Successful treatment of distichiasis in a cat using transconjunctival electrocautery

A 2-year-old male castrated Domestic Short-haired cat presented to the Ophthalmology Service at the Matthew J. Ryan Veterinary Hospital at the University of Pennsylvania for evaluation of chronic bilateral ocular discharge and blepharospasm. Initial ophthalmic examination revealed severe conjunctivitis and keratitis and the presence of upper eyelid distichiae bilaterally. Initial therapy for suspected feline herpesviral infection provided moderate, but not complete, resolution of the clinical signs. Over the subsequent year, the cat suffered from recurrent, severe, ulcerative keratitis in both eyes despite appropriate medical therapy. Approximately 13 months after the initial presentation, the distichiae were surgically removed using transconjunctival electrocautery, which resulted in complete resolution of the clinical signs. This report documents bilateral distichiasis in a cat, a condition that is considered rare in this species.