Jill Bowen

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg, VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu

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• Column archive

I recently rescued a stray cat. We have taken her to our vet for a checkup and shots. I noticed something strange in her right eye. I brought this to the attention of my vet, and she told me that it was a cataract but that it was OK right now. Will this eventually have to be removed? Will my cat go blind?

First, cataracts in cats are uncommon. Hereditary cataracts have been reported in Persian, Birman and Himalayan cats. To date all hereditary cataracts in cats have also been congenital, that is present at birth. If the cataract occupies less than 30 percent of the lens or is only present in one eye it often goes unnoticed. Its presence does not seem to interfere with vision to any great extent.

There are several causes of cataract formation: injury to the lens capsule, diabetes and uveitis, an inflammation of the iris.
Once a cataract develops, its rate of growth depends on its location and the age of the animal. As the normal lens ages, the lens protein becomes insoluble and hard, inhibiting cataract progression. Sometimes cataracts can cause complications such as uveitis , secondary glaucoma and a detached retina.

If the cataract is dense and causing problems, surgical removal is required. Otherwise, ultrasonic lens fragmentation is the method of choice with more than 90 percent being successful. If only one eye has a cataract, surgery is often not necessary or can be postponed.

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I have tried putting out orange peel to keep cats from using my flower bed as a latrine, but the effect soon disappears. Have you any other suggestions?

If you are using orange peel as a deterrent, it must be replaced several times a week. Once it has dried out, its effect disappears. My garden center advised me that the plant Coleus canina , also known as the “scaredy cat plant,” works very well if several are planted along the perimeter of the flower bed. Apparently, this plant has an odor that is obnoxious to cats. It is certainly worth trying, as the plants are not expensive.

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Six months ago, my 10-year-old cat had a growth cut out of her ear. It has grown back and is causing her problems as she scratches until the ear bleeds. Help.

Growths in the ear canals of cats can be benign or malignant. It is important to have the growth biopsied to determine what type of tumor or growth it is.
Benign growths have a tendency to recur after removal but do not spread beyond the ear canal. Polyps that appear in the middle ear and protrude into the external ear canal are difficult to remove entirely as they tend to break into pieces. Cells left behind grow into new polyps.

Another benign tumor is that of the earwax glands. These are more common in older cats and are usually blackish in color. These particular growths can be malignant. Malignant growths tend to ulcerate and spread to the lymph nodes and eventually to the lungs.

Unfortunately, any type of growth in the ear will cause irritation with head shaking and ear scratching. Surgical removal and anti-inflammatory ointments are the usual treatments. But if the growth is malignant the long-term outlook is poor.