Enucleation in Cats

A few months ago i rescued a young cat from Cyprus who had been found on the streets with her siblings. They all where very sick and unfortunately passed but my Maxy was a fighter and survived but had to have her eyes removed. It has now been 8 months since her eye removal and she is constantly congested. She is struggling to breath through her nose and antibiotics only help while on them but as soon as she stops her medicine, the problems come back. I just don't know what to do to help her and i don't know what is wrong. Please help.

About 3 days ago my 9 week old Kitten's eye was removed due to a severe infection, this evening I noticed that she still has bloody discharge from the eye incision and her nose, her appetite seems to be a little off and her breathing sounds a bit wheezy, she is currently on antibiotics as well as pain medicine. She also has been having diarrhea. She has a reevaluation scheduled in a couple of days but I'm just really worried about her. Is this normal?

My kittens when they were very young one of the kittens had injured one of the others later named Argento I was given some eye drops for him but that hasn't helped long-term his eye is rotting I am concerned it will become infected and kill him.

My kitten developed a respiratory infection where one of his eyes needed to be removed and the other eye didn’t heal properly so now he is blind. After the surgery he developed this constant sinusitis and is now a mouth breather. This happened after the surgery. Could something have gone wrong. How do I help him. Sometimes he can’t even smell his food and there are times he reverse sneezes to clear his nose. All of this started occurring after the surgery.

Hello,

My cat had an eye enucleation in July 2018. It is now the last week of September. I took her to the vet 10 days ago, and my vet checked her scar tissue. She explained that she was pleased with how it healed. Her eye is now seeping puss and swollen. I sought imideate medical attention, and she was placed on an antibiotic. How can I prevent further infection from happening to her eye while healing and long after.

Thank you in advance for your thoughts.

Hello,

I just got an 8 week old kitten who was very sick, being she had a cough, sniffles, yellow/green puss/discharge from her eyes and nose. I took her to the vet the exact day after I got her. Then, I noticed her one eye was almost clear like and I knew something was wrong. The vet gave me some eye drops, have her a shot of antibiotics and special vitamins and wet food.

Meanwhile, the doctor tells me she will most likely have to have that eye removed. After the shot and a couple days of the others, she’s perked up a ton. The eye is back to a normal color but there still isn’t a puple or anything. It doesn’t seem to be hurting her or affecting her at all. Should I agree to get it removed if the doctor says it’s needed or see a second opinion?

Thanks,

Brianna

Hi, our 5 year old cat Smudgy had a tumour in his eye which was removed a week ago. When we got him back he has not walked.Day 1 and 2 he would drag himself to his litter box and would fall asleep in it. We left him in a small room to recover. Now, a week later after him peeing or pooping himself we are taking him back because it looks like he is not getting better.we have been handfeeding him, then with a seeing because he couldn't grab the food anymore. Now he doesn't seem to swallow to much anymore either. What happend?????? We are so frustrated and hurt. We expected our baby to be ok after a few days but are giving up hope and think he is dying. What happend?????
:(

enucleation done on my cat many yrs ago, but now the area is swollen with fluid. Went to vet, she squeeze out the fluid then gave me antibiotics for him. now 3 weeks later his eye area is swollen again

My adopted cat came with eye issues and ended up having one eye removed 11 months ago. Two days ago I noticed that the area where used to have an eye, has become quite sunken. Previously it was flat. Should I be concerned?

My 11 year male, adopted cat had his eye removed 11 months ago, due to ulcers. I have noticed in the last week or two, that the eye is more sunken, recessed. Is this to be expected? Is there something I should be concerned about?

My 2 year old cat recently had her right eye removed 5 days ago. She came home last week and somehow had an accident where her eye was missing and bleeding and we rushed her to the vet who had to remove her eye. Said it was either due to blunt force trauma or she could have gotten in an accident with another animal. No sure way to tell. We decided to have her fixed as well while she was under anesthesia. She has been on antibiotics and pain meds and been doing great until today. She is vomiting every where. I just gave her some phenergan. Check both surgical sites and they look great, Nothing is draining, swollen, etc. is this normal? She was eating and drinking great until now.

About six years ago, we found a very sick five week old kitten. Both eyes were extremely infected and bulging. Both eyes had to be removed. They healed well, and she soon adapted to her blindness. She maps everything very quickly and gets around as well as any sighted cat, running all over the house and up the eight feet tall cat trees when she plays. Now, six years later, the suture sight is opening from the corner of one eye. It weeps a bit, and is more open now than a couple of weeks ago. Her vet dismissed it as "not a problem", giving us a jar of doggy eye wipes and sending us on our way. Should I take her back to her original surgeon to get this re-closed?

Hi, i need advice on my kitten eye. Im not sure with her age but i think its 5/6/7/8/9 months?? Still a kitten i guess. Around a month ago, i think its 4th May that i noticed she had an infection in her eyes. Her left one a little bit swollen at that time, besides constant fluid coming out that closed her eyelids together. Found time to go vet a few weeks later and he gave me some eyedrops, (Nicol Eyedrops Phenylmercuric Nitrate Free). Her right eye before meeting wet have very small coating in the middle and after the eye drops, they almost disappear. However the left eye before meeting vet has a lot of coating, her eyelids also swollen. After few days, her eyes do get better, no more fluid and her left eye was also less swollen. She is very active still, playing around, eating and drinking alot. And then now I noticed her left eye got swollen again and almost bulging out but still in the socket. There is abit redness in the middle with the coating. I think i could still see her left eye behind the coating but im not sure. She does have some vision problem with that eyes but not completely. Might be her sense but i still hope she does still saw some shadow because when i fake to touch that eye she moved away. Anyway, i went to the vet today and the doctor only took a glimpse and said we have to undergo eye removal surgery. I'm blaming myself for not taking her to the vet sooner but if there is some hope, do let me know. If there are better option or medications, please help me. I'm afraid she could not cope after the surgery and take a toll on her body. She is playing and eating well and i dont want to take that away from her because of the surgery.

My cat Greyman's eye was damaged by a dog when he was just a kitten. His eye healed and even though it has been confirmed by a Vet that the iris is damaged and he can't see out of it, it doesn't cause him any problems at all.

He is now 6 years old and two vets that I have taken him to for check-ups have recommended that he have his eye removed to prevent cancer (Trauma Induced Feline Ocular Sarcomas) that might show up later. I've been told that the cancer is rare although it may has a higher prevalence the younger a cat is when they sustained the injury. Also this particular sarcoma is aggressive and often goes to the brain before it is detected.

My guy is an active indoor/outdoor cat and I am horrified at the possibility of an enucleation having effects like infection/congestion/irritation. Also, the idea of him getting cancer in his eye and knowing I could have prevented it keeps me up at night.

I have made an appointment for a vet to check him out in preparation to have his eye removed. Am I doing the right thing? Reading on this site about some of the issues experienced by other cats after enucleation has me considering cancelling the appointment.

Thank you for any advice.

My ragdoll has just turned a year old today. About a month ago I noticed a cloudy spot in his eye and took him to the vet. They gave me some eye gel but after a week the eye seemed worse. They then gave me a different kind and after a week of that it was still worse. They then added two types of eye drops one to dilate the pupil I believe and a steroid along with the gel. After two weeks there is no improvement and blood in the eye. They have advised me that removing the eye is best at this point, he is in no pain besides being annoyed by me constantly putting drops in the eye. I just want some reassurance that I'm doing the right thing by removing the eye, I am also travelling home (about 14 hours by plane) and would like to take him to a vet I trust to do the procedure. Would he be ok to fly about 17 days after the surgery?

1,5 months ago a cat I rescued needed a enucleation and eyelid removal.
The vet strategy is not to use a cream to stimulate tissues regeneration in the orbit till fill it and, I suppose, stitch it.
I found this a bit weird and a loooong therm solution.
Wonder is it is correct or we can consider alternatives.
I live in Egypt in a small town with few vets all formed here..so same school...
Closest city is 500km far..so I'm trying to find answers on line...
Thank you!

I recently adopted a cat with no right eye, there is an occasional slight discharge from the eye socket. When I adopted her, I was told the missing eye was a birth defect. Should I have the eye sewn up to prevent any foreign items or bacteria from entering the socket?

Hi,
I have a kitty that recently had enucleation. She is six months old and super rambunctious. Should I keep her from playing with her other litter mate for a few days after suture removal? Also, it has been about 14 days since the initial surgery, and she is still quite sneezy and her good eye waters a lot (clear fluid), is this normal?

Hi, my cat Daisy got her eye removed a few months ago due to an infection that wasnt able to be controlled with antibiotics, antiinflammatories or steroids,The surgery went well and and she has healed well and been so much happier. In the last couple of weeks the eye has started to swell again, (this was her second surgery as previously she had infefted mass removed but it grew back). What ciuld it be?

Hi my cat had his eye removed back in April and ever since then it has just been a battle. He has had 4 surgeries and has been sewed together several times. Now he has a small hole and the vet has me putting cream on it to see if it will heal on it’s own. Is this normal or should I get a second opinion?

Our cat is four years old, I found him as a kitten and he had no eye balls. He has gotten along great until recently when one eye developed a small pea like bulb which sticks out of the corner of the eye. It doesn't seem to bother him but I talked to our vet about it and he suggested the enucleation of that eye. My problem is that since he was neutered and was at the vet clinic to have that done, he is terrified of people other than my husband and I. My vet said I could give him some valium to help calm him to get him to his office which is 45 minutes away. I am dreading taking him, the surgery, and the cone he will have to wear afterwards. Do you think this surgery is necessary at this time?

Hi! I visited a shelter and saw an adult cat that had recently had enucleation surgery. She was struggling with her balance, but that is expected with the loss of an eye. I am considering adopting, so I was wondering what further medical attention the cat may need and what I should be prepared for in terms of assisting her with recovery.
Thank you

Hello my cat has been diagnosed with glaucoma in his right eye. I’ve been giving him the eye drops the doctor prescribed which includes Trobanycin (only right eye 3 times a day), Dirzolamide (both eyes 3 times a day),Latanoprost ( both eyes 2 times a day) and Levobunolol ( both eyes 2 times a day). The doctor said both eyes had high pressure and that we can try to save both but most likely only one will be saved and that’s the left one. His right eye seemed to get better the first days with the medication but now just look worse. His right eye has red on it and there is a lot of rheum inside this eye. Should I just remove his eye? How much will it cost?

Hi, I have a 14 year old cat who underwent a single enucleation (due to a tumour) 5 days ago. She was kept at the vet for one day afterward and was sent home with three days of a NSAID for post op care (her last dose was yesterday morning). The wound and sutures seem to be fine and though she has been a bit more calm and aloof, she has still been cuddling and enjoys being brushed. Since the operation she has been eating and drinking, but is being more picky about her food. She’s been sneezing a little bit and also vomitted a small amount late last night but hasn’t (as far as I know) since. Should I be worried?

My cat had his eye removed last Wednesday (4 days ago). He has developed sneezing fits which resulted in a relatively severe nose bleed this afternoon. Almost like he was choking. Is this normal? He may also have allergies.

I just adopted my kitten and unfortunately she lost her one eye due to an infection. The eye was removed, however, was not sewn shut. Is this okay? Should I get it sewn? Is she at risk for infection? It currently weeps. The Vet said it was possibly the herpes virus and gave me Tobramycin Opthalmic Solution for her other eye since this tends to drain.

Past trama.permanent neuropathy. Frequent eye infections due to scratching now they want to remove His Eye Is there any medication that can stop him from scratching his eye? They said he scratches because his head feels numb looking for another solution

Hi. I recently had a foster cat in my home with my own. They did not get along and the foster cat had scratched my cat’s eye. His eye had immediately turned white and infected. I know it most likely needs removed and I’m not sure what the cost may be. He doesn’t seem to be in pain at all and it doesn’t bother him.

My cat had an eye removed due to severe swelling, redness and some cloudy growth over the pupil that didn't respond to medication. He was abandoned by his previous owner, and I've only had him for 2 weeks, so I have no idea how or when this eye issue began. The vet says when he removed the eye, it completely crumbled. He found this abnormal and sent it off for a biopsy, which came back inconclusive. The veterinarian is confident that my new kitty has cancer, despite the biopsy, and wants to know if I'd like to treat it or let him live out his days naturally. Is it usually cancer when the eye falls apart like this? If a biopsy is inconclusive, is it normal to assume cancer? Is there a way to conclusively determine that a cat has cancer before beginning treatment, especially considering I can't answer any questions regarding his health history or what happened to the eye?

I adopted a cat last week who was described as partially blind. Per the shelter's advice, I took her to the vet opthomologist to just see what was going on with her eyes. She has noticeable cataracts in both eyes. The vet said she was unresponsive to light in both eyes and subsequently fully blind. Her right eye registered pressure at 3x the desired pressure. The vet said she does not seem to be exhibiting any pain symptoms related. They tried drops but it was unsuccessful in relieving the pressure. They sedated her and drained the eye for a temporary fix. The vet suggested removal of the right eye. I am worried about putting her through surgery. I want to make sure she has the best quality of life. I would like to hope that this would prevent any future procedures that she would need to manage the glaucoma, but I worry that the surgery will have lots of complications and complicated after care. She is two years old and I am wondering how she managed this for 2 years and now all of a sudden she needs eye removal ASAP. I am wondering what to do for my little love bug.

I found a kitten with an eye closed, I started putting terramycin eye ointment I read helped a lot of problems, and it seemed to work but I had to travel for the weekendand my parents didn't continue the care, when I got back his eye was swollen again and now its eye bleeds and the eye gel didn't work anymore, now there's discharge and blood and it seems like a little ball popped up, its dried and he can't close his eye. I'm on disability so I don't have a lot of money but don't want to dump him at the shelter, does he needs his eye taken out?

My cat had her one eye removed in December. Since we removed her cone she continues to scratch the area and wounding herself. I put the cone back on until it heals but once the cone is removed she is back to scratching. Is this normal?

Hi. I am fostering a 3 week old kitten who's eye is swollen and seems to be protruding from the eye socket. It has a cloudy appearance but doesnt seem to be causing any discomfort. She was found with 2 siblings who do not have any issues and all 3 kittens seem to be thriving with proper care. Our vet suggested enucleation because it presents like glaucomatous of the eye. At 3 weeks old is it not too early to take this drastic step? What other things can be done first? All 3 kittens are currently on antibiotics.

We took our cat Vader to the vets. He has a protruding eye. No tests for cancer yet but they think its cancer and suggested we put him down. He had a dental abcess before and healing has been extremely slow. My concern is that its not cancer but that he may have gotten a secondary abcess behind his eye. Do you have any advice 😢?

I adopted a cat that had her left eye enucleated as a kitten because of an injury and infection as a result of the injury. They eye has been sewn shut but occasionally will produce a brownish dishcharge. It doesn’t seem to cause her pain or bother her, should I be concerned about the discharge?

My cat had his eye removed 3 weeks ago. Had his sutures out 8 days ago. The vet said to keep the cone on for another week when we had the sutures removed. I’m scared to remove the cone bc I can’t tell if it’s healed all the way. How can I tell? I don’t want to risk him getting his nail hung in it and tearing it open.

How much would it cost to remove an eye in a 3 month old kitten? I know it depends where but an estimation would help. Also we have been doing drops and oral meds but she has herpes most likely vet said eye needs to be removed. What would she need done prior to surgery to insure she is ready and can make it through ok.Also runt of litter and has ringworm and flea. Very curious and playful good appetite. She is currently on dermolizide and tobramycin eye drops. Genteal tears gel. Clavamox oral and a pill for herpes.

My cat has a herpes induced eye infection which is ulcerating the cornea. The infection is now secondary (staph) and proving impossible to treat as we’re on a third range of broad spectrum antibiotics with no marked signs of improvement. The vet opthamologist has suggested that removal of the eye may be required as the quality of the cat’s eye sight is going to be compromises.

Hello. A month ago we adopted a one eye cat. He is doing awesome. Eating and playing non stop. However he is always sneezing and always has a green mucus discharge from his nose. Is so bad that he will sneeze buggers everywhere and his nose clogged because of dry snot.
Any idea why is this happening?
Thank you

My cat Chubby has a pink mass growing on the iris of his eye. It's not painful and he isn't in any discomfort. I read it is probably malignant and it has grown in the last few weeks. Is enucleation the most likely solution and cost effective or are they're other options?
Thank you in advance

Hi, my cat is having enucleatiom performed on left eye tomorrow. I am still debating having a prosthetic eye placed. Would you please discuss pros and cons? Much appreciated!

My 4 month old kitten got an infection in his eye, like pink eye. One day I came home from work and his eye was bulging and red. It only got worse and one of his litter mates I think wounded it further. It was removed by the vet and been two full days since. Bled a little from the sutures and from the nose that was to be expected. The area where the eye was removed however is very swollen. It's the same size as when the eye was bulging from his head. He still eats well but it very sleepy. He hates his Elizabethan collar. He was given dissolvable sutures. I'm very worried about his swelling and now sure how I can make him more comfortable during his healing.

I've taken in a stray cat emaciated and missing one eye. Conflicting advice on closing or leaving the socket open concerns me. If an open eye socket is going to drain there was one vet who said he would not close because it would prevent natural drainage from leaving the eye. The main reason I hear to close the eye is to prevent discharge, the other to prevent infection. I want to do what is best for this cat. He has been on his own for sometime and the vet was surprised that he was keeping it clean. He will be inside now, I have no problems cleaning the site. What is best for the cat vs convenience for the human?

Hi, I tnr for feral cats & trapped a female with a severe laceration to the left eye. She was spayed today & the clinic recommends removal of the eye. Is this practical for a feral cat who will eventually have to be released? Or is euthanasia the kinder way to go? I can recover the cat after surgery, but she will have to be caged. Thank you for any advise.

Our cat is around 13 to 14 years old. About a year ago she gave herself a simple cut on her eyebrow while grooming and it became mildly infected. We’ve been able to treat her ourselves by cleaning it and preventing her from messing with it, but over the last couple months it has became very badly infected. It has scabbed severely, all around her eye is very red and swollen, and it leaks a lot of puss and blood. Either because of her age or the tole of this infection, she’s also lost a lot of weight and has become very thin and weak. We are concerned about her well being but also don’t want her to suffer. Would pursuing removal of the eye and having it cleaned out be effective and helpful at this point? Could she even survive the procedure at this point and should we consider putting her down? We are concerned for our kitty and just want the best. Thank you for your time helping move forward

My Cat had her right eye removed 6 days ago due to an ulcer that was present. She also had the herpes virus in that eye as well. After treating it with meds for a couple of months it was apparent that the medications weren't working. The decision was made to remove the eye. The surgery went well and the eye area looks good with minimal swelling; however her good eye's pupil is very dilated. I'm taking her back for examination in a couple of days and I've notified my vet of this....Will then pupil in her eye go back to normal?

In June we adopted a kitten that had recently had both eyes removed from a rescue. It’s one week shy of being two months from his surgery and there is still a small opening where each eye was. Also he is still having some discharge. Generally it is thin and clear a slight yellow tint. Every now and then though it is a thick, opaque cloudy yellow. The vet who did his surgery says the holes are to allow for draining and that discharge can be normal for awhile. He lets me clean his face and does not show any signs of being in pain when I’m close to either site. He has not ran a fever and he eats/drinks, plays, etc just like any other normal 11 wk old kitten. Is drainage for this long normal? Should we consider seein another vet?

Our 3 year old Cornish Rex had his eye removed at 4 months due to an infection in that eye. We wondered if there were any known long-term complications from enucleation surgery because
he started having seizures a few months back for no apparent reason (generally 1 every 1-2 weeks). Our vet has checked him out and given us Valium to administer following a seizure, if needed. (No plans have been made to have him on a long-term med like phenobarbital at this time). He also has frequent ear infections. We were also hoping for a recommendation on what type of feline specialist we could consult with for possible resolution. Thanks. :)

My 3mo. Old kitten was playing with his brother and his brother's nail caught left eye of his bro. Leaving a small puncture that scabbed being treated with Tobramycin drops starts to look better, but my vet tomorrow wants to prep him to take eye, as the drops could take over a month to work on eye. Is there any other meds or option than removal, I fell it is the easy way out as it does not bother him at all and is starting to look a little better. A drop are every 4 hours is what he is getting now.