Do their pupils dilate independently of one another? I just noticed that one of Zuzu’s pupils seems to dilate more than the other, but only sometimes. And it seems to happen, or at least be noticeable, when one eye is turned more toward the light than the other.
OTOH, it could just be that something’s kerblooey in her brain. But then, that’s always been the case.
Yes, they do seem to dilate independently, particularly in the circumstance you mentioned with reaction to bright light.
One of my cats has one pupil that never dilates. The vet said he had an especially nasty case of feline herpesvirus at birth and it ulcerated his right eye (I remember putting special ointment on that eye when he was a little kitten and he just came home from the rescue group — they gave me the ointment). He has only partial sight out of that eye. But then, that’s “normal” for him. (The other eye is normal if a little goopy.) Anyway, I agree with Elayne, it probably does have to do with light exposure in your case; if it never happens otherwise, I wouldn’t worry about it.
P.S. I didn’t realize you were “named after” your cat! Love it!
Yes, the eyes of a cat can dilate independently of one another. It’s an adaptation for living/hunting in partially shaded/partially sunlight environments. They can also dilate much more quickly than humans.
My cat’s eyes are almost always asymmetrically dilated–she has one blue and one green, so the pupils are getting a slightly off amount of light even in normal lighting conditions.
Yeah, what they said.
Zuzu is gorgeous — dark torties are lovely.
We have a very smart cat (on the cat scale of intelligence). He’s figured out how to shut himself up in the bathroom, but not how to get himself out. He did it right after we left for work the other day and, when I got home, he’d scraped his paw bloody trying to work the doorknob.
This is why they’re being boarded next month even though we’re only going away for the weekend. We’re afraid of what his little walnut brain will get him into without him being able to get out again while we’re gone.