So ever since I've had Harvey (he was about 5-6 wks when I got him) he has always squinted his right eye. When I first noticed it I took him to the vet I worked at at the time and we stained his eye and saw absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. No scratches, ulcerations, anything. I've also had the vet I work for now (who is an all feline practitioner) have a look and she found nothing wrong with it either. There is never any discharge at all, he just squints it from time to time, several times a day. He doesn't seem to have any trouble with his vision at all. It's not painful or anything...just squinty. Has any body else had this problem? It doesn't seem to bother him and since it's been looked at by two vets I trust very much, I'm not concerned, just curious. Anybody?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Are some cats just squinty eyed?
- Thread starter catnurse22
- Start Date
- Joined
- Nov 17, 2005
- Messages
- 22,206
- Purraise
- 35
Squishy is squinty eyed. I've had the vet look at it multiple times - he's always been that way, since he came into the shelter day 1.
Here are 2 pics of him - he does open his eyes close to normal sometimes
Here are 2 pics of him - he does open his eyes close to normal sometimes
Squinting is really not normal, so if I were you, I would pursue this until I found the reason for it. When a cat keeps squinting something is bothering the eye. Whatever that something is. It could be something systemic, a reaction to food or allergens in the air, or something to do directly with the eye.
The first thing I would do here, I would get him tested for herpes. If he's negative, fine, excellent news.
If he's positive, I would try L-Lysine for a while.
Then the number one next thing I would do, I would change his diet. Depending on what kind of food you're feeding, wet or dry, and what kind of ingredients are in his food now, there are many things you can do. As a precaution I would not feed any dry food. Too many potential allergens.
I would make an effort to avoid all the known allergens and try single protein wet foods used for allergic conditions and other wet foods that have no grains and some other known allergens. There are many choices.
I would also try cleaning the area, gently wiping it with wet cotton several times a day for a few days to see if that makes any difference. In case it does, I would keep doing that.
If none of these things was making any difference at all in a month, I would take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist for checking on a few more things. Here is some info. Obviously a lot of it won't apply, but you can read about examining the eye for a possible cause and maybe one other possible cause that may or may not apply.
http://www.petplace.com/cats/ocular-...ats/page1.aspx
I can't think of anything else that might help. This is where I would start myself.
My Amy's had quite a bit of trouble with her eyes (including several eye infections) so now the minute I see her squinting I start cleaning the area with wet cotton. In her case this seems to help.
You can also use wet Kleenex, but if you do that, use only white.
The first thing I would do here, I would get him tested for herpes. If he's negative, fine, excellent news.
If he's positive, I would try L-Lysine for a while.
Then the number one next thing I would do, I would change his diet. Depending on what kind of food you're feeding, wet or dry, and what kind of ingredients are in his food now, there are many things you can do. As a precaution I would not feed any dry food. Too many potential allergens.
I would make an effort to avoid all the known allergens and try single protein wet foods used for allergic conditions and other wet foods that have no grains and some other known allergens. There are many choices.
I would also try cleaning the area, gently wiping it with wet cotton several times a day for a few days to see if that makes any difference. In case it does, I would keep doing that.
If none of these things was making any difference at all in a month, I would take him to a veterinary ophthalmologist for checking on a few more things. Here is some info. Obviously a lot of it won't apply, but you can read about examining the eye for a possible cause and maybe one other possible cause that may or may not apply.
http://www.petplace.com/cats/ocular-...ats/page1.aspx
I can't think of anything else that might help. This is where I would start myself.
My Amy's had quite a bit of trouble with her eyes (including several eye infections) so now the minute I see her squinting I start cleaning the area with wet cotton. In her case this seems to help.
You can also use wet Kleenex, but if you do that, use only white.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
Eye color will also affect some cats making them more likely to squint.
I have one that gets squinty during the day if he's in direct sunlight or when I turn a brighter light on. This is completely normal - he has ice blue eyes. (DH and I both have blue eyes ourselves and experience this problem)
I would imagine some cats that have lighter yellow and green eyes would have greater light sensitivity, too, as lighter colored eyes do not block out light as well as darker eyes do. Add to the fact that cats have more rods being a nocturnal animal and its given that bright light will make them all squint.
Just something to consider before jumping to the conclusion that something is horribly wrong.
I also have one cat that gets a winking eye quite often - he's fluffier for a DSH and even sheds on himself.
You could also try switching litters if you're using clay or a dustier type.
I have one that gets squinty during the day if he's in direct sunlight or when I turn a brighter light on. This is completely normal - he has ice blue eyes. (DH and I both have blue eyes ourselves and experience this problem)
I would imagine some cats that have lighter yellow and green eyes would have greater light sensitivity, too, as lighter colored eyes do not block out light as well as darker eyes do. Add to the fact that cats have more rods being a nocturnal animal and its given that bright light will make them all squint.
Just something to consider before jumping to the conclusion that something is horribly wrong.
I also have one cat that gets a winking eye quite often - he's fluffier for a DSH and even sheds on himself.
You could also try switching litters if you're using clay or a dustier type.
My boy has has always had a tendency to be a bit squinty-eyed....and his eyes are green, so that makes sense. Occasionally, he will squint one eye more than the other one, and he's always done this, and absolutely nothing is wrong with him. So don't freak out - I've been watching my boy's eyes since I got him when he was a kitten (he's almost 2 yrs), and he is fine. Just my 2 cents.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Thanks for all the advice guys. Harvey does have pretty light green eyes...so maybe that's it. But it seems to happen especially after he's been running around like a crazy man and playing with Luke. Maybe he's just very sensitive to hair/dust/etc in his eyes? Still weird that it's just the right eye. I think I'll also start cleaning it with saline like Violet suggests and see if that makes any difference.
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,498
- Purraise
- 39
Maybe there was something wrong with that eye when your cat was younger? A URI that had a lot of eye discharge?
If it's partially environmental all you have to do is focus on cleaning up more. Look up tips for those who have bad allergies and/or asthma, generally that can help.
If it's partially environmental all you have to do is focus on cleaning up more. Look up tips for those who have bad allergies and/or asthma, generally that can help.
My sphynx has squinty eyes.There is no discharge and he was tested by my vet and an eye specialist.He was treated with every drug imaginable for every possible condition just top be sure.Nothing worked.His corneas are fine and he can see well.He just squints.My vet said to put eye drops in to keep his eyes moist but she cannot think of anything else to do.He was on lysine as well;.It is driving me crazy.I spent over $1500 on tests and medications to no avail.The breeder offered to take him back and refund my money but that is not an option as i am far too attached to him.Has anyone else had this problem?
