| Hyphema in cats can cause very serious eye | | | | vision and they will begin running into things or |
| disorders, and if it becomes severe enough, your | | | | show an unwillingness to walk as they lose their |
| cat can become blind. However, as bad as this | | | | sight. |
| situation is, it may also be the one of the first | | | | Causes: |
| signs that there is something much more sinister | | | | The presence of Hyphema in cats can either be a |
| happening to your cat. It may also be one of the | | | | symptom of a serious eye disease, or it can be |
| first signs you have that your cat has been | | | | something much more sinister. It may be the |
| injured. | | | | result of a manifestation of internal problems that |
| What is it? | | | | are developing somewhere else in your cat. While |
| Hyphema in cats is a condition where there is a | | | | this condition is often the result of some type of |
| presence of blood that has formed in the front | | | | a trauma your cat has experienced, it can also be |
| chamber of your pets eye called the anterior | | | | the result of systemic disorders and the list of |
| chamber. It can range from quite mild in some | | | | potential causes is very extensive. |
| cases to extremely severe. However, the most | | | | The first and most obvious cause is the result of |
| important thing for an owner to understand about | | | | an injury from a blunt object that has induced |
| this condition is that it will be the result of two | | | | trauma in your cats eyes, scratching by another |
| potential causes; an ophthalmic disease or a | | | | cat, or injury by a dog attack. Hyphema in cats |
| systemic disease. | | | | can also be the result of detachment or tearing |
| The amount of blood within the chamber can | | | | of the retinal vessels in your pets eyes, or may |
| vary dramatically in some cases. If it is a mild | | | | be the result of proptosis. |
| form, it will appear to be just slightly pinkish in | | | | Proptosis is the forward displacement of the |
| coloration as the result of the blood settling on | | | | eyeball out of its orbit by an injury of some kind. |
| the bottom of your cats eye chamber. If it is | | | | However, this is just the beginning of the potential |
| severe, your cats eye chamber will be completely | | | | causes. |
| filled with blood. There is usually no middle ground | | | | It can also be the result of a chronic or severe |
| with this condition. | | | | case of uveitis which is an inflammation of your |
| Hyphema in cats usually originates from bleeding | | | | cats ciliary tissues as well as their choroid tissues. |
| that has occurred in the iris blood vessels of your | | | | It may also be the result a blood clotting disorder |
| cat, but it can also occur in other areas as well, | | | | from abnormalities in their platelets or other |
| depending on the actual cause. It may also | | | | clotting processes. However, it may also be the |
| originate from the tissue behind the iris referred | | | | result of what is called systemic hypertension, |
| to as the ciliary, the tissue layer behind the retina | | | | also known as arterial blood pressure. |
| called the choroidal blood vessels, or the retinal | | | | But the list does not end there as it may be the |
| blood vessels themselves. | | | | result of viral infections such as feline infectious |
| However, wherever the bleeding originates from, | | | | peritonitis, tumors or cancer within the eye, or |
| it will present your cat with two major challenges; | | | | cancer that is forming somewhere else in your |
| a lot of pain and decreased vision. | | | | cats body. Accidental ingestion of rat poison or |
| Symptoms: | | | | eating a rat or mouse that has died from this |
| Hyphema in cats will cause your cat to suffer a | | | | toxic poison may also be the underlying cause. |
| lot of pain and there are several symptoms that | | | | From here, the potential list gets even worse, as |
| you may see before you actually see the blood in | | | | it may also be the result of what is known as |
| their eyes. The first set of symptoms is usually | | | | Coumadin toxicity, which is an overdose of |
| squinting, excessive blinking, as well as tearing. If | | | | cardiovascular medication your cat may be taking. |
| you see any of these early symptoms, you | | | | Hyphema may also be the result of a chronic liver |
| should immediately check your cats eyes for any | | | | disease that has drastically affected your cats |
| sign of redness. The redness will first appear in | | | | coagulation abilities as well as metastatic tumors |
| the eye between the cornea, which is the front | | | | that have spread to your cats eyes from other |
| covering of the eye, and the iris. | | | | parts of their body. |
| Even if you do not see blood at first, examine | | | | Summary: |
| your cats eyes again, but even closer. There is a | | | | Hyphema in cats does have several very |
| reason that your cat is blinking and tearing, and | | | | effective treatments, but it will all depend on the |
| the blood can very easily be missed as it has | | | | actual cause. This is a condition that once you |
| settled in the bottom of your cats chamber | | | | identify the early symptoms, you should treat it |
| simply because of gravity. It will be extremely | | | | very seriously and with a real sense of urgency. |
| important to look for this blood as it can very | | | | Not only can it be extremely painful for your cat, |
| easily form blood clots once it settles in the | | | | it may be the first real sign that you have that |
| chamber. You should also look for your cat | | | | something is horribly wrong with your cat. |
| squinting or keeping their eyes closed as this will | | | | It is very easy to overlook this condition and |
| confirm that they are in a lot of pain. | | | | confuse it with pink eye, but it is much more |
| The final symptom, if it reaches this stage, is | | | | serious. If it is not treated, it can cause total |
| where your cat starts to experience a loss of | | | | blindness and ultimately take their life. |