Eye pigment disappearing?

We have an old guy, Bogey. He's 20+ years old and takes medication for hyperthyroid and arthritis. He's in great shape but every so often he has a 'spell' which is like an upper respiratory without any of the outward signs....no sneezing, runny nose, eyes, nothing. And he has never spread it to any of the other cats in the house. When we had a bout of upper respiratory burn through our cats last winter, he came down with the traditional URI so it's not like he just doesn't present with the symptoms, his 'spells' are just very different.

Anyway, we always treat the 'spells' like an URI and he recovers. The onset of a 'spell' is noticed by a change in his coat. It starts matting, becoming greasy and loses it's fluffiness. He then stops eating. He will act hungry and rush to his bowl only to turn his nose up at the food and walk away. That is our sign to get him to the vet.

So, all that to say we have noticed the change in his coat over the last couple of days. He has started sleeping on my pillow, which he only does when he's sick. And so far today, he isn't eating. He won't leave the cat tree, in fact. He has slept in his tree all day, not even getting out to use the litter box or get water.

So, when I got in from the grocery just now, I went over to the tree to give him some pets and check for his 3rd eyelids. When he opened his eyes, half of the pigment in his right eye is gone. It's white. I've never seen this before.

I am calling the vet but wanted to post here and see if any of you have experience with this. Do you have any idea what this could be?

And I know you are all probably thinking I don't take very good care of my pets for them to be sick so often but DH and I take in older cats that other people don't want, therefore we end up with multiple geriatric cats all at once....or sick cats and geriatric ones that require a lot of care. It feels good to be able to care for these guys when no one else would.

So, Bogey, thoughts?

I think what you and your DH do is wonderful. It's a special calling, and it must also come with a lot of heartbreak.

I've never heard of this in cats, but I do have a friend with something called "pigment-something dispersion syndrome." Apparently due to the shape of the iris, for some reason the pigment in the iris can become detached? I think it can build up somewhere in the back of the eye and potentially cause glaucoma, and exercise has to be kept to a minimum. I have NO idea if this is what your kitty has just had happen, but I guess it's possible. Did you get to talk to the vet?

for Bogey.

I did call the vet and he'll be going in tomorrow, minimum he needs his antibiotic for his spell. But, the nurse said the vet noted eye pigment discoloration on his last visit and that it is probably due to his cataracts.

He did come out to eat tonight and has settled in the recliner with DH, which is a good sign. He won't come out in the living room when he gets sick.

He's just an old guy.

Having geriatric cats is stressful. I hope he is feeling all better soon. Bless you guys for taking in older cats. Most of them do not find happy homes.

I bet it's just as rewarding as younger cats, though. There's a special sort of feeling about an older cat, because the cat knows who it is and how the world works. You can almost meet them as equals.

Good to know it's just part of the aging process.

Glad he feels well enough to come out for a cuddle!

Good grief what a long and expensive day. Im so glad I had taken the entire day off.

I took both dogs in for yheir annual check-ups/vaccinations. That was a fiasco. I changed vets this time, for various reasons so this was their first time there. Charlie was a wild man, you would think a 10.5 yo dog could control himself but he was all over the place. He's noisy anyway but when he gets excited he just talks and whimpers and makes enough noise for a kennel full of dogs. And because i used the Gentle lead with Abby (1.5 yo) she walked around with her tail tucked and head down like she was a beaten and abused dog. The visit took an hour and i was exhausted.

Then home to switch out and get Bogey. I love the feline-only vet we use. The waiting room is so calm, it was a welcome break from the dog debacle of earlier. He got his shot of antibiotics and his eye discoloration is nothing to worry about. So, brought him home. He has settled down and is napping happily.

So are both the dogs. I think it will be a quiet night around here.