Eye removal for little Kali

I cant get a picture of the eye itself as she blinks every time the flash goes off.

Okay so I noticed the outter ring around the iris was slightly thicker in one spot about a month or so ago. I didnt think much of it until I saw it in the sun and it was pink underneath. So I took her to the vet. She couldnt tell me what it was so she referred me to a specialist. So a week between the vet and the specialist and I noticed the green of her iris around that bubble not only changed from green to pink to darker pink and gotten bigger! In just a week! She didnt seem to care. Nothing was different about her behaviour, walking, balance, jumping, eating and still chases her best friend around the house.
Anyway the specialist told me that it was a tumour but it was very odd because of her age (15months) and that she required an eye removal for her best chance of survival.
Anyway, I'm heartbroken. I need some reassurance. Please. Ive never had a cat before and I love her like a baby. Ive raised her from a bottle baby with pneumonia. So have you had a cat that had a tumour of the eye and just some info about helping her heal afterwards. I want this to go as nicely and smoothly as pausible.

Thank you. Big headbumps from kali.

I haven't had to have an eye removed on a kitty.  I know several people here have and their kitties adjust well afterward.  Hopefully bumping this up will get the attention of someone who has had this done.

We have had a kitten that had to have an eye removed due to a severe herpes infection. To his advantage, he never had any sight in the eye.

The actual eye removal surgery is fairly quick and straight forward, though, I would suspect that because you are dealing with a tumor, a bit of extra tissue may be taken to make sure there are clear margins.

Recovery isn't too bad, though I would make sure you are provided with pain medication. The biggest thing is to keep the blood pressure down. Our kitten had to be crated for 10 days.

As far as her coping without the eye...does she currently have vision in it? Cats really do adapt well. I would say that their depth perception is what is usually most affect.

I'm so sorry you and Kali are going through this. Please keep us updated.

Thank you for your kind words
My father has been such a jerk and is just making this situation worst, . Yes she has vision in that eye which is why its so sad.
My stupid father wants me to get her surgery done by a vet student as a practice... it made me so mad as shes so special to me. Yes she'll have her pain medication and she will be getting desexed (if we can come up with the extra $180).
Im letting her play alot outside so she can enjoy the outside before she has to be carefully monitored. Im also taking lots of pictures of her with her big green eyes. Also I accidentally posted this thread twice cos I was on my phone.

Also I got a photo of the eye so you can see it.

She's a beautiful tortie and you're so special for her to have chosen you as her human.  I hope that you're going to take her to a real vet and not a student for her surgery. Many kitties do fine with only one eye.  I don't think you'll have to worry about her adjusting to that.  I'd encourage you to keep her inside 24/7 from now on.

Of course not..just cos he wants me to doesnt mean im going to. Haha he barely knows how to have compassion for his own kids let alone their pets. But I have a wonderful partner who adore her and is working so hard this week for her surgery to be done properly. And I wouldn never let anyone practice on my pets. They may get a bad grade but I lose a pet. $1200 is nothing compared to losing my baby so you guys have nothing to worry about. If i had $1800 I'd get the specialist to do it but we have a fantastic vet who does this proceedure alot. As long as she is going to be okay then so will I. I will keep her on my lap for weeks if thats what she wants. Im dreading dropping her off on Thursdays. But yeah shes inside most of the time except for maybe 15-20 minutes in a fenced courtyard only when its sunny. But thank you everyone. Shes so special to me. Ive called the vet almost every day to make sure they understands her needs and how scared I am so they've promised to take real good care of her for me. Shes never been away from me before. I honestly feel like her mummy.

Oh, my heart goes out to you and your baby Kali! I have experience with several cats that had an eye removed. All of them recovered just fine. One of them was a 15 year old that had the lens slip in her eye, and even she was fine after the surgery. Actually she seemed better, probably because she wasn't in pain any more. I wish you and her the best and sending good vibes!

Bless you and your little one. Both of you will adjust well after this initial stress wears off, and you start the budget again! It is just what we have to do sometimes. You will hold up, and unless something untoward comes up, so will little Miss Kali!

We'll be here waiting to see how her surgery and recovery goes, so keep us posted.  Glad you have a supportive partner as that really helps when dealing with kitties.

Best of luck in Kali's surgery!  to you both. 

Hey everyone, thank you so much for all your kind words and vibes. Im getting more and more nervous as the day comes closer. Shes also getting desexed so that she won't have to have to endure two seperate surgeries. I know she is going to be in alot of pain but ive never had a cat so I dont know how they cope or how I can assist her. She acts like she doesnt notice the tumour, theres no discomfort, her third eyelid isnt visable, shes not squinting or anything and I feel like shes going to freak out about the loss of her eye because it was so sudden. But then I wouldnt want to wait and see, in case it is cancer and spreads to the brain. Anyway @kittytech27, have you had a cat that didnt expect loosing their eye. What I think I'm trying to say is, did the cat seem traumatized? This is my worst fear. I know it sounds irrational but I hate the idea of my pets being afraid. I dont even like vacuuming when the cat is around because she looks so scared. Sad, I know.
If you guys havent notice, I suffer from intense anxiety and depression and this little angel has pulled me back from the edge and made me smile everyday. She even sings when I sing. Which is why im so scared. Id never have a kitty like this girl again. I loved animals before but I have this new compassion and love for them now. Any other comforting stories or advice would be amazing and help so much! Here she is as a tiny baby. She adopted me. ♡

Well kali is home. She had her eye removed and the vet said depending on how that went, they would decide if they would spay her. The eye removal went well and so they went along with the desexing, so no kittens for my little girl. They sent the entire eye off for pathology tests. We picked her up 1.5 hours after the surgery. I was expecting her to be dizzy, groggy, and just plain drugged out but as soon as I opened her cage, she ran to her water bowl and hasnt slowed down. Shes already getting her bearings. Shes jumping on and off the bed, balancing on the window sill. Our shih tzu has been amazing. All day shes been looking around for the cat, wondering where her little sister is. But when we brought the cat home, the dog was excited but she hasnt crowded her or tried to play with her. Shes been so gentle, even cleaned her after she used the litter tray. Im so lucky to have amazing pets that love one another. We live in a small quiet granny flat so I didnt think its necessary to crate her as she HATES being in there and the cone makes it too uncomfortable for her. There was a little bit of blood coming from the stitches in her eye and nose but I called the vet and she said that was okay an now its completely stopped. She's drank alot of water which I'm happy about. I remember after my own surgery, waking up I'd always be dehydrated. We bought some cat treats and ive offered her a small meal but she doesnt seem interested but im not too concerned about that. Shes really trying to get under our bed but her cone wont let her. Other than that shes doing amazing. I'm so proud of her. Shes jumped at a couple of things and bumped into the corners of things (walls, table legs, the bed) but so far shes adjusted so well. And its only the first day. Anyway, any tips for after care would be amazing.

Ill post a photo tomorrow. Its been a big day for everyone.

Shes finally sat still long so that I could take a photo.



Im so proud of her ♡♡

It's important not to let her run around and jump/climb right now. Her blood pressure needs to stay down to allow the eye to heal properly and you don't want her tearing her spay incision open.

If you cannot/do not want to confine her to a crate (not a cat carrier, a large dog crate,) then confine her to a bedroom or bathroom.

Shes definitely not running around, she doesn't have the energy right now. It was more her trying to find one of her favourite hiding places to feel comfortable anf her stitches are still fine. They did a really great job. I was really surprised at how little the incision is. I can barely see any stitches. It just looks like a little flap of folded of skin about 2cm long. And when I talk about our grannyflat its quite a generous definition. Its more of a large bedroom with a tiny kitchen/bathroom attached. Id feel bad if I locked her in the bathroom/kitchen as its quite cold at night and the heater isnt in there and we cant move it. So I can lock her in our bedroom. Thats no problem. I will look into getting a larger crate but she really hates being confined and I'd hate to make her panic.
Thanks for your advice.

Kalis been good today. Slept on our bed all day. I gave her her tablet at 8:30am and she took it without any fight and has slept all day except to have a long drink and to pee. I bought her some chicken and tried to give it to her but she wasn't interested. But shes not dehydrated which is good.
The recovery is always the hardest part. ♡ but I'm so proud.

Heres her spay scar, its so small and neat.

She's so adorable!  Hope her recovery is problem-free and that the pathology reports come back negative for any nasties.