I think there is something wrong with Bamf's eye!

I noticed something about Bamf's eye today. His eyes are both a very vivid, rich shade of blue, and just this morning I noticed that his right eye is a lighter shade of blue! And of course I panicked, trying to figure out what could cause that. As I was examining his eyes in better lighting, I realized that the pupil in that eye is also a lighter color, so I think his eye has a bit of a cloudy film over it.

He is showing his inner eyelid on that eye just a little bit, and the lid is red. His eye is also weeping now. Poor little guy.

Am I right in thinking that he may have an eye infection? I'm planning on taking him to the vet tomorrow as soon as we can get in. I just wanted some advice and/or opinions.

Thanks.

awww that is sad! But I wouldn't worry too much, you've caught it and you're taking care of it. Chances are he will just be on a gel type antibiotic for a week or two. It's no fun putting the stuff in his eye, but I've managed with my 16 pound siamses who had an eye infection when I adopted him! So I thinK you'll manage with your sweet kitten!!

I don't want to cause alarm, but it could be something more serious than just a minor infection. Especially if it came on quickly.

When an eye turns cloudy it usually means a buildup of protein in the eyeball itself. This can be extremely painful and can cause blindness if not treated early.

I had this happen to a kitty once, and we had to go to the ER vet. It seems he ran into a corner or something while playing and basically caused a bad contusion of they eyeball. It as cleared up very quickly with steroid eye drops.

This is one of the conditions that are very simple to take care of, but time if of the essence. If I had waited, the vet said he probably would have lost his eye.

Take a close look at Bamf's eye to see if the you can tell if it is a layer of filmy mucus/pus on the eye, or whether it looks like the cloudiness is "inside" the eye. If it looks like it is inside the eye, at least make a call to the vet today. If you notice it getting significantly worse then he should get in right away. The protein and pressure can buildup pretty quickly.

Sending vibes for the little guy, poor Bamf seems like he is the one who has the crud hit him all the time.

I just wanted to update, for anyone who was paying attention!

Bamf definitely has an infection, poor little guy. He doesn't have a contusion or anything, though, thankfully! He has conjunctivitis in BOTH of his eyes, not just one. The cloudiness is a thin film of mucous over his eyes.

So yes, I do have an ointment to put in his eyes. I wish I knew why he keeps getting sick. I can't think of anything, except that he either has Herpes virus or just has a weak immune system.

But he's very healthy in general - good poop/digestion, awesome coat condition (very soft!), eats high quality grain free foods (wet and dry), plays and runs and snuggles just fine. But he still sniffles and now he has an eye infection.



Thank you for the warning though, kittymonsters! When I originally called my vet, they said that they were booked for today. Without your warning, I might have just scheduled something for tomorrow, but I was firm and explained his symptoms over the phone and asked them to try to work me in, which they did!

I'm sure he will be okay!

Poor love! If it is just a one off thing and he has never had conjunctivitis before it could well be caused by Feline Chlamydophila which is caused by a small organism, not a virus. (Wash your hands between handling him and touching your face as there have been a few cases of it passed to humans by contact, the risk is small but it does cause a very nasty strain of conjunctivitis - basic hygiene will prevent that though )

Feline Herpesvirus is a type of URI that commonly causes conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers as well as other URI symptoms and mouth ulcers, it can lie dormant in the body and flare up when the immune system is low due to stress or other health concerns.

In either case, or if your cat is regularly unwell, he should be tested for FIV and FeLV to rule those out, hopefully that has already been done. And a dietary supplement of L-lysine is good for the immune system, it is an amino acid essential for the production of antibodies, so if he is prone to illness giving it as a supplement with his food is a good idea

He has been tested for FIV and FeLV, and is negative. And he has been on Lysine since I brought him home, so since June! But he is still snuffley, a bit sneezy, a bit snotty nosed, etc. He and his sister had a URI when we brought them home in June, but he seems to have never really recovered all the way, which is why I suspect that he might suffer from Herpes virus. If he has it, then this might be his first real conjunctivitis flare up.

I asked in another thread a few weeks ago if there is a test that can determine if he has Herpes, and I am thinking that after this incident I should get that done so that I will know for sure if he has Herpes or not. Then I can just plan for long term treatment and extra love for my little man!

He is about 6.5 months old. Poor little guy. Always snufflenosed.

Ah bless him, from your further description it does sound like feline herpesvirus if he's on and off with the sneezing and snuffling and nasal discharge and now eye trouble too. So many cats are exposed to it, I don't know what the situation is where you are but it's very common here especially in ex-ferals or strays. He's still young and vulnerable, the L-lysine will help but he is still developing and a bit more vulnerable due to his youth, feeding a good diet and helping to keep his environment as free from background stress as possible (not an easy thing given that cats are easily stressed!) is a good idea if it is FHV-1 that is causing his problems.

I hope he feels better soon