Showing 3rd eyelid... what does that mean?

maki

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
70
Purraise
1
Location
Québec, Canada
Me again...

Maki still has her flu. She's still eating well and drinking and going to the litter. When I came home last night, she sounded really congested and seemed like she was almost working to breathe. About an hour after we came home, she let out two huge sneezes and sounded much better.

But her 3rd eyelid is not retracting from the corner of her eyes... What is that a sign of?

She`s also had 3 coughing fits since last night. She`s worrying me...


I have to call the vet today to check on results anyways so I'll ask them if they think I should bring her in but I'd love to hear any thoughts, ideas or experiences about this...

Thanks!

I just want my sweetheart to feel better.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

maki

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
70
Purraise
1
Location
Québec, Canada
eeeeeek!!! just did a search on google... that's really bad isn't it?!


Bad thing is we rushed out of the house this morning and I didn't have time to check her eyes again and since she seemed more "cheerful" last night, I was feeling a little better about her condition. It's not easy to get home, will she be ok until last afternoon?!.... aggghh....
 

proudkittiemom

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Nov 11, 2006
Messages
5,037
Purraise
12
Location
Pittsburgh PA
I am afraid to do that search, my willies eyes are showing that but he is sick, he was lost and we got him back after a month and hes sooo skinny, and he is sneexing but not much anymore thank goodness, and he is eating now he started to today and he is drinking lots and lots of water, but he isnt going to the bathroom really and the 3rd eyelid is scaring me but I am hoping that ur kittie and my kittie work through this
I kno how u are feeling but I have been on call for Willie since he came home wed !!! I just dont understand these people see a strange cat dont look at any of the posters saying lost cat and dont feed him or try to but take him to the shleter and says hes friendly and a stray (but had a collar on)
But I am hoping that your baby is ok !! And I hope its nothing serious !!
Sorry I am not much help but I do know how u are feeling right now !!!
 

jkrodger

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
350
Purraise
2
The third eyelid (when not present due to extreme happiness) usually comes out when a cat is sick and/or dehydrated. Since your cat already has the flu, my bet is that the eye-lid is just another symptom. Cats are pretty good at hiding sickness in early stages so normally if you see the third eye-lid it's wise to get a vet check ASAP to catch whatever it is in it's early stages. Since you have to call the vet anyways to check on results, list off the symptoms that are still present, including the third-eyelid, but I would be more concerned with the breathing problems your cat is having.

In addition to just being another symptom of it's illness, the third eyelid being present could be a sign of an eye infection, these are usually very easy to cure (an antibiotic shot and eye drops for awhile) and are fairly common (I think) in cats that have been recently sick as their immune system is already weakened.

Some other things to check with the eyes, is there a lot of discharge coming from them? You'll notice a lot of "eye boogies", and they'll reappear fairly quickly (within an hour or 2) of cleaning them off. Also, if your cat is wiping it's paws on it's face more than usual (kind of like it's trying to rub or scratch it's eyes), these are often signs of an eye infection.

Not to worry you, but the real problem with cats being able to hide their condition so well is that they will often get from bad to worse very quickly. If you could maybe get home to check on your cat on your lunch break that would be good. Talk to your vet and explain the situation, they'll probably have you bring your cat in for another inspection, tell them to check for eye infection. If you can't get back on your lunch break, be prepared to spend some quality time giving your cat some TLC this afternoon and possibly another vet visit.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

maki

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
70
Purraise
1
Location
Québec, Canada
Proud Kittimommy - thanks for the support!!! Hope your Willie feels better soon too.


jkrodger - Thank you so much for that info. Home is an hour train ride away, so I can't just visit. So I'll call the vet`s office as soon as it opens (in half an hour) and see what they think about her symptoms.

I did take her to the vet on Monday after she started sneezing (brought her home from the SPCA on Saturday).

Her eyes are "clear" otherwise. She has a little bit of eye boogies but nothing serious and the discharge from her nose is clear. She's not rubbing her face.

I did check the level in her water bowl this morning and I'm sure she drank. Although that of course doesn't necessarily mean she's not dehydrated.

I just hope there's something they can give her to help clear her respiration.


Poor Maki... I'm so worried about her.
 

kluchetta

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
11,023
Purraise
30
Location
Golden, Colorado
Third eyelid is often a sign of high fever, too. I would hope at this point your vet could prescribe an antibiotic. Also, Neo-synepherine "Baby Noses" nose drops are said to be safe in kitties for unblocking their noses. But cats don't often cough, so I think you vet needs to really check that out. (Oh, and you can run a hot steamy shower and sit in the bathroom with your kitty and that may help decongest her little lungs.)
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

maki

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
70
Purraise
1
Location
Québec, Canada
I just called the vet's office. The receptionnist was a little "short", said she could give me another appointment this afternoon but the vet needs to call me with the results of her punction anyways so I figured I'd talk to her first to see if what she thinks.

I'm not impressed with the clinic so I called another and the lady was SUPER nice. I made an appointment with them this afternoon and unless the first vet is confident enough to prescribe antibiotics without seeing her again (which the second clinic said might be possible) and save me the trip with the cat, I'll go to the second vet clinic.

Wish us luck.
 

kluchetta

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Apr 5, 2005
Messages
11,023
Purraise
30
Location
Golden, Colorado
Originally Posted by Maki

I just called the vet's office. The receptionnist was a little "short", said she could give me another appointment this afternoon but the vet needs to call me with the results of her punction anyways so I figured I'd talk to her first to see if what she thinks.

I'm not impressed with the clinic so I called another and the lady was SUPER nice. I made an appointment with them this afternoon and unless the first vet is confident enough to prescribe antibiotics without seeing her again (which the second clinic said might be possible) and save me the trip with the cat, I'll go to the second vet clinic.

Wish us luck.
Luck!


And I don't really like hearing some of the things about the first vet. Yes, they are probably busy and cats probably aren't their number one focus, but she definitely not feeling well, and should get some treatment!
 

fifi1puss

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Jan 2, 2007
Messages
2,150
Purraise
13
My cat has this probelm with sneezing and coughing. I keep the house temp up a little higher than i like and put the humidifier/vaporizer on. Works like a charm. Give your cat l-lysine 1000mg while it is showing signs of sickness and 500mg afterward. It comes in many forms (gel, tab, etc.) find what works best for your kitty. I crush tabs in her food....no taste smell nada....works well!

If you can't keep the heat up you can also get a warming bed or blanket (for kitties) it warms up when they lay on it. Good luck! As long as your kitty is eating and going potty alright i wouldn't overly worry. Just keep an eye on her.
 

jkrodger

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
Messages
350
Purraise
2
I'm glad you were able to get through to your vet! And good job calling another one, I'd be a little worried that with sneezing, they didn't do more than just draw some blood (often some sort of antibiotic shot is given in case it's just allergies). And the vet should never be rude to you, imagine what they're being like to your cat! (although the receptionist could just be having a bad day).

For future reference, you can always check for dehydration by pulling up some of your cat's scruff, if it doesn't go back immediately (within 2 seconds), then they're dehydrated.

Please keep us updated!
 

emmylou

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
960
Purraise
10
Yes, the third eyelid showing is common when a cat is sick and/or has a fever. It's most likely just that, and not a symptom of something separate.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

maki

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
70
Purraise
1
Location
Québec, Canada
I'm just back from the vet with Maki. Long story short: I ended up going back to the first vet and well, I must've hit her on a bad day the first time because she was VERY nice.
lol

Good thing I went, Maki does have a bit of a fever. She took an x-ray of her chest and the good news is that everything looks great. She said she could see her bronches a little more then "normal" but considering her condition, it was expected and there's no sign of asthma.


Now the not-so-good news is that she hesitated about keeping her at the clinic because of the fever. But she ended up giving her a anti-inflammatory shot to bring down the fever and sent us home with anti-biotics (twice a day), a vitamin boost (Enisyl-F) and more anti-inflammatory pills. I also picked up Saline drops for her nose - under the vet's recommandation.

She said to check her temperature tomorrow morning and to make sure it doesn't go up again for at least 24hr until she's due for another does of anti-inflammatory. And to make sure she eats and drinks.

Well as soon as we got home, she made a run for her food and water dishes so I'm EXTREMELY happy with that.
She's also much more cheerful already.

I'm so relieved.


Thanks for all the help and support. I'll keep you all posted.
 

mrblanche

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jan 28, 2008
Messages
12,578
Purraise
119
Location
Texas
The third eyelid showing is a general sign of illness. It happened to our Flambe a while back, and the vet never did find a problem. In your cat's case, it sounds like he might have an infection of some kind. I hope your vet finds the problem. Be sure to check for all the intestinal parasites.
 
Top