advice please?.... squint

hi everyone, hoping for some advice... we got our Maine Coone as a kitten from a local breeder nearly a year ago - having only ever had rescue moggies before, this was quite a big investment but we loved the breed. he's got a lovely personality, but over the last 6 months or so he has become more and more cross-eyed, and it's very noticeable. the vet said it's cosmetic so would not be covered by insurance and would be very expensive to correct, requiring consultations from a specialist and potentially surgery. the breeder has shown no interest at all. has anyone come across this before? I know it's a genetic flaw with some other breeds, and I wonder about the integrity of the breeder..

Hi there, welcome, and what a gorgeous creature you have there, wonderful markings and colours! I don't know anything about this condition, or where this leaves you with the breeder - perhaps others could advise on this. However, if it is not bothering your babe at all, I would say don't have any treatment, don't put him through it. The cross-eyed look could just be one of his many quirks, as long as he's happy.

Hey there, I can't help either, but wanted to welcome you both to the forum. There's a great bunch here, and I'm sure someone will have some sound advice for you. Lovely looking cat - what's his name?

My breeder has one babe that she kept because he is cross eyed,happy,healthy & and an absolute stunner,she wouldn't put him through surgery as he is happy as he is,as boss said if he had been a child born a fair few years ago you would have put the patch over the strongest eye to encourage the muscles in the weaker one to strengthen.Some times you hardly notice it then other times he runs towards you & you think he is going to go past,he does add some amusement to the household.....
I think sometimes we can put our kitties through too much but if you have the facilities close by to find out a bit more then go for it but if it was purely for cosmetic then I would leave well alone as it obviously isn't affecting the cat.If you lived closer we could introduce him to Clarence {had to be called that didn't he}now wouldn't that make for a good picture,neither of them would look straight at the camera....
Pity the breeder wasn't a bit more helpful but I know this was the first & only one that my breeder has had.

Hello and welcome!
Your Coonie is a stunner indeed... what's his name?

As for the squint, I agree with Jackie - if it doesn't bother him and his eyesight is not impaired I'd leave it be.
On the other hand, I think candes has a point as well. The squint developed later in his life, and if it was my Coonie I would want to know whether there might be something that's causing it. So perhaps a more thorough check is in order. Perhaps you could discuss this with your vet.

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Originally Posted by Antonia

Hello and welcome!
Your Coonie is a stunner indeed... what's his name?

As for the squint, I agree with Jackie - if it doesn't bother him and his eyesight is not impaired I'd leave it be.
On the other hand, I think candes has a point as well. The squint developed later in his life, and if it was my Coonie I would want to know whether there might be something that's causing it. So perhaps a more thorough check is in order. Perhaps you could discuss this with your vet.

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His name is Quintus.. Photo is b&w; he's actually a fawn colour, though for some reasons it comes out more ginger on photos. The vet tested his vision and said it was not affected, hence the 'cosmetic' classification. In other breeds like the Siamese strabismus has been inadvertently 'bred in' by the selective breeding over the years, so I tend to think of it as an inherent risk with pedigree breeding that could be avoided. It does spoil his looks, and people always comment on it, but he's still growing so I think we'll wait and see how it turns out. I think the breeders themselves should have some obligation in these situations; we love him to bits but if you take all the emotion out of it and look at it just as a transaction, then basically they have charged top whack for faulty goods...

Hey there
Our Dudley has a squint- his right eye is slightly worse than his left. We got him a couple of weeks ago at 5 months and he had the squint then, one of the reasons the breeder did not want to breed from him. The breeder was quite forthright in saying he'll never be a show cat and we bought him on that basis- we are not interested in showing cats. I think there can be many causes of a squint but Dudley was born with it and appears to have excellent eye sight, too good in fact. The breeder said that sometimes kittens grow out of it to a certain extent but Dudley will probably always be a bit squinty! The vet noted a 'cast' on his right eye but he said it is most likely cosmetic. There is almost no inbreeding in his pedigree. It certainly doesn't seem to bother him. The fact that your cat has developed this squint after you bought him might suggest that it warrants a bit if investigation. I agree that if you bought this cat with the intention to show and he was sold to you as having the potential to, then you should speak to the breeder about what can be done. If the squint is causing your cat problems and these can be demonstrated, I am pretty sure your insurance would cover you for corrective surgery. To us, Dudley is no less of a cat for his squint (we paid full price by the way) but then we knew what we were getting and we weren't looking for a perfect example if an mc. His personality more than compensates for his 'rat look' appearance! ;) I can kind of understand what you are saying about 'faulty goods' but even with the emotion removed a cat is a complex living thing and as such the outcome can never be predicted. Oh, and by the way, I know a couple if humans who have a squint and they tell me they can see very well and double vision isn't a problem except after a few too many on a Saturday night! ;)

just updating an old thread....... there is actually a research project going on in a veterinary centre in Newmarket into strabismus in Maine Coons. We took Quintus there for a lengthy check up and to contribute to their project. They were saying that this is becoming more common in the breed (not to the extent yet that it is in Siamese however). There is nothing to be done by way of surgery and it does not affect him unduly (though he does tend to fall off things!). It would be a shame to see it become more prevalent, and this is really down to the breeders. I did contact the breeder we got him from, Jawacara, and she was not remotely interested, which is a concern - I'd certainly not buy another cat from there.

Hi there. This is most interesting. How fortunate that you were able to contribute to a research project, and get some answers from the very forefront of knowledge! And what a relief that you will not have to put Quintus through surgery. As for the breeder, her attitude is very disappointing. Thanks for posting the name. Should be added to the list of 'breeders to avoid', (if there is one).