Hi, I have a long haired kitten and one of her eyes seems to tear up a lot. She doesn't seem to have any kind of infection. Someone told me this is normal for long haired cats?
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Tearing eye / normal for Long-haired cats?
- Thread starter jaycee
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I don't know if it's specific to long-haired cats, but Persians are more likely to have issues with tears (something to do with the flat face and the tear duct). One of my cats, Matilda, is long-haired and you can tell that one of her parents was a Persian cat because she sort of has the flat face of a Persian. I have to wipe her eyes daily because she gets black tear gunk in them. One of her eyes is worse than the other, but it's a daily thing for her.
Either way, your cat is normal so long as it isn't green in color. I used to buy kitty eye wipes at PetSmart and on Drs. Foster & Smith but now I just use a washcloth with water.
Either way, your cat is normal so long as it isn't green in color. I used to buy kitty eye wipes at PetSmart and on Drs. Foster & Smith but now I just use a washcloth with water.
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- #3
She does have a flat face that reminds me of a pesian. Do you think its clogged tear ducts? Or is it just a thing? Well I wash her eyes with a warm washcloth but yeah I have to do it daily, its mainly just her left eye that does it. Sometimes it makes her eye stick closed, but it still doesn't infected or anything.
If you are talking about a Persian cat, my books tell me it is normal because of their large, round eyes. I clean Persi's eyes every morning as part of his grooming routine.
Pixel's right eye does this. while her face isn't flat like a Persian's, she does have the flattest face of my 5. one vet told me she had a clogged tear duct. this is only repairable by surgery - should she ever need surgery in the future for anything else, they can fix it, then. but it's not worth the risk to have surgery just for this one problem.
one thing that DID help w/the staining was Eye Envy. but she dislikes me treating her w/it, & she's not a 'show cat', so i've pretty much stopped using it - but it's in the fridge, just in case!
This is good to know since Dusty always has teary eyes. I think if it was anything serious, the vet would have said something to me when she was spayed. I need to try and find something to clean her face. I will try a damp washcloth.
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- #8
I read that unscented baby wipes are the best thing to use. I was just at the store, I should have bought some.
Sometimes in the flat faced cats it is a matter of missing tear ducts or very narrow ones because the face is so flat. Another problem that can cause this, especially if her eye is sticking shut is the eyelashes are actually scratching the eye because they turn in. This can be repaired with surgery that cuts a wedge under the eye then is sown so it turns out normally. I have had several persians and have had all the mentioned issues. I like to take a warm wash cloth and hold it on the eye like a hot pack. It seems to soothe the eye and my cats actually seem to like it! When It gets bad I have Dex/Neomycin drops that I get from the vet. I don't use them often but it does help when nothing else will.
One of my kitties, Caesar, is a Persian, and he tears. Memphis, who has crossed the rainbow bridge, was Persian too, and he teared a lot too. It doesn't seem to bother Caesar, his eyes are huge and round and CUTE!!! I think he looks in the mirror and practices how big he can get his eyes and then comes and jumps on my lap and just stares at me and paws at me to pet him.....
Ok sorry I am deviating from the topic... I think it is ok just gently clean them like you are.
Ok sorry I am deviating from the topic... I think it is ok just gently clean them like you are.
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- #11
AWWWWW!!!
Well anyway, Polka Dot's eye hasn't teared at all in the past few days so I'm wondering if its cured? I hope so!
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allergies ( food and enviornmental ) can cause one eye tearing .... long hairs show tearing more as the hair is longer ..Diet plays a HUGE role.. aside from a clogged duct
one of my cats had an injured 3rd eyelid last summer and now that eye tears sometimes but the vet said as long as its not discolored theres nothing to be concerned about. maybe your kitty had the same prob. (im not sure how long youve had your kitty, etc)
