Light sensitivity in older cat.

Dr. Marie replied:

Thank you for an interesting question. The symptoms that you have described of Jack jerking and squinting are really not normal symptoms to have along with kidney disease.

I'm wondering if part of Jack's problem could be because of the raw fish in his diet. There are some fish that can produce something called thiaminase if eaten raw. (Unfortunately I don't know which fish will do this.) If a cat is consistently fed thiaminase it can cause a thiamine deficiency. Most cats with a thiamine deficiency will have gastrointestinal effects first. So, a lack of appetite could be because of this. And then, we can see neurological effects. It certainly is possible that the eye squinting is connected to a neurological problem.

I know Jack probably loves the raw fish but I would advise taking it out of his diet and after a few weeks we may find that the symptoms get better.

There are some other things that could cause light sensitivity in a cat. However, with no discharge, the list is small. If there was discharge I would wonder about a herpes virus or a condition called KCS (dry eye.)

You may want to ask your vet if it is possible that she has a detached retina. The retina is the back of the eye and sometimes if a cat's blood pressure is increased the retina can detach. This causes blindness. It really doesn't cause jerking, but I'm wondering if the jerking is related to him having trouble seeing? It is often hard to tell if a cat is blind or not because they hide it well.

Cats with kidney problems can often have issues with their blood pressure, so it's not a bad idea to have the blood pressure checked.

If this is normal then you could ask your vet for a referral to see a veterinary ophthalmologist. These are vets who are used to dealing with unusual eye conditions in cats and dogs.

Hopefully taking the fish out of his diet will help!

Dr. Marie.

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