Help....

I have agreed to foster these 3 himalayan cats. Their master is gone on a long trip. Now they are absolute sweethearts. But their eyes are awful. They weep 24/7 and are always all crusted up. I have to clean them daily with warm water and they hate it. Own tells me , they have been like that since the first day he bought them and that this is a normal thing with that breed. I've have searched the net and can not find anything that talks to this problem.. One of his cats has won shows and has been in "Cat Fancy"
I really hate how awful this makes them look. Can anyone help me. They look so uncomfortable..

Hello and welcome to TCS, I am sorry I cannot offer any advice, but I am sure as soon as our breeder members start waking up across the world, you´ll have some replies
In the meantime, heres sending some get well ((((( vibes ))))) to your kits I am sure they & you will be just fine

I'll move this to the health forum for you

Originally Posted by 4Cruella

I have agreed to foster these 3 himalayan cats. Their master is gone on a long trip. Now they are absolute sweethearts. But their eyes are awful. They weep 24/7 and are always all crusted up.

I have to clean them daily with warm water and they hate it

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. Own tells me , they have been like that since the first day he bought them and that this is a normal thing with that breed. I've have searched the net and can not find anything that talks to this problem.. One of his cats has won shows and has been in "Cat Fancy"
I really hate how awful this makes them look. Can anyone help me. They look so uncomfortable..

Click to expand...

Himalayan Persian cats are known for this because of the shape of their eyes. I brush Persi every single day (something else you must do) and check his eyes at that time. They often have the crust you are talking about in the corners so I just routinely clean out his eyes each day. The parents of Persi are also Champions, and champion Himalayans; all Persians, have this tendency of crust collecting in the corner of their eyes where they drain. Can you provide me a photo of these kittys, I can see how they compare to mine, as there may be nothing unusual at all about them. Here is a picture I took yesterday which I can use as an example however. I had already cleaned his eyes out but you can notice that his left eye in particular has a more pronounced drainage duct.

There is no cure that I know of and yes, they look horrible, but fortunately the cats never have to look at theirselves, the important thing is to just keep cleaning out their eyes every day along with their daily brushing. This is why the cat books will refer to this breed as a "high maintenance" cat. When I am sitting at the computer or reading a book or watching TV and he decides to join me, I routinely pick at the corners of his eyes. Only because it "bugs" me, but is of no bother or consequence to him.

Thank you so very much for your help.. I really appreciate it. However, I am just now realizing what I have gotten myseld into when I made this committment.. I have long hair domestic cats. Brushuing them once a week is sufficient, they are so beautiful and work hard on their own up keep. They never have weepy eyes. These cats that I am caring for look like ( if I may be honest) hell every day of the week. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have multiple critters to care for.. I've rescued so very many . But none needing that much care. Two have one every possible ribbon there is. I will try to post a picture , but I am ashame of what you will see. Also I find them very needed. One in particular, has to be hanging around my neck every minute of everyday...

That's a very hard situation to be in!! Expecting someone to do so much work for show cats is a big ask!

How much longer is their owner away for?

Until September 1st... His parents are friends and the father is allergic to cats. So I agreed to help. Thats my fault. I should have asked more questions. He showed me how to brush, or I should say comb them. I had no idea it had to be done every day. I must admit they are sweet and very laid back.. Oh well, you live and learn... Thank you again for your help,,,

What kind of cats are they? I realize you have long haired cats... but not all long haired cats have eye discharge and if the fosters are Persian/Himmie then that could be why their eyes run. It's just from the shape of their face/skull. That is just how that breed is and some are worse then others. I have 3 and Jazzy's eyes run a little but don't get crusty. Peaches' run and get a little crusty if, for example, I'm gone for the weekend and just have someone feed them but not clean their eyes. Jake just gets a little eye discharge. As far as your cats, if the discharge is green then they need medical attention.

They are himalayans .. I have tried to post a picture by I really do not know how to do that in this forum..

Oh no, its not green, that much I would know.. They just weep all the time. Now that I know I have to clean them every day with warm water I will try to keep them up. I have to laugh, I presumed being show cats that they would be use to the grooming.. But when I show up with comb and or warm water , you should see them take off, They know exactly what I am up too and want no part of it. I have gotten myself in quite a fix.. lol
Agnes