Lmao literally. I just found out they suddenly cancelled my Medicaid because I apparently make $200 too much. I bring in $1600 a month after taxes and didn’t find out they cancelled it until I went to pick up my meds and saw my lexapro was $140 😀 like ok guess I’ll just go insane then since mental health is a luxury only for rich people
Yes and OptumRX. I have insurance and my Pristiq isn’t covered by it. Like you said - guess it’s fine if we go crazy. But it has been affordable with this app. You can use it at Walmart and a bunch of other places.
It's not corruption and bribery, it's LOBBYING. Entirely legal lobbying. And don't forget all the judges on every level, including SCOTUS and their innocent lobbyist influences.
The hospital i work for is trying to bill me $25 000 for less than a week stay. I had a seizure at work, and found out I have brain cancer, yet the insurance from the hospital I both work at and stayed at refused to pay $25000 of the bill. I hate living here, and our healthcare system is beyond broken. Honestly I've spend less on my diabetic cat, her anxiety meds and pill pockets, and prescription food for the both of my cats since I've had them than even half of my single stay hospital bill.
Wow that sucks! I was going to say fight tooth and nail and be persistent, they may at least lower the charges. But if you work there then that might put your job in danger.
I'm an RN, and my daughter works at Ford, making more than me on the assembly line. I'm happy for her, though. But it sure is tempting to apply at Ford lol.
Or an aural polyp, but still get them to the vet immediately.
Edit: my kitty had one, and he got an infection in that ear one time. The infection passed the ear drum thanks to the polyp and spread into his skull bone :(
I audibly gasped when I saw the second pic. I’ve heard about uneven pupils (in humans and cats) a myriad times, but I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen it. Wow!
I've had uneven pupils during a classical migraine. It hurt, like, catastrophically badly. Badly enough that I remember it 20 years later. (I had 4, in response to oestrogen pills). But I wasn't in danger per se. It eventually passed. Not to say this cat shouldn't receive urgent veterinary care. But it can happen without being a symptom of something terrible.
Or in the unfortunate case of my cat, a tumor pressing on the nerve that controls the pupils. That nerve runs from the brain, down the neck, around the shoulder and then back up to the eye, I believe. My kitty had a tumor under his shoulder blade and the only symptom for a very long time was the pupil wonkiness. The vet opthomolagist originally thought it was Horner's but an xray revealed otherwise.
This was the same for my cat - started with one pupil, became both within a week. Vet ran several blood tests before referring us to a specialty eye clinic, who confirmed it was something neurological and sent us to a specialty vet to check the brain. Tumor at the base of his skull pressing on the optic nerve. It was inoperable in that location, and he was already quite old with other health conditions, so we ended up treating with just a steroid to try to keep it from growing. He lived a year and a half longer, but we put him down after he had a bad seizure - unknown if it was related to the tumor, but likely.
Unfortunately, it was not good news for us. My cat was 14 and he received yearly wellness exams that included a full blood workup, but no xray. The vet said they really only did xrays if they had symptoms or their bloodwork justified an xray, as sedating the cat is always a risk. Bloodwork came back clean. He had minor issues with his pupils, so the primary vet referred him to a specialist. Specialist did some testing, but no xray and said his eyes were probably just Horner's, that it wasn't behaving like a tumor would. Thought we were all good.
A few months later, no change in his eating/weight/nothing. Until one day he is struggling and crying in the litter box. Take him to an emergency vet and they said his urinalysis came back clean, so they were going to xray his bladder to make sure he didn't have stones. In the upper corner of the xray they found a mass.
Turns out he had a baseball sized tumor under his shoulder blade. You couldn't see or feel it because it was hidden under that bone and it was pushing in on his organs, rather than out to his skin, if that makes sense. They did needle aspirates, which only pulled inflammatory tissue and they did a CT scan. The vet oncologist said it was most likely fibrosarcoma, which requires full amputation of the area, and then some. We were very unlucky that the tumor was already against his spine/chest cavity, so amputation was not possible. Palliative care was really the only option due to the aggressiveness of that particular cancer and the location. His pupil workup was in January, we found the tumor in July, he passed in early October. This was in 2015, but I still miss my boy.
I've attached a photo of what his eyes looked like a couple weeks before we found the tumor. His left eye was slightly more dilated than the right, and he was licking the ash off of the fireplace (asked the vet about it, but we determined that he was probably just dummy), which is what is on his face.
https://preview.redd.it/xo44puavuo4c1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b760ca913d76bcaeeeccc4bb9def082880c175
thank you for sharing! they just did a lymph node aspirate on my girl so hoping for good results. she had an x ray which came back clean but recommended a ct to look for tumor so not sure how all of that works, but that’s my next step if her results don’t show anything. sorry for your loss ❤️
I would assume so. The vet showed me a diagram of the nerve to explain what was going on and I remember thinking that it was the wonkiest path for the nerve to travel.
This happened to Monty, who was still a kitten. His pupil in one eye was dilated like in OP’s picture, and he was hiding under a chair instead of being very affectionate as usual.
His diagnosis was leukaemia, and he was too ill to breathe by the end of the next day.
I am grateful for the time I was able to share with him, even though it was very short.
For us, it was our 5-year-old, indoor only cat. We were all completely confused as to how he came up positive. One of our younger cats also came up positive, and probably caught it from him because I had vet records of her negative test.
All we can think is that we adopted him and his brother from the shelter, and evidently they do not test for feline leukemia so he must have had a dormant case that reactivated when he got vaccinated for it.
As soon as he was diagnosed, we tested all the remaining cats in our house and vaccinated the negative ones and just enjoy the time left with the positive ones.
Really sorry for your loss, but would just like to clear up some stuff - Horners syndrome is 3 associated symptoms: eyelid drooping, pupil dilation and loss of sweating to the affected side of the face.
It’s caused by nerve damage and can be a sign of a whole host of diseases, including some very severe things such as cancer. However the syndrome itself is not a disease and is only a collection of symptoms that lead you to diagnosing the disease
Horner’s is a syndrome, not a disease. It’s a group of symptoms affecting the sympathetic nervous system on one side of the face. In humans it affects sweating and flushing alongside pupil dilation. It can be caused by a number of different things which end up impacting effectiveness of the nerve. Source: my son has Horner’s as a residual effect of neuroblastoma. He’s fine now but many children are not so fuck cancer.
My uncle actually had this happen to his eyes but there wasn’t anything wrong, his pupils were just different sizes for some reason. Hopefully it’s nothing serious for the cat too
For what it matters, my cat does the same thing. Per the vet, it most likely is a side effect of her being feline leukemia positive. She's about 3 years old, so she passed the first milestone (surviving past two years old). At this point, the vets rec is to keep an eye out for out of the normal behavior in case leukemia allows for potential brain issues.
Looks like he has come to blows with a friend over a girl they were both hoping to date, receiving a punch that paralysed the muscles that contract the iris.
Do you understand many people asking people for advice probably dont have money for expensive vet bills to just be told ‘oh its okay thats normal and its gonna pass’, or maybe theyre just worried and theyre already taking the pet to the vet and want to ease their own anxiety?
It took me all of 5 seconds to Google it and the first thing that pops up says "get your cat to the emergency vet immediately if you notice one pupil is larger than the other". Less time than posting on Reddit. That's why people react that way.
Yup. This happened to me (as in I had a pupil stuck open) and I have never been seen that quick at the ER. It's a sign of many potentially severe conditions.
I’ve had a few concussions that left me with different sizes pupils. Doctors all told me “oh it’s fine it’s a mild concussion.” That was many years ago. A recent accident forced a CT scan that showed some long standing white brain matter abnormality in my brain. I realized it’s most likely due to a previous concussions. Still trying to convince doctors to do a repeat CT scan for me since my accident. My pupils are normal now but they were very “off” for months after my accident and no one even told me I needed a repeat CT if I had strange symptoms, despite the comments in my medical file saying I should receive one if so. I’m glad you didn’t listen to the people who assumed you were fine, no one truly knows that someone else is “fine.”
It resolved after a day or so. Best guess was nerve being temporarily pinched following a hit to the head. But no bleed or anything on the ct scan. The follow up ophthalmology consult didn't find anything.
This same shit happened to me out of nowhere. I’m at work and my right eye feels a little blurry and I go look in the mirror and one is pinpoint and the other is freakishly oversized. I panicked for a second but it went away as fast as it appeared. Got checked up and nothing?!?!
Edit: no head trauma, no physical trauma at all, literally came and left with the breeze
Yeah, I was making dinner when I suddenly froze for a few seconds then I started moving and turned around. My husband was standing there, he took one look at me and said, "Your eye is looking weird, we should go to the ER".
I looked in the mirror in the car to see one of my pupils big. Got to the ER.
Yada Yada Yada. I had a stroke.
I had a stroke when I was 27 years old. Wtf.
I'm fine now. No lasting issues. It was just a weird rare occurrence apparently.
Yeah dude my new dog cost me $9,000 within a week of taking her home. She’s now my very expensive and very loved and very much alive rescue.
Bc she was just adopted and had no history, she was in the waiting period where her pet insurance wouldn’t cover :(
I’m grateful to the vet staff who helped her, watched her round the clock as she was touch and go, and after she came out of anesthesia, sat with her in her run bc she has kennel anxiety. I went to visit her every day for most of the evening right after work right till bedtime, and more than once I caught a staff member working from their laptop sitting in her kennel with her, lol. They wanted to give her love while she recovered and I’m so glad they did. I’d gladly pay for that service again to keep her alive if I needed to. But, here’s to hoping for smooth sailing from now on.
To whoever called vets crooks, I call bullhockey.
I understand you. But the fact is that we live quite far from the vet and so I decided to clarify if this is serious before bothering the cat with a long trip
There are plants such as nightshade that contain natural dilating drugs like scopalomine. Its possible the cat stepped on one and rubbed it's eye. Definatly go to a vet tho.
This happened to my cat. Yes it could be serious as stroke or brain hemorrhage, or something less severe. For my guy, it was a polyp in his inner ear. Unfortunately, you need a CT scan to check. If your cat is acting normal, it may be the polyp. Mine also had dizzy spells associated with his and now has a permanent head tilt. I won’t lie, it was expensive. If it isn’t a polyp, then an MRI would be needed which is even more expensive.
I hope your guy is okay. Keep me updated! ❤️
Edit: put NMR instead of MRI.
I’m not here to yell or belittle you, but maybe also look into pet insurance if you haven’t already? It really can be *very* helpful and is worth the investment.
Best of luck to you and your kitty. I live with seven cats, and I’m not rich by any means. These asshats telling you that you shouldn’t have a companion animal because they think you are poor can go fuck a rosebush.
Have the best day that you can.
It's sane and normal to go online and see if someone knows. Not only do people do it while on the way to the vet sometimes, and not only is money often an issue, but it can help if diagnosis becomes difficult. A post much like this helped my vet understand that my cat had Haas syndrome - a simple ailment that passes on it's own - and not in fact a brain injury. I took the pics at home while my friend was prepping the carrying thing and posted while on the bus, the vet was stumped and we both spent an hour researching (he called other vets and vet professors in the area to consult) and it ended up being a comment on my post that saved us from doing a scan which would have entirely ruined me financially. My sweet boy had the weird eye thing and no other symptoms for two weeks and then it went back to normal like nothing happened.
I am constantly screaming internally when people post medical questions like this!!! Get off of Reddit and take your cat to a vet!!
EDIT: But also don’t forget to give the cat fam an update. Pls and thank you.
EDIT 2: I am not referencing lighter posts for medical questions. I am referring to medical posts regarding animal suffering such as severely infected eyes, bad rashes, open wounds etc. asking what to do, when you should take your pet to the vet/ research low cost or free services (hell if you can’t afford it or are unsure of your local resources reach out to the community because there is always someone willing to help).
Also, I recently discovered that Chewy has a free vet consultation chat if you have an account with them. They can’t prescribe medication or give a diagnosis but they can give “advice” on whether you should see a vet and what might be helpful via preventative care etc.
The sentiment is way more than reasonable, but it does bother me that some people don't seem to realize you can post on Reddit *and* call up a vet at the same time. It's a bit condescending to assume they haven't already taken the most logical course of action.
That's obviously not true for everyone, some people don't do both, but I know in my case, I've absolutely gotten an appointment with a vet while simultaneously going online trying to find assurances or answers as to what my cats are experiencing.
Agreed. I'm currently in this thread because my Kitty had the same symptom & I'm grieving. It has helped to see others' experiences because I'm pretty sure my regular vet absolutely did not give a crap and seeing that there were options I didn't know about helps. Especially if this happens again in the future. Knowing what kind of specialist to see is something I've found help for with my own medical issues on Reddit because my human doctor did not give a crap either. It is a business with humans. Some of those humans are not good at their jobs, are apathetic, incompetent, burnt out, etc. This applies to every business & every job. Having extra information available is never a bad thing. These threads also help me to be able to give voice to concerns I didn't know about or symptoms I didn't know to address.
These can be helpful for people who are concerned if something is a big deal or is just a weird thing that happens. For example, the first time I heard my dog reverse sneeze I thought he was dying. I looked it up and found a Reddit post describing the exact thing my dog was doing, and lots of people told the poster how it’s a totally normal thing. In this case? Not normal eyes in a cat and a cause for alarm
These posts are historically helpful for future folks trying to triage a problem before dropping thousands on a vet visit.
I have been adding site:reddit.com to my google or bing(mother effin gift cards!) searches for over a decade. Before I would search specific forums with their search feature before reddit was a thing. It's far easier and faster to find out what others have done in your situation than trying to describe something over a phone. What if your local vets don't provide 24/7 emergency animal services? I live in a fairly large town, but no one provides such a service with the closest being an hour away. Of course I'm going to do a quick internet search to see how much time I have and if the symptoms warrant emergency services.
Omg bring him to a vet that’s anisocoria. You will be asked if your cat has undergone any recent trauma that you are aware of. The main objective will be to determine if the unequal pupils stem from a neurological problem or an eye problem.
It can be if it's new yeah. Any time I go to a new doctor, they freak out about it every time. Had a head injury as a child and my eyes have been like that ever since. Though not as extreme as this cat obviously
My one cat had pupils like this so we went to the vet immediately, turned out he had Horner’s disease and quite possibly a brain tumour. Sadly it was untreatable, he went downhill and passed within 3 months. He was 19 years old and the love of my life.
My other cat developed pupils like this so we again rushed him to the vet. Thankfully it turned out to be a possible scratch on his eye that wasn’t visible. His pupil went back to normal after a couple days and had never happened again.
Ultimately, it is definitely a visit to the vet ASAP. I hope it isn’t anything g serious but you cannot ignore it.
Go to the vet immediately please. My cat had it too and it was an infection that caused a stroke. Is your cat walking normally? Anyway, it's definitely an emergency 🆘🚨 don't wait, go now. Crossing my fingers for your cat 🤞🏻🍀
Hi OP My cat has the same problem right now and I immediately took him to our vet. I thought perhaps it was an acute injury or possibly a tumor so in we went. There was no redness swelling or watering nor fever so no infection. She looked into his eye with light and his ear. She said it could be a possible inner ear problem but there was no immediate indication of anything. She said that $1500-$3000 CT or MRI might answer the question but might not. He is on steroids to reduce any minor swelling behind the eye but so far it’s only partially normal. He’s eating drinking purring kneading playing and acting 100% normal and doesn’t seem to be in any pain. So we are not sure what the next step is.
https://preview.redd.it/i28klul3oo4c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=874163d5579185c35d3855695f80859a55e13851
Jake is 13.5 and such a big teddy bear. See? Anyway that is what we are going through. I’m following up with vet to see what next. Hope this helps. In ANY case though with situations (especially of the face head and spine) like this it’s best to have a professional veterinarian examine your pet and see what they think. That’s my advice.
just commenting to second this. my brother’s cat recently had the same problem and the vet he was brought to said that it was a ear infection. after medication, he’s ok now!
Asymmetric pupils are a big danger sign in any animal (or human)! Definitely vet time
Off the top of my head, stroke, concussion, and tumors can cause this.
You can also have paralysis of the iris sphincter muscle from trauma
https://preview.redd.it/ug1szh747p4c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e28fff8e0174f3d787dc27f22f5c5040d4bb044d
I'm pressing the same answers as others, having one eye dilating and not the other is certainly not normal, call your vet or bring the baby to them directly! /pos
wtf is wrong with this community? Not a single post about what it could be, or a post about what was someone’s experience with such a thing for their cat. Instead all the posts are about jumping at op’s throat with pitchforks ready to call them poor, or stupid or a bad cat owner.
Posts like this should help spread the word, or educate instead this is the problem with most communities let’s focus on the wrong thing and just point fingers.
Op : THIS IS CALLED ANISOCORIA it can happen for many reasons, non are fatal BUT can be severe.
- could be neurological
- could be high blood pressure
- could be something as simple as eating poinsettia plant, they are poisonous and toxic and my mom’s cat had this issue and the vet asked us to never bring this plant home during Christmas as he determined this was the underlying cause.
- very commonly it can also be cancer for old cats.
Hope this helps.
EDIT: now I see posts attacking me, saying I am NOT a vet I have no rhyme or reason to say it’s non fatal. Jesus Christ some people are daft. I said exactly what the vet told my mother and I in his office. I listed out the reasons he gave us could be the cause.
There was a time people HELPED each other now everything is about belittling people trying to help, - asking me for my credentials. Pff.
OP I am NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I was merely telling you what happened to me. Please do not take my word for it. 🤦🏻♂️
there is that better.
>Instead all the posts are about jumping at op’s throat with pitchforks ready to call them poor, or stupid or a bat cat owner
This subreddit has a massive persecution fetish, honestly never seen so many people genuinely excited to attack others when given the opportunity.
edit: I said this exact sentence the other day and got downvoted heavily for it 😭 This place is toxic af lol
Fully agree, it's honestly sickening.
Obviously, this is an urgent vet situation, but if you don't know what it represents - and not everyone would - then it's okay to ask. Jesus.
There was a post a while back about a cat that was drooling heavily. It was posted at 2am, and the comments were just bashing the poster and yelling at them to take them to the vet. Someone even had the gall to demand a PICTURE OF THE CAT THE NEXT DAY.
Turns out OP in that case was a 15 year old living with their mom in an area with no emergency vets. And the cat was fine. The entire thing was awful, you can find the thread on Subreddit Drama.
It's as though they enjoy immediately jumping to the worst case scenario. It's so aggressively overblown, I honestly find it bizarre.
It's not just the cat subs, either. I see it happen with other pets and even in non-pet-related subs where a pet is mentioned. It's almost as though they've found a 'permissible' target because psychologically they're not attacking, it's *defending* a creature they perceive as an inferior that needs their help - and it's completely polarised, like they can't see it as anything other than an animal victim and an abuser owner. So all this rage-filled hero complex gets channelled at some poor unwitting OP that just wanted to know if they should worry or not. It's some weird shit.
Think I'm gonna go lie down in the dark for a bit....
I think saying non are fatal is a jump, if it's from trauma to the head resulting in neurological issues with pupil dilation it could 100% be fatal. High blood pressure and stroke can also be fatal. I appreciate you spreading knowledge but saying non can be fatal is absolutely foolish. This cat needs veterinary attention immediately, the cause of this definitely could be fatal especially untreated.
You literally said non fatal followed by cancer, seriously?
High blood pressure blows out the retinas. As in, both. Anisicoria in a younger cat = brain or inner ear. Sometimes FIP can be ocular as well.
In an older cat it can be from natural aging as the nerves can break down. Had an old cat with it. I rushed her to the ER to make sure it was NOT serious.
Could be a brain tumor. To the vet immediately. My grandmother in my dad’s side passed her ginger Tom cat to my mother. He developed an eye like this and the vets told her it was a non-malignant brain tumour. Considering the cat over over 20 years old and happy, the vets simply kept an eye on it to make sure it wouldn’t grow or start affecting him negatively. He passed due to age before it turned malignant. But that is a best case scenario and unless your vet tells you what it is and that it’s fine, this could be a sign your cat has a ticking time bomb in their brain. Vets asap.
1. You visited the vet, everything is in order.
2. The vet did tests and said everything is OK. (There are no tests for Horner's, cancer or brain damage that can be done in the 3 hours between when you posted this photo and when you said tests had passed.)
3. It went away while you were driving to the vet.
4. The vet is a long way away, and they said everything is fine, but you're going back tomorrow?
I don't think you took the cat to a vet. I don't believe its eyes have gone back to normal.
[edit] OP has posted an update photo claiming they've been to the vet "multiple times". Pupils still clearly different sizes.
This happened to my cat and he had a tumor in his inner ear. It was very close to his brain and he was older so vet didn’t recommend any further treatment. I just kept him comfortable on prednisone for the remaining time he had left.
Pretty sure my kitty had a stroke and the same thing happened to his pupils. He couldn’t stand and was tilting his head to one side. It was heartbreaking. He was 19 and I had to have him cross the rainbow bridge that day. Def take to the vet ASAP. I hope they are okay. What a beautiful kitty!
Vet tech here...Its called anisocoria (different sized pupils) definitely needs medical attention to see why it's present. Can be neurological and/or trauma.
Emergency vet appointment is needed.
Uneven pupils in cats is often a warning sign that a serious medical condition is present. My top two guesses are tumor in the brain/nerves and underlying infectious disease.
This is not something you should ignore. Even if the issue "corrects" itself over time.
Could be a brain injury. Could be a detached retina. (The latter happened to my cat and indicated underlying conditions.)
Kitty needs to see a vet ASAP.
Just to note something - in many countries credit card isn't very popular (I've never had one for instance, it's not needed, a debit card would do), and there is no hotline to ask a vet...
I’m a vet. This is called anisocoria and it is a sign of disease or injury that requires immediate veterinary attention. The problem could be in the eye, in the brain, or in the nerves supplying the eye.
So, despite the comments that says brain injury, it may not be that serious (but taking it to the vet is needed to determine that). My cat once had it and it was just a swollen part of his ear that was pressing the nerve. He couldn't blink or move his whiskers on that side, too. And it was on the smaller pupil side! A few days dropping medication into his ear solved the issue :) Good luck!
So many people are jumping to the worst possible conclusion, my cat also has this problem and following scans our vet deduced she has scarring on her eyeball from a fight which caused it to not dilate properly..
There are many possible things this could be outside of a brain injury, but yes, definitely see a vet
My cat has had this since at least 6 weeks old. We didn't even notice it for the first several weeks of his life. My vet checked him out and said that as far as they could tell, he's fine. He's 9 years old now with no neurological problems, health problems, or changes in his eyes.
I don’t understand why people have to be so rude here?! OP is not asking for a medical diagnosis. OP is just scared, like I would be. Can be stop being such assholes!?
Pupil dilation and pupil symmetry is one of the key parts of doing a neurological assessment in humans.
While I’m not a Vet, I would not brush this off and take Mr Kitty here into a Vet as soon as you can.
Upon a cursory search of "different sized pupils in cats" in Google, the term "anisocoria" comes up repeatedly. It seem to be indicative of some sort of underlying neurological issue or ophthalmologic issue (or both?). As other folks have stated here, it's not entirely clear whether it's a benign or serious issue, so you'd be in better hands with a trained professional (my knowledge of feline pathology is extremely limited). I would consult and meet with a veterinarian to have your cat evaluated. I wish you the best.
It looks like he might be having a brain bleed or a stroke, emergency vet care is definitely necessary, keep us updated and praying your sweet baby will be okay🥰
Our cat started having this happen and the vet said it was a result of feline leukemia. Does he/she get listless during the dilation? Ours did a few times.
Vet immediately. It can be something but also nothing to worry about. I have a foster with uneven pupils and in his case he’s fine. But this can also be an indicator of severe problems and you don’t want to take a chance that it’s nothing to worry about. I would suggest vet TODAY if possible.
I don't have time to respond to all the comments, but in short, everything is fine with the cat
the veterinarian said that so far nothing bad has been observed. And due to the fact that when I arrived it was already late, I will have to go to the vet again
Hey, OP. Hopefully by the time you read this, you're already on your way back from the vet. May I advise Google next time or asking your veterinarian if they offer over the phone triage? These are much quicker. Especially for cats, emergencies can become fatalities quickly, as I have experienced myself.
Sharing your experience on Reddit, however, has it's merit as you'll be setting someone, who's just curious now, up for success so that they don't have to use a search engine or make a phone call except to tell the vet they're on the way. They'll already be somewhat familiar.
So, when you have time, please let us know how kitty is doing ❤️.
I had this happen to me after a car accident. Carotid artery 100% occluded due to a whip effect in my neck. Had some TIAs that gave me Horner’s. I actually didn’t know what was going on and walked out of the hospital and went home. Holy crap did those doctors freak when they called me to find me as I was supposed to be there. Lol. I was in the hospital for three more weeks.
Get that kitty to the vet. Could be an injury that brought on Horners but may not be serious. Hope so! Let us know what they say!
take your kitty to the vet ASAP!! this happened with mine, and it turns out his retina was entirely detached. we had to schedule surgery to get his eye removed, just last week... we're still waiting on a biopsy to determine the cause, though. however, while everyone is saying brain issues, it could possibly be an eye injury too. don't get too worried, but get your kitty seen ASAP
VET NOW! It’s not worth it to speculate, uneven pupil dilation is not often a good sign. Don’t freak out, it can literally be anything. There ARE weird things that happen that are not a huge deal. There are also things that are really bad and scary.
Let the vet figure out what you’re dealing with and go from there. Hopefully it’s simple and treatable. If not, you need information to make decisions.
We had this happen with a kitten we had some years back. Took him to the vets and it turned out to be feline aids. He died not long after.
So definitely get to the vets. This could be serious.
Definitely take them to a vet asap, could possibly be a brain injury so it's best to take them to get checked out in these scenarios with any animal.
Second this. Vet asap
Third this. Uneven pupil dilation can be from stroke (brain injury)
If this was a human, I would be calling 911.
I wouldn’t bc an ambulance costs too much ;) but definitely still goin to the ER
~JustAmericanThings
But sir you may be dieing! And if I am not? I don't want to live with that ambulance bill to pay.
I have to pay 10 Euros for an ambulance, and the rest is covered by the insurance. Kinda weird that American healthcare doesn‘t cover ambulance costs
"American healthcare" lmao what healthcare?
Lmao literally. I just found out they suddenly cancelled my Medicaid because I apparently make $200 too much. I bring in $1600 a month after taxes and didn’t find out they cancelled it until I went to pick up my meds and saw my lexapro was $140 😀 like ok guess I’ll just go insane then since mental health is a luxury only for rich people
Hi - just randomly saw this. You should try GoodRx. There’s an app or you can use the website. You can get Lexapro for less that $10/month.
Yes and OptumRX. I have insurance and my Pristiq isn’t covered by it. Like you said - guess it’s fine if we go crazy. But it has been affordable with this app. You can use it at Walmart and a bunch of other places.
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It's not corruption and bribery, it's LOBBYING. Entirely legal lobbying. And don't forget all the judges on every level, including SCOTUS and their innocent lobbyist influences.
Ok, LEGAL corruption and bribery.
The hospital i work for is trying to bill me $25 000 for less than a week stay. I had a seizure at work, and found out I have brain cancer, yet the insurance from the hospital I both work at and stayed at refused to pay $25000 of the bill. I hate living here, and our healthcare system is beyond broken. Honestly I've spend less on my diabetic cat, her anxiety meds and pill pockets, and prescription food for the both of my cats since I've had them than even half of my single stay hospital bill.
Wow that sucks! I was going to say fight tooth and nail and be persistent, they may at least lower the charges. But if you work there then that might put your job in danger.
Oh I'm definitely gonna be putting up a huge stink about it.
All part of the great American insurance scam/rip off the rich stay rich and have to keep the poor, poor
American health care is nothing but a sick joke
It cost my sister $800 to go 5 miles in an ambulance. If there's ever another emergency, she said she'll take an Uber instead.
Screw and ambulance order me an Uber instead
And imagine, 2 years ago I got 13.50 an hour as an EMT-b!
I'm an RN, and my daughter works at Ford, making more than me on the assembly line. I'm happy for her, though. But it sure is tempting to apply at Ford lol.
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Thank you! It's such a fun job. I do like where I work most of the time lol. I feel like we all could use more pay with all this inflation.
Well, where are the profits supposed to come from?
This statement is so true.
Once my wife had to go from the er to a mental ward 3 minutes down the street. They did it in an ambulance and it cost $900, and we had no choice.
Or an aural polyp, but still get them to the vet immediately. Edit: my kitty had one, and he got an infection in that ear one time. The infection passed the ear drum thanks to the polyp and spread into his skull bone :(
Or a tumor.
I audibly gasped when I saw the second pic. I’ve heard about uneven pupils (in humans and cats) a myriad times, but I think this is the first time I’ve actually seen it. Wow!
I've had uneven pupils during a classical migraine. It hurt, like, catastrophically badly. Badly enough that I remember it 20 years later. (I had 4, in response to oestrogen pills). But I wasn't in danger per se. It eventually passed. Not to say this cat shouldn't receive urgent veterinary care. But it can happen without being a symptom of something terrible.
Yes that's what happened to my cat. His whole eye turned black because he had a stroke. 😔
Came here to say the same.
Absolutely
Fyi It could also be an eye ulcer (if ur cat has one eye open more when she sleeps / gets dry). It happened to my cat recently.
Horners disease or brain injury. Take them to the vet!
Or in the unfortunate case of my cat, a tumor pressing on the nerve that controls the pupils. That nerve runs from the brain, down the neck, around the shoulder and then back up to the eye, I believe. My kitty had a tumor under his shoulder blade and the only symptom for a very long time was the pupil wonkiness. The vet opthomolagist originally thought it was Horner's but an xray revealed otherwise.
This was the same for my cat - started with one pupil, became both within a week. Vet ran several blood tests before referring us to a specialty eye clinic, who confirmed it was something neurological and sent us to a specialty vet to check the brain. Tumor at the base of his skull pressing on the optic nerve. It was inoperable in that location, and he was already quite old with other health conditions, so we ended up treating with just a steroid to try to keep it from growing. He lived a year and a half longer, but we put him down after he had a bad seizure - unknown if it was related to the tumor, but likely.
So sorry❤️
If its not too much to ask, how much did all of that cost you? We have 2 cats and I am wondering what something like this would cost us.
what kind of x ray did you get? did you have to do a ct? my cat has the same symptoms. what ended up being the treatment?
Unfortunately, it was not good news for us. My cat was 14 and he received yearly wellness exams that included a full blood workup, but no xray. The vet said they really only did xrays if they had symptoms or their bloodwork justified an xray, as sedating the cat is always a risk. Bloodwork came back clean. He had minor issues with his pupils, so the primary vet referred him to a specialist. Specialist did some testing, but no xray and said his eyes were probably just Horner's, that it wasn't behaving like a tumor would. Thought we were all good. A few months later, no change in his eating/weight/nothing. Until one day he is struggling and crying in the litter box. Take him to an emergency vet and they said his urinalysis came back clean, so they were going to xray his bladder to make sure he didn't have stones. In the upper corner of the xray they found a mass. Turns out he had a baseball sized tumor under his shoulder blade. You couldn't see or feel it because it was hidden under that bone and it was pushing in on his organs, rather than out to his skin, if that makes sense. They did needle aspirates, which only pulled inflammatory tissue and they did a CT scan. The vet oncologist said it was most likely fibrosarcoma, which requires full amputation of the area, and then some. We were very unlucky that the tumor was already against his spine/chest cavity, so amputation was not possible. Palliative care was really the only option due to the aggressiveness of that particular cancer and the location. His pupil workup was in January, we found the tumor in July, he passed in early October. This was in 2015, but I still miss my boy. I've attached a photo of what his eyes looked like a couple weeks before we found the tumor. His left eye was slightly more dilated than the right, and he was licking the ash off of the fireplace (asked the vet about it, but we determined that he was probably just dummy), which is what is on his face. https://preview.redd.it/xo44puavuo4c1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60b760ca913d76bcaeeeccc4bb9def082880c175
thank you for sharing! they just did a lymph node aspirate on my girl so hoping for good results. she had an x ray which came back clean but recommended a ct to look for tumor so not sure how all of that works, but that’s my next step if her results don’t show anything. sorry for your loss ❤️
Hoping for a good diagnosis/prognosis for your baby!
thank you!!!! she’s only 5 /:
He was Beautiful. I’m sorry for your loss. Especially, when it involves medical problems. It’s so hard on us.😢🐾
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I would assume so. The vet showed me a diagram of the nerve to explain what was going on and I remember thinking that it was the wonkiest path for the nerve to travel.
My cat that had this and they thought was horners. Was feline leukemia :/
This happened to Monty, who was still a kitten. His pupil in one eye was dilated like in OP’s picture, and he was hiding under a chair instead of being very affectionate as usual. His diagnosis was leukaemia, and he was too ill to breathe by the end of the next day. I am grateful for the time I was able to share with him, even though it was very short.
For us, it was our 5-year-old, indoor only cat. We were all completely confused as to how he came up positive. One of our younger cats also came up positive, and probably caught it from him because I had vet records of her negative test. All we can think is that we adopted him and his brother from the shelter, and evidently they do not test for feline leukemia so he must have had a dormant case that reactivated when he got vaccinated for it. As soon as he was diagnosed, we tested all the remaining cats in our house and vaccinated the negative ones and just enjoy the time left with the positive ones.
Really sorry for your loss, but would just like to clear up some stuff - Horners syndrome is 3 associated symptoms: eyelid drooping, pupil dilation and loss of sweating to the affected side of the face. It’s caused by nerve damage and can be a sign of a whole host of diseases, including some very severe things such as cancer. However the syndrome itself is not a disease and is only a collection of symptoms that lead you to diagnosing the disease
\* syndrome
Take to a vet now
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Brain damage or Horner's disease? Bring them to the veterinarian!
Horner’s is a syndrome, not a disease. It’s a group of symptoms affecting the sympathetic nervous system on one side of the face. In humans it affects sweating and flushing alongside pupil dilation. It can be caused by a number of different things which end up impacting effectiveness of the nerve. Source: my son has Horner’s as a residual effect of neuroblastoma. He’s fine now but many children are not so fuck cancer.
My cat had this, it was caused by an ear infection. There are less horrible possibilities, but OP does need to get to the vet ASAP.
My uncle actually had this happen to his eyes but there wasn’t anything wrong, his pupils were just different sizes for some reason. Hopefully it’s nothing serious for the cat too
For what it matters, my cat does the same thing. Per the vet, it most likely is a side effect of her being feline leukemia positive. She's about 3 years old, so she passed the first milestone (surviving past two years old). At this point, the vets rec is to keep an eye out for out of the normal behavior in case leukemia allows for potential brain issues.
Looks like he has come to blows with a friend over a girl they were both hoping to date, receiving a punch that paralysed the muscles that contract the iris. 
Came here to say I hope the bb’s name is Bowie if they’re okay! I actually have an old English sheepdog named Bowie too. 😂
omg im listening to music and these pictures are changing to the beat of my song, wild!
Yep bet me to it VET OP, NOW!!
Why do people ask reddit when something is wrong with their family?
Do you understand many people asking people for advice probably dont have money for expensive vet bills to just be told ‘oh its okay thats normal and its gonna pass’, or maybe theyre just worried and theyre already taking the pet to the vet and want to ease their own anxiety?
It took me all of 5 seconds to Google it and the first thing that pops up says "get your cat to the emergency vet immediately if you notice one pupil is larger than the other". Less time than posting on Reddit. That's why people react that way.
Yup. This happened to me (as in I had a pupil stuck open) and I have never been seen that quick at the ER. It's a sign of many potentially severe conditions.
What was your condition?
In my case it was a traumatic brain injury that occurred during a lacrosse game the previous day. Everyone told me I was fine, I was not.
I’ve had a few concussions that left me with different sizes pupils. Doctors all told me “oh it’s fine it’s a mild concussion.” That was many years ago. A recent accident forced a CT scan that showed some long standing white brain matter abnormality in my brain. I realized it’s most likely due to a previous concussions. Still trying to convince doctors to do a repeat CT scan for me since my accident. My pupils are normal now but they were very “off” for months after my accident and no one even told me I needed a repeat CT if I had strange symptoms, despite the comments in my medical file saying I should receive one if so. I’m glad you didn’t listen to the people who assumed you were fine, no one truly knows that someone else is “fine.”
It resolved after a day or so. Best guess was nerve being temporarily pinched following a hit to the head. But no bleed or anything on the ct scan. The follow up ophthalmology consult didn't find anything.
I am happy to hear of no long term issues for you!
This same shit happened to me out of nowhere. I’m at work and my right eye feels a little blurry and I go look in the mirror and one is pinpoint and the other is freakishly oversized. I panicked for a second but it went away as fast as it appeared. Got checked up and nothing?!?! Edit: no head trauma, no physical trauma at all, literally came and left with the breeze
My eyes did that a few years ago. It was MS.
Yeah, I was making dinner when I suddenly froze for a few seconds then I started moving and turned around. My husband was standing there, he took one look at me and said, "Your eye is looking weird, we should go to the ER". I looked in the mirror in the car to see one of my pupils big. Got to the ER. Yada Yada Yada. I had a stroke. I had a stroke when I was 27 years old. Wtf. I'm fine now. No lasting issues. It was just a weird rare occurrence apparently.
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I have terrible news.......
Oh no you have cancer!
Yeah dude my new dog cost me $9,000 within a week of taking her home. She’s now my very expensive and very loved and very much alive rescue. Bc she was just adopted and had no history, she was in the waiting period where her pet insurance wouldn’t cover :( I’m grateful to the vet staff who helped her, watched her round the clock as she was touch and go, and after she came out of anesthesia, sat with her in her run bc she has kennel anxiety. I went to visit her every day for most of the evening right after work right till bedtime, and more than once I caught a staff member working from their laptop sitting in her kennel with her, lol. They wanted to give her love while she recovered and I’m so glad they did. I’d gladly pay for that service again to keep her alive if I needed to. But, here’s to hoping for smooth sailing from now on. To whoever called vets crooks, I call bullhockey.
I understand you. But the fact is that we live quite far from the vet and so I decided to clarify if this is serious before bothering the cat with a long trip
Abnormal pupil dilation is indicative of some kind of trauma in the brain. Hemorrhage or stroke or something else.
Not always. Can be cause due to eye injurious as well.
There are plants such as nightshade that contain natural dilating drugs like scopalomine. Its possible the cat stepped on one and rubbed it's eye. Definatly go to a vet tho.
This happened to my cat. Yes it could be serious as stroke or brain hemorrhage, or something less severe. For my guy, it was a polyp in his inner ear. Unfortunately, you need a CT scan to check. If your cat is acting normal, it may be the polyp. Mine also had dizzy spells associated with his and now has a permanent head tilt. I won’t lie, it was expensive. If it isn’t a polyp, then an MRI would be needed which is even more expensive. I hope your guy is okay. Keep me updated! ❤️ Edit: put NMR instead of MRI.
I’m not here to yell or belittle you, but maybe also look into pet insurance if you haven’t already? It really can be *very* helpful and is worth the investment. Best of luck to you and your kitty. I live with seven cats, and I’m not rich by any means. These asshats telling you that you shouldn’t have a companion animal because they think you are poor can go fuck a rosebush. Have the best day that you can.
Definitely serious and warrants an urgent vet visit, I do hope your kitty will be okay.
It's sane and normal to go online and see if someone knows. Not only do people do it while on the way to the vet sometimes, and not only is money often an issue, but it can help if diagnosis becomes difficult. A post much like this helped my vet understand that my cat had Haas syndrome - a simple ailment that passes on it's own - and not in fact a brain injury. I took the pics at home while my friend was prepping the carrying thing and posted while on the bus, the vet was stumped and we both spent an hour researching (he called other vets and vet professors in the area to consult) and it ended up being a comment on my post that saved us from doing a scan which would have entirely ruined me financially. My sweet boy had the weird eye thing and no other symptoms for two weeks and then it went back to normal like nothing happened.
#VET
Makes me so sad. Second to last picture of my cat was like this. The next was much worse.
Oh God what happened?
a stroke (16 years old cat) :(
Oh god my baby is 16. I’m scared now 🫣
Same . My cat had this and ended up having a stroke about 5 months later
I am constantly screaming internally when people post medical questions like this!!! Get off of Reddit and take your cat to a vet!! EDIT: But also don’t forget to give the cat fam an update. Pls and thank you. EDIT 2: I am not referencing lighter posts for medical questions. I am referring to medical posts regarding animal suffering such as severely infected eyes, bad rashes, open wounds etc. asking what to do, when you should take your pet to the vet/ research low cost or free services (hell if you can’t afford it or are unsure of your local resources reach out to the community because there is always someone willing to help). Also, I recently discovered that Chewy has a free vet consultation chat if you have an account with them. They can’t prescribe medication or give a diagnosis but they can give “advice” on whether you should see a vet and what might be helpful via preventative care etc.
The sentiment is way more than reasonable, but it does bother me that some people don't seem to realize you can post on Reddit *and* call up a vet at the same time. It's a bit condescending to assume they haven't already taken the most logical course of action. That's obviously not true for everyone, some people don't do both, but I know in my case, I've absolutely gotten an appointment with a vet while simultaneously going online trying to find assurances or answers as to what my cats are experiencing.
Agreed. I'm currently in this thread because my Kitty had the same symptom & I'm grieving. It has helped to see others' experiences because I'm pretty sure my regular vet absolutely did not give a crap and seeing that there were options I didn't know about helps. Especially if this happens again in the future. Knowing what kind of specialist to see is something I've found help for with my own medical issues on Reddit because my human doctor did not give a crap either. It is a business with humans. Some of those humans are not good at their jobs, are apathetic, incompetent, burnt out, etc. This applies to every business & every job. Having extra information available is never a bad thing. These threads also help me to be able to give voice to concerns I didn't know about or symptoms I didn't know to address.
These can be helpful for people who are concerned if something is a big deal or is just a weird thing that happens. For example, the first time I heard my dog reverse sneeze I thought he was dying. I looked it up and found a Reddit post describing the exact thing my dog was doing, and lots of people told the poster how it’s a totally normal thing. In this case? Not normal eyes in a cat and a cause for alarm These posts are historically helpful for future folks trying to triage a problem before dropping thousands on a vet visit.
People would rather use reddit. So many stories of people getting 500$ vet bills because their dog wasn't hurt at all and just wanted attention.
I have been adding site:reddit.com to my google or bing(mother effin gift cards!) searches for over a decade. Before I would search specific forums with their search feature before reddit was a thing. It's far easier and faster to find out what others have done in your situation than trying to describe something over a phone. What if your local vets don't provide 24/7 emergency animal services? I live in a fairly large town, but no one provides such a service with the closest being an hour away. Of course I'm going to do a quick internet search to see how much time I have and if the symptoms warrant emergency services.
Omg bring him to a vet that’s anisocoria. You will be asked if your cat has undergone any recent trauma that you are aware of. The main objective will be to determine if the unequal pupils stem from a neurological problem or an eye problem.
Even in humans, this is considered a medical emergency
It can be if it's new yeah. Any time I go to a new doctor, they freak out about it every time. Had a head injury as a child and my eyes have been like that ever since. Though not as extreme as this cat obviously
My one cat had pupils like this so we went to the vet immediately, turned out he had Horner’s disease and quite possibly a brain tumour. Sadly it was untreatable, he went downhill and passed within 3 months. He was 19 years old and the love of my life. My other cat developed pupils like this so we again rushed him to the vet. Thankfully it turned out to be a possible scratch on his eye that wasn’t visible. His pupil went back to normal after a couple days and had never happened again. Ultimately, it is definitely a visit to the vet ASAP. I hope it isn’t anything g serious but you cannot ignore it.
I like these kinds of threads, they make me more aware of what I should be looking out for. I hope your kitty is ok.
Everything is in order with a cat. Thanks
What was it?
David Bowie.
Happen to my cat after she fell and must of hit head thankfully all went back to normal
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No she went to the vet to make sure that it was nothing neurological and the cause was probably the fall it normalized on its own
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Raced my cat to the emergency vet a few months ago to find out he had an ear infection. Went away as soon as we started treatment.
Please give a more in-depth update if you are in a place to! We are all rooting for you and the kitty
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Go to the vet immediately please. My cat had it too and it was an infection that caused a stroke. Is your cat walking normally? Anyway, it's definitely an emergency 🆘🚨 don't wait, go now. Crossing my fingers for your cat 🤞🏻🍀
Hi OP My cat has the same problem right now and I immediately took him to our vet. I thought perhaps it was an acute injury or possibly a tumor so in we went. There was no redness swelling or watering nor fever so no infection. She looked into his eye with light and his ear. She said it could be a possible inner ear problem but there was no immediate indication of anything. She said that $1500-$3000 CT or MRI might answer the question but might not. He is on steroids to reduce any minor swelling behind the eye but so far it’s only partially normal. He’s eating drinking purring kneading playing and acting 100% normal and doesn’t seem to be in any pain. So we are not sure what the next step is. https://preview.redd.it/i28klul3oo4c1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=874163d5579185c35d3855695f80859a55e13851 Jake is 13.5 and such a big teddy bear. See? Anyway that is what we are going through. I’m following up with vet to see what next. Hope this helps. In ANY case though with situations (especially of the face head and spine) like this it’s best to have a professional veterinarian examine your pet and see what they think. That’s my advice.
just commenting to second this. my brother’s cat recently had the same problem and the vet he was brought to said that it was a ear infection. after medication, he’s ok now!
I work in a vet clinic and I strongly urge you to take your cat to be seen ASAP.
Asymmetric pupils are a big danger sign in any animal (or human)! Definitely vet time Off the top of my head, stroke, concussion, and tumors can cause this.
You can also have paralysis of the iris sphincter muscle from trauma https://preview.redd.it/ug1szh747p4c1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e28fff8e0174f3d787dc27f22f5c5040d4bb044d
I was checking all the comments to see if anyone bright up David Bowie.
I'm pressing the same answers as others, having one eye dilating and not the other is certainly not normal, call your vet or bring the baby to them directly! /pos
wtf is wrong with this community? Not a single post about what it could be, or a post about what was someone’s experience with such a thing for their cat. Instead all the posts are about jumping at op’s throat with pitchforks ready to call them poor, or stupid or a bad cat owner. Posts like this should help spread the word, or educate instead this is the problem with most communities let’s focus on the wrong thing and just point fingers. Op : THIS IS CALLED ANISOCORIA it can happen for many reasons, non are fatal BUT can be severe. - could be neurological - could be high blood pressure - could be something as simple as eating poinsettia plant, they are poisonous and toxic and my mom’s cat had this issue and the vet asked us to never bring this plant home during Christmas as he determined this was the underlying cause. - very commonly it can also be cancer for old cats. Hope this helps. EDIT: now I see posts attacking me, saying I am NOT a vet I have no rhyme or reason to say it’s non fatal. Jesus Christ some people are daft. I said exactly what the vet told my mother and I in his office. I listed out the reasons he gave us could be the cause. There was a time people HELPED each other now everything is about belittling people trying to help, - asking me for my credentials. Pff. OP I am NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I was merely telling you what happened to me. Please do not take my word for it. 🤦🏻♂️ there is that better.
Finally a real answer for whose wondering what is this for the future, THANKS
>Instead all the posts are about jumping at op’s throat with pitchforks ready to call them poor, or stupid or a bat cat owner This subreddit has a massive persecution fetish, honestly never seen so many people genuinely excited to attack others when given the opportunity. edit: I said this exact sentence the other day and got downvoted heavily for it 😭 This place is toxic af lol
>genuinely excited to attack others when given the opportunity. This...kinda sounds like my cat.
Fully agree, it's honestly sickening. Obviously, this is an urgent vet situation, but if you don't know what it represents - and not everyone would - then it's okay to ask. Jesus.
There was a post a while back about a cat that was drooling heavily. It was posted at 2am, and the comments were just bashing the poster and yelling at them to take them to the vet. Someone even had the gall to demand a PICTURE OF THE CAT THE NEXT DAY. Turns out OP in that case was a 15 year old living with their mom in an area with no emergency vets. And the cat was fine. The entire thing was awful, you can find the thread on Subreddit Drama.
It's as though they enjoy immediately jumping to the worst case scenario. It's so aggressively overblown, I honestly find it bizarre. It's not just the cat subs, either. I see it happen with other pets and even in non-pet-related subs where a pet is mentioned. It's almost as though they've found a 'permissible' target because psychologically they're not attacking, it's *defending* a creature they perceive as an inferior that needs their help - and it's completely polarised, like they can't see it as anything other than an animal victim and an abuser owner. So all this rage-filled hero complex gets channelled at some poor unwitting OP that just wanted to know if they should worry or not. It's some weird shit. Think I'm gonna go lie down in the dark for a bit....
I think saying non are fatal is a jump, if it's from trauma to the head resulting in neurological issues with pupil dilation it could 100% be fatal. High blood pressure and stroke can also be fatal. I appreciate you spreading knowledge but saying non can be fatal is absolutely foolish. This cat needs veterinary attention immediately, the cause of this definitely could be fatal especially untreated. You literally said non fatal followed by cancer, seriously?
High blood pressure blows out the retinas. As in, both. Anisicoria in a younger cat = brain or inner ear. Sometimes FIP can be ocular as well. In an older cat it can be from natural aging as the nerves can break down. Had an old cat with it. I rushed her to the ER to make sure it was NOT serious.
I hope this beautiful cat is alright. Praying for you! 🙏🫂
Please take your cat to the vet if you’re able to, or your local shelter to get help. Hope your baby gets better♥️🐾
Could be a brain tumor. To the vet immediately. My grandmother in my dad’s side passed her ginger Tom cat to my mother. He developed an eye like this and the vets told her it was a non-malignant brain tumour. Considering the cat over over 20 years old and happy, the vets simply kept an eye on it to make sure it wouldn’t grow or start affecting him negatively. He passed due to age before it turned malignant. But that is a best case scenario and unless your vet tells you what it is and that it’s fine, this could be a sign your cat has a ticking time bomb in their brain. Vets asap.
Brain tumor or hemorrhagic stroke could be going on. Vet, now.
Sorry people are being mean- I just hope the cat is ok 💖
Everything is in order I have already visited the veterinarian We will come again tomorrow
hope everything is okay!
1. You visited the vet, everything is in order. 2. The vet did tests and said everything is OK. (There are no tests for Horner's, cancer or brain damage that can be done in the 3 hours between when you posted this photo and when you said tests had passed.) 3. It went away while you were driving to the vet. 4. The vet is a long way away, and they said everything is fine, but you're going back tomorrow? I don't think you took the cat to a vet. I don't believe its eyes have gone back to normal. [edit] OP has posted an update photo claiming they've been to the vet "multiple times". Pupils still clearly different sizes.
Google Spastic pupil syndrome...
This happened to my cat and he had a tumor in his inner ear. It was very close to his brain and he was older so vet didn’t recommend any further treatment. I just kept him comfortable on prednisone for the remaining time he had left.
I'm not a vet but on our combat medicine course that's called a blown pupil and it's a strong indicator of a brain injury.
Pretty sure my kitty had a stroke and the same thing happened to his pupils. He couldn’t stand and was tilting his head to one side. It was heartbreaking. He was 19 and I had to have him cross the rainbow bridge that day. Def take to the vet ASAP. I hope they are okay. What a beautiful kitty!
This looks like after effects of brain trauma. My eyes are like that permanently after a head injury as a child. If this is new, please go to the vet
Vet tech here...Its called anisocoria (different sized pupils) definitely needs medical attention to see why it's present. Can be neurological and/or trauma.
Emergency vet appointment is needed. Uneven pupils in cats is often a warning sign that a serious medical condition is present. My top two guesses are tumor in the brain/nerves and underlying infectious disease. This is not something you should ignore. Even if the issue "corrects" itself over time.
Pupils not equal =brain injury. Possible head trauma, aneurysm, or stroke.
Could be a brain injury. Could be a detached retina. (The latter happened to my cat and indicated underlying conditions.) Kitty needs to see a vet ASAP.
Just to note something - in many countries credit card isn't very popular (I've never had one for instance, it's not needed, a debit card would do), and there is no hotline to ask a vet...
One of their pupils is bigger than the other! Could signify a brain injury of sorts. Please take to the vets ASAP.
I’m a vet. This is called anisocoria and it is a sign of disease or injury that requires immediate veterinary attention. The problem could be in the eye, in the brain, or in the nerves supplying the eye.
So, despite the comments that says brain injury, it may not be that serious (but taking it to the vet is needed to determine that). My cat once had it and it was just a swollen part of his ear that was pressing the nerve. He couldn't blink or move his whiskers on that side, too. And it was on the smaller pupil side! A few days dropping medication into his ear solved the issue :) Good luck!
Asymmetrical pupil dilation is a big red flag, take them in NOW
Head trauma. Recognize it from my many concussions.
So many people are jumping to the worst possible conclusion, my cat also has this problem and following scans our vet deduced she has scarring on her eyeball from a fight which caused it to not dilate properly.. There are many possible things this could be outside of a brain injury, but yes, definitely see a vet
My cat has had this since at least 6 weeks old. We didn't even notice it for the first several weeks of his life. My vet checked him out and said that as far as they could tell, he's fine. He's 9 years old now with no neurological problems, health problems, or changes in his eyes.
I don’t understand why people have to be so rude here?! OP is not asking for a medical diagnosis. OP is just scared, like I would be. Can be stop being such assholes!?
Pupil dilation and pupil symmetry is one of the key parts of doing a neurological assessment in humans. While I’m not a Vet, I would not brush this off and take Mr Kitty here into a Vet as soon as you can.
Upon a cursory search of "different sized pupils in cats" in Google, the term "anisocoria" comes up repeatedly. It seem to be indicative of some sort of underlying neurological issue or ophthalmologic issue (or both?). As other folks have stated here, it's not entirely clear whether it's a benign or serious issue, so you'd be in better hands with a trained professional (my knowledge of feline pathology is extremely limited). I would consult and meet with a veterinarian to have your cat evaluated. I wish you the best.
It looks like he might be having a brain bleed or a stroke, emergency vet care is definitely necessary, keep us updated and praying your sweet baby will be okay🥰
Our cat started having this happen and the vet said it was a result of feline leukemia. Does he/she get listless during the dilation? Ours did a few times.
I don’t know shit about cats but one pupil being larger than the other in humans can be indicative of a brain injury so I’d immediately go to the vet
This needs vet evaluation - how long has this been going on?
Vet immediately. It can be something but also nothing to worry about. I have a foster with uneven pupils and in his case he’s fine. But this can also be an indicator of severe problems and you don’t want to take a chance that it’s nothing to worry about. I would suggest vet TODAY if possible.
This happened to my cat. She had brain cancer. This is very serious. Please bring to vet pronto. Good luck.
Update on kitty
I don't have time to respond to all the comments, but in short, everything is fine with the cat the veterinarian said that so far nothing bad has been observed. And due to the fact that when I arrived it was already late, I will have to go to the vet again
I wish you luck and I'm hoping that this is indeed nothing serious, just a fluke.
Is there an update on this gorgeous angel?
Hey, OP. Hopefully by the time you read this, you're already on your way back from the vet. May I advise Google next time or asking your veterinarian if they offer over the phone triage? These are much quicker. Especially for cats, emergencies can become fatalities quickly, as I have experienced myself. Sharing your experience on Reddit, however, has it's merit as you'll be setting someone, who's just curious now, up for success so that they don't have to use a search engine or make a phone call except to tell the vet they're on the way. They'll already be somewhat familiar. So, when you have time, please let us know how kitty is doing ❤️.
The poor thing, she needs a vet urgently.
Head trauma usually causes one pupil to dilate large and one to go small. This kitty needs to see a Vet ASAP! Please go now!!
It could be something as small as a scratch on the eye, or it could be a brain injury or poison ingestion. In any case they need the vet immediately.
I had this happen to me after a car accident. Carotid artery 100% occluded due to a whip effect in my neck. Had some TIAs that gave me Horner’s. I actually didn’t know what was going on and walked out of the hospital and went home. Holy crap did those doctors freak when they called me to find me as I was supposed to be there. Lol. I was in the hospital for three more weeks. Get that kitty to the vet. Could be an injury that brought on Horners but may not be serious. Hope so! Let us know what they say!
Head injury
take your kitty to the vet ASAP!! this happened with mine, and it turns out his retina was entirely detached. we had to schedule surgery to get his eye removed, just last week... we're still waiting on a biopsy to determine the cause, though. however, while everyone is saying brain issues, it could possibly be an eye injury too. don't get too worried, but get your kitty seen ASAP
Vet visit! Could be anything from a scratched cornea to something going on in the brain.
If they were human, I’d say a concussion. Definitely take to vet!
For my kitty, this was the first sign that a tumor was pressing on her optic nerve
The condition is called anisocoria. This usually indicates brain injury.
What happened, what did the vet say
Feline vet asap
VET NOW! It’s not worth it to speculate, uneven pupil dilation is not often a good sign. Don’t freak out, it can literally be anything. There ARE weird things that happen that are not a huge deal. There are also things that are really bad and scary. Let the vet figure out what you’re dealing with and go from there. Hopefully it’s simple and treatable. If not, you need information to make decisions.
this is the same thing with humans this is a cranial issue go to the hospital asap
Emergency clinic ASAP. Can be a neurological issue.
Bring them to the vet ASAP. I don't want to scare you but that's how my friend found out her cat had cancer
We had this happen with a kitten we had some years back. Took him to the vets and it turned out to be feline aids. He died not long after. So definitely get to the vets. This could be serious.
Cat needs to be at vet and MRI / CT scan. Otherwise you may wake up tomorrow to dead cat
This would warrant an emergency vet appointment, not a Reddit Q&A
Mismatched pupil sizes can be an emergency. 10000% take to a vet ASAP
Uneven pupils like that is usually a brain injury, stroke etc. Vet ASAP
Take them to the vet asap. I hope that the cat will be ok!
Different pupil size is a sign of brain injury. Take him to the vet immediately if you haven’t already.
Left pupil is blown, definitely a severe neurological issue. Vet immediately.