Uveitis associated with septic peritonitis in a cat

Objective – To report a case of bilateral uveitis believed to be a consequence of septic peritonitis in a 19‐month‐old cat. Case Summary – Bilateral anterior uveitis with suspicion of extension to the posterior segment was documented in a previously healthy young cat during hospitalization for severe septic peritonitis. Based on medical history and other findings uveitis was believed to result from concurrent abdominal sepsis, due either to metastatic seeding of bacterial organisms or to effects of bacterial toxins and inflammatory mediators on the blood‐aqueous barrier. The cat was surgically and medically managed, and made a full recovery with respect to both his ocular and his abdominal disease. New or Unique Information Provided – Ocular complications secondary to systemic sepsis are well documented in people but seldom reported in the veterinary literature. To the authors' knowledge this is the first report of uveitis linked to septic peritonitis in any veterinary species and the first to report sepsis‐related uveitis in a cat. Ocular inflammatory disease in the context of critical illness deserves attention as a potential significant source of morbidity. The development of ocular inflammatory disease may serve as a sentinel lesion for systemic sepsis and other life‐threatening conditions.