Actually he hasn’t reached full panic mode at this point. When a cat is in full panic they open their pupils to the maximum limit to gather all of the information possible on their environment, including possible escape routes. If you see a cat with almost no visible iris be very careful, because it is about to explode into action. A vet tech who handles ferals pointed that out as the surest way of knowing when it’s relatively safe to reach into a cage.

He is pretty freaked out because he doesn’t smell right, especially since he lives with a dog. Actually he was a sick kitten and that’s why he got taken indoors. He had a cold at about 4 weeks, which is often fatal for a kitten because the mother cat will not allow a sick kitten near the rest of the litter.