Watering Eyes

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2nah

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My cat has always had watery eyes. It is not constant, but he often gets a drip coming out of his left eye. I've noticed that when I wipe it off, there's a reddish tint to it. Is that a sign of anything? It seems like lots of cat have watery eyes so I've never thought much of it.

I was told by a friend that it's a sign of cat herpes. Any truth to that? I brought it up last time I was at the vet and the lady looked at me like I had just said the dumbest thing she had ever heard...and then said there's no such thing as cat herpes.

If it is herpes...do I need to get eye drops or something for him?

Also, my cat is currently living at my girlfriends house. She has a pretty young kitten, who is best friends with my cat. Apparently today when my gf got home, both cats eyes were watering. Like I said, it's normal for my cat, but she said her cats eyes don't usually do that. Also she said that it was worse than normal for my cat and that both had 1 eye almost shut. I am just wondering if maybe they got into something that could've irritated their eyes...and also, if my cat does have cat herpes or whatever, could he have given it to the younger cat? Thanks in advance...
 
otto

otto

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First of all....I recommend you find another vet!

Feline herpes is quite common. Many cats are carriers and never show symptoms. Many cats have it and don't show symptoms until they are exposed to some stress, then they get an outbreak.

Some cats have it very badly from the beginning, and serious measures need to be taken to save the eyes.

I, of course can't tell you if your cat has herpes. The thing to do is to find another vet, and bring your cat in, when he is having the discharge and get him tested. The vet puts a numbing drop in the eye, then "goes deep" with a swab to get a good specimen, and tests for herpes. The test is not expensive.

Feline herpes is not curable, but the outbreaks can be controlled by giving the cat an amino acid supplement called l-lysine. L-lysine does not require a prescription, and also helps boost the immune system, so it's never going to be a bad idea to give, though of course it's best to consult with your vet before starting your cat on anything.

Often outbreaks go into secondary infection, and the cat will need antibiotics to cure the secondary bacterial infection, but the antibiotics will not cure the herpes.

Feline Herpes is contagious, but cats who have had the upper respiratory vaccines (sometimes called "distemper" vaccine, RCCP, or FRCRP or other variation) have a greatly reduced risk. If your cat does indeed have herpes and your friend's kitten has not yet been vaccinated against the upper respiratory viruses, he could very well have caught it from your kitty.

I suggest you get your kitty to a different vet for a second opinion. It may be he just has a blocked tear duct that acts up now and then, but what you are describing now needs veterinary attention, regardless of what it causing it.

What's your cat's (and the kitten's) name? Please do keep us updated!
 
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meminikitty

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Originally Posted by otto

First of all....I recommend you find another vet!

Feline herpes is quite common. Many cats are carriers and never show symptoms. Many cats have it and don't show symptoms until they are exposed to some stress, then they get an outbreak.

Some cats have it very badly from the beginning, and serious measures need to be taken to save the eyes.

I, of course can't tell you if your cat has herpes. The thing to do is to find another vet, and bring your cat in, when he is having the discharge and get him tested. The vet puts a numbing drop in the eye, then "goes deep" with a swab to get a good specimen, and tests for herpes. The test is not expensive.

Feline herpes is not curable, but the outbreaks can be controlled by giving the cat an amino acid supplement called l-lysine. L-lysine does not require a prescription, and also helps boost the immune system, so it's never going to be a bad idea to give, though of course it's best to consult with your vet before starting your cat on anything.

Often outbreaks go into secondary infection, and the cat will need antibiotics to cure the secondary bacterial infection, but the antibiotics will not cure the herpes.

Feline Herpes is contagious, but cats who have had the upper respiratory vaccines (sometimes called "distemper" vaccine, RCCP, or FRCRP or other variation) have a greatly reduced risk. If your cat does indeed have herpes and your friend's kitten has not yet been vaccinated against the upper respiratory viruses, he could very well have caught it from your kitty.

I suggest you get your kitty to a different vet for a second opinion. It may be he just has a blocked tear duct that acts up now and then, but what you are describing now needs veterinary attention, regardless of what it causing it.

What's your cat's (and the kitten's) name? Please do keep us updated!
Click to expand...
I can't agree more. Your vet obviously doesn't know as much as she should. I had a cat that had Feline Herpes and they do need veterinary care. Let us know how it goes!
 
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