct way - we always seem to have to play kitty charades to figure out what's wrong and where it hurts....
I know this is months after the fact, but thought I'd share a picture of my two cats for comparison. Gus has the more "normal" cat looking eyes and is at least 10 years old...Betty is not quite 4. This was taken mid afternoon a few days ago.
I wasn't very conscious of her dilated pupils until recently, and now, like a newly learned vocabulary word, I notice them all of the time. I've never noticed an issue with her sight as she's constantly chasing the laser pointer light, pieces of fluff, dust, etc. Her eyes definitely give her a distinct, very cute, look!
Thanks for the this post, though - it's comforting to know that there are so many more big-eyed kitties out there!
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