- The beautiful blue eyes of the Himalayan may need to be wiped daily.eyes image by Allyson Ricketts from Fotolia.com
Himalayans are deliberately bred with a flattened face, which tends to inhibit breathing. This, in turn, compresses the tear ducts, causing watery eyes, in some cases almost constantly. - A less common but more serious condition among Himalayans is progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). This disease can affect other feline breeds, but it occurs most often in Himalayans and Persians.
- PRA causes the retinas in both of the cat's eyes to thin and degenerate. Typically, the cat develops normally into early adulthood, but then night blindness sets in and progresses to total blindness by 3 to 5 years of age.
- The disease is not painful and therefore can be difficult to detect in its early stages. Initially, the cat may be reluctant to maneuver in dark places such as unlit hallways. In the later stages, dilation of the pupil, a reflection from light in the back of the eye or cloudiness in the lens may be apparent.
- The only necessary treatment for watery eyes is a simple daily wiping. PRA is not treatable.
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