My cat's watery eye

hannahgirl

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My cat has had this happen twice in the past, the last time being in May. One of her eyes starts to appear a bit closed, and then slightly watery. The last time they gave me an opthalmic ointment, which cleared it up, right away.

Now it is happening a third time...but I only see hints of it. Should I go ahead and start applying the ointment now? Or, is there something I can use to try to clean her eye out a little, in case it's lint or something? Some liquid? Thank you so much.
 

jack31

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Have you asked the vet what he thinks the cause is? Has he mentioned anything about feline herpes?

If the symptons are the same I'd call the vet and go in. You need to determine the cause.

I don't like the idea of applying a cream unless you know for sure its what is necessary.

Leslie
 
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hannahgirl

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The Vet does the test where they put a drop in her eye, to see if there is anything wrong with the eyeball itself, and it also glows in the dark...making the nose and mouth bright green...he always says it's probably dust in her environment or something like that...then prescribes the ointment.

I try my best to keep it as clean as possible, but there is a lot of construction going on in the neighborhood...
 

stephanietx

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I bet it's triggered by seasonal allergies since it last happened in May (spring to summer) and now (summer into fall). However, since it goes into some kind of infection, I'd have her tested for herpes. If you decide to have her tested, ask for the Real PCR URD test. My Hannah-girl has herpes and gets runny eyes frequently.
 

ckatz

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You might want to ask the vet about giving her L-Lysine. My kitten Squeakers has feline eye herpes and it cleared him up in about a week. My other 2 cats are also on it. The vet said it wouldn't hurt them, it strengths their immune system.

If it's seasonal allergies my vet also suggested 1/4 tablet of Zyrtec.
 

persi & alley

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Originally Posted by hannahgirl

My cat has had this happen twice in the past, the last time being in May. One of her eyes starts to appear a bit closed, and then slightly watery. The last time they gave me an opthalmic ointment, which cleared it up, right away.

Now it is happening a third time...but I only see hints of it. Should I go ahead and start applying the ointment now? Or, is there something I can use to try to clean her eye out a little, in case it's lint or something? Some liquid? Thank you so much.
Does your cat happen to be a Persian? According to my Persian cat handbook, this is quite common among Persians, at least a lot more common than for other breeds because of their large round eyes.
 
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hannahgirl

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Originally Posted by ckatz

You might want to ask the vet about giving her L-Lysine. My kitten Squeakers has feline eye herpes and it cleared him up in about a week. My other 2 cats are also on it. The vet said it wouldn't hurt them, it strengths their immune system.

If it's seasonal allergies my vet also suggested 1/4 tablet of Zyrtec.
Ckatz, how much do you give her? I have pills that I take myself, but not caplets...which might be easier. I was looking up some information about lysine yesterday, and it sounds really good for cats, too. My cat is so terrified of going to the Vet, she always loses fur and it's quite an ordeal for her...and since it has happened twice before, I do think it's allergies.

A few years back she had other allergies, where fur on her underside would be all licked off...and the area would get a rash...then I went to the Vet and they limited her diet to one protein, and now she's doing much better - except for the eye thing.

Thanks everyone, for your suggestions!
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by hannahgirl

Ckatz, how much do you give her?
maintenance dosage for lysine is usually 250 mg per day - doubled during flares.
i use capsules - just open them. they're 500mg each. you can also get a powdered version [like what's inside the caps] but then you'll need to measure.
 
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hannahgirl

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Originally Posted by laureen227

maintenance dosage for lysine is usually 250 mg per day - doubled during flares.
i use capsules - just open them. they're 500mg each. you can also get a powdered version [like what's inside the caps] but then you'll need to measure.
Thank you so much! I want to do whatever I can to strengthen her immune system, it certainly wouldn't hurt!....Awesome...


I also have a question about litter. I use a wheat litter, and I wonder if perhaps the dust irritates her eyes...but I want to use the safest choice in litters...and I hear bad things about so many of them...how does one find the safest options?
 

laureen227

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usually, the cats have decided opinions about litter... the wheat/corn based litters are better, environmentally speaking. all clumping litters have some dust - wheat [from what i've read here] is dustier than the corn ones [like WBCL]. i use clay, but that's because it seems to control odor better.
 

hwc

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Originally Posted by hannahgirl

Should I go ahead and start applying the ointment now?
Sure. Why not?

If you can catch it quickly enough, the eye infection should go away fast with the ointment.
 

phillygal

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My cat had that once and it turned out to be a problem with the eyelashes hitting the eye since he had lost a good deal of weight due to kidney disease. We used prescription eyedrops given to us by the vet and it cleared up very quickly.
 
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hannahgirl

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Originally Posted by laureen227

maintenance dosage for lysine is usually 250 mg per day - doubled during flares.
i use capsules - just open them. they're 500mg each. you can also get a powdered version [like what's inside the caps] but then you'll need to measure.
I couldn't find an animal version at the local pet stores...so I got lysine for humans from a local coop store...The main label said "Lysine" but the ingredients on the back say it contains : lysine, silica and magnesium stearate...is that just normal stuff that's in vitamins? I want to make sure there isn't anything in there that cats shouldn't eat.....does your lysine say stuff like that, too? thanks again....
 

laureen227

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Originally Posted by hannahgirl

I couldn't find an animal version at the local pet stores...so I got lysine for humans from a local coop store...The main label said "Lysine" but the ingredients on the back say it contains : lysine, silica and magnesium stearate...is that just normal stuff that's in vitamins? I want to make sure there isn't anything in there that cats shouldn't eat.....does your lysine say stuff like that, too? thanks again....
yep. if you click on the link, you can see the ingredients - but here's what's at the site: Other Ingredients: Gelatin (capsule), Stearic Acid (vegetable source), Cellulose, Rice Flour and Magnesium Stearate (vegetable source).
 

zorana_dragonky

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Yeah, it's okay to use the Lysine for humans.
We think my babies have Herpes too and they get Lysine with their wet food every day. I use the caplets like laureen227, human ones that are 500mg. I just pull it open and put what looks like about half in one cat's food and half in the other. Good luck with your kitty! Lysine makes their coats very smooth and shiny, also, which is great! It's good for you, too, if you want to try it!
 
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