Cataract or ulcer in eye?

Hi all,

I'm thinking of fostering a cat from the local shelter. He's gorgeous but the staff there told me they think he has a cataract or ulcer of some kind on his eye. I don't mind if it's something that won't affect him (they said it doesn't seem to), but I want to make sure it's not anything contagious or an indication of a serious illness before I take him in. Unfortunately they don't really have a vet who will give it a thorough exam at the shelter (it's more like a 'pound' than a shelter )

I know it's hard to really see, but here's the link to his photo. Any thoughts on what it might be? The photo can be enlarged into a separate window.

http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/dis...petid=10726558

My persian cat had an ulcer in his eye. When we first noticed it, we took him into the vet. He was squinting his eye all funny. The vet said it was an ulcer and that it was most likely caused by him getting poked in the eye (he likes to rub his face on everything). The vet gave us some eye drops that would numb the pain and reduce irritation. He also gave us other drops to help it heal. We had to put them in his eyes Once or twice a day. The vet did say that it could possibly get worse, but to try the drops and see how it went. After a few weeks of the drops he no longer needed them any more and his eye is just fine. You can see it. It is actually really tiny. but it does not bother him. The vet did however say that if it did get worse we had the option of operation.....
But it definetly was not anything contagious.

The picture you are showing though looks different than what Baby's eye looked like. I would just get her looked at to determine what it is.

Thanks for the input brookey326. The staff told me that it doesn't seem to bother him and they shone a light in it and it doesn't seem like an ulcer (I'm not sure what that does but I guess they are looking for something specific). I'm just contemplating bringing him home to foster so I can't get him to a vet until I make that commitment. I just don't want to take him in then find this is very serious and will need a lot of medical attention--I don't know how much the rescue organization will cover. If I'm reasonably sure it's minor then I'll take him, but with so many others at the shelter that are readily adoptable--well it's a real predicament.

it looks like old scar tissue from FHV or just an old injury period. the eye doesnt seem atrophied, but the inside of the orb sure is hazy.
do cats get uveitis?

Yes, cats do get uveitis which would need treatment, and if it's an ulcer it needs treatment and can be serious...I've had more eye stuff with my cats, and been grateful for access to a veterinary opthamolgist. Can you tell them you'd like to pay for a vet eval first before you commit to taking him, would they let you remove him to take him to a vet? This needs more than a shelter staff person shining a light in the eye (from what I understand you are not saying this cat has been evaluated by vet or vet tech?)

My kitty had an ulcer on his eye, which also looked much different, yet it actually looked much more severe, I think.

We treated him with internal medicine (liquid we injected into the back of his mouth) 2x a day and 2 different kinds of ointment that we put on his eye alternatively every six hours. We did this for about 3 weeks.

Our kitty wasn't in pain, so it sounds like just from our experiences there are a lot of variances.

Unfortunately, I think the only way to figure it out is to see a good veterinarian. He is a handsome kitty though.

Thanks for all the input. I asked my brother in law who is an optometrist (for humans ) and he said
"It may be a case of corneal hydrops. This is a condition that happens in cases of injury or thinning of the cornea, such as in cases of keratoconus" ( I'll have to look that one up)

I think one of the staff at the shelter is a vet tech.

I think I will go to the shelter to see him myself. I know though if I hold him he'll be coming home with me . I emailed someone at the rescue organization I work with and they didn't seem to have any concerns about the vet costs if I decide to take him in. I don't think I could really bring him back there if I do take him to the vet--once he's out of there, that's it.

One of my main concerns is that it could be something contagious. With FHV, I understand that most cats have been exposed to this at some time and all the cats in my house are shelter rescues so I imagine they've been exposed. If this is from FHV, could he pass on anything to the other cats in the house if they've already been exposed and are vaccinated?