My kitty light seems to have something wrong with his eye.

Hi there. I haven't gotten the chance to formally introduce myself on this forum yet, but I have browsed it for funsies in the past.

I am posting here today to ask if any of you have had any problems with your cat's eyes, as mine seems to.

Yes, I am aware of the response "take him to a vet" and plan to do so, but I want to see if there is anything that I could possibly do from home to help cure him as I do not have a lot of money for the vet right now due to the fact that we got our two boys neutered recently.

One of my friends noticed about a month ago that he was holding one of his eyes halfway shut. I payed no mind to it because I thought maybe he and the other kitty had been roughhousing and he possibly got a slight injury from it.  Time passed and it went away as far as I could tell, but now for the past few days my little kitty's eye seems to be swollen and he is holding it halfway shut a lot again.


It's really hard to get a picture at this time of night & with how swiftly this kitty moves it only made it harder so I managed to grab a blurry dark photo, and also took a video.

<- This is the video. I couldn't figure out how to get the site to accept a tinypic video upload sorry!

Well I'm glad you finally decided to post and not just stalk! 

Eye problems are tricky without talking to a vet because it's hard to know what the source of his discomfort is. I did watch the video and it doesn't look like he has any discharge or watering that would indicate that the eye is infected. That does make me think maybe he did get scratched playing pro wrestler with his buddy. If he had an eye infection (which he still might) then there is medications that can help but I don't know what you would do if he had something like a scratched cornea. I know you don't want to hear it but I think a vet visit is your best bet. You need to know if the swelling is from a systemic infection or from an injury. 

I hear you that finances are tight and that you are strapped for funds. Here is an interesting thread and link that helps gives some ideas on ways you can get him there without breaking the bank http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read . In the meantime, you could try putting a cold compress on his eye to reduce the swelling,  although I don't know how long he will let you hold it on him! 

I'm so glad you decided to post and join the TCS community! Please keep us posted on how your adorably sweet boy does! 

Glad you're here! :nod: I know you are going to take him to the vet so I won't be redundant with that. Is there any discharge? Does there seem to be any irritation or inflamation around the eye? Is the eye runny but the discharge clear? It's too difficult to tell by the pic. As EB said; eye problems can be tricky. Please keep us updated on his progress :nod:

Thank you for the speedy response. I'm quite obsessed with my two kitties actually. I'll probably end up taking him to the vet in the end, was just trying to find out if there was some amazing home remedy someone had come up with, as one miraculously worked on our bearded dragon when he had a bad shed & his tail got an infection!

People at work kept telling me to give him eye drops to see if it helped, but I don't feel comfortable introducing a medicine designed for my species as opposed to his. 

He had a little gunk on it this morning so we wiped it off with a wet cottonball. I just feel so bad when I look at his little swollen face. He doesn't seem to be itching at it though which is good. If only our other kitty would stop trying to groom him back.

Perhaps there is a cat-safe eye drop at the pharmacy I could try for the weekend? I can't get him an appointment until sometime next week so I figured I'll try this & that until then. Gonna do the cold compress on his eye tonight.

Paradox said:

 I'll probably end up taking him to the vet in the end, was just trying to find out if there was some amazing home remedy someone had come up with, as one miraculously worked on our bearded dragon when he had a bad shed & his tail got an infection!

Click to expand...

Oh it's very clear how much you care for your little ones and what you are saying here is how I read your post- that you were just looking for something that may help in the interim. Unfortunately I don't know of any human drops that you can give that would help. Perhaps when you call the vet to make the appointment you could ask them what they recommend? Ask if they know of a product that will reduce the inflammation and make him more comfortable until he can get in for his appointment. I believe Hydrocortisone can help with swelling but you would want to ask them about dosage, ect and if that could be harmful if he does have something like a scratch.

If you can't even call until next week what about checking in with another vet/vet clinic that is open on the weekend? Some PetsMarts have a vet clinic attached that is open on the weekends. Maybe you can get him an appointment there or stop by and ask what they would recommend. Otherwise, all I can think of are cold compresses, soft lightening, and some extra attention. 

We do have some leftover hydrocortisone spray from when he had a scratch on his ear as a kitten, I'd just be afraid I'd get it into his eye. Perhaps I'll spray it on a cotton ball & dab it on the outermost regions.  I hope it hasn't been getting progressively worse over the past month I'll feel so bad for have so easily brushing it off as nothing when the friend had pointed it out.  

Personally, I wouldn't put anything in his eye until he sees your veterinarian but I would keep gently wiping away any discharge as you've been doing.  I have a kitten who looks a lot like Light(beautiful cat, btw) and he had a mild eye infection from a URI when we first adopted him.  It cleared up almost immediately with medication, though.  I wouldn't feel guilty for not bringing him in  earlier and that's coming from someone who feels guilty about everything that happens to her cats  

SpiderPlant said:

Personally, I wouldn't put anything in his eye until he sees your veterinarian but I would keep gently wiping away any discharge as you've been doing.  I have a kitten who looks a lot like Light(beautiful cat, btw) and he had a mild eye infection from a URI when we first adopted him.  It cleared up almost immediately with medication, though.  I wouldn't feel guilty for not bringing him in  earlier and that's coming from someone who feels guilty about everything that happens to her cats  

Click to expand...

Agree.  Depending on what the problem is, if indeed there is one, using hydrocortisone could make it worse not better.

If you don't have insurance (and I suspect you don't) it might help to start putting aside some money every month so that when the unexpected comes along (and it will) you can afford a vet visit.

EB24 said:

 I believe Hydrocortisone can help with swelling but you would want to ask them about dosage, ect and if that could be harmful if he does have something like a scratch.

Click to expand...

Just highlighting for reiteration- I would not put any in his eye prior to talking to a vet! I was saying I think that this is an OTC drug that can help cats, but only if used properly and in the right dose. You need to ask a vet to know what that would be! 

I also wouldn't dab any near his eye. If it irritates him at all you risk him rubbing it into his eye and making things worse. Also, the swelling seems to be coming from something happening on the inside (whether an infection or a scratch). Just putting it on the swollen fur won't help any with that. 

Alrighty. I'll stay away from the hydrocrotisone then. Hadn't used any yet.  

Luckily he doesn't seem to be very bothered by the situation yet as he goes about his daily routine of raising hell when Havoc doesn't want to play with him. XD

I'll keep you guys posted on his recovery. The whole cold compress thing was indeed a hilarious epic fail. Idk why that cat hates things near his face so much. I won't even let me give him a kiss on the cheek or forehead, even since he was a little kitten. Surprises me anything got near his little eye to be honest.

Would like to know what the vet says.

You can get an eyewash at most pet stores called Opticlear. As you've probably found reading around here, ongoing eye problems are often a sign of feline herpes. You could treat him with an l-lysine supplement for not much money for a few days and see what happens.

I did read somewhere about this lysine. Is it found at the pharmacy? Or is that strictly a pet shop item?

You can get it in tablet form in any pharmacy or drug store, even Walmart, and it's not expensive.  About 250 mg is the normal dose, so if you get 500 mg tablets, you can split them in half and crush them and add them to wet food.  Most cats don't seem to even notice it.  Read the ingredients to be sure it doesn't have any inert ingredients that are harmful to cats.
 

Okay. Perhaps I'll give that a whirl as long as it's not harmful. I'll browse more google search results first. In the studio recording now (bored bored bored) so I'll prob call on Monday and see when they can take a look at him.

Paradox said:

I did read somewhere about this lysine. Is it found at the pharmacy? Or is that strictly a pet shop item?

Click to expand...

There are a couple options. Vets sell it (very expensive). Some pet stores sell l-lysine treats. I have used a brand called Pet's Best. Pharmacies sell it. Just make sure it has nothing else added. You can order it on amazon.com. I beleive it only works if your cat's problem is from feline herpes virus. It's likely it is because this is common in cats. If not it won't hurt him to try this anyway. It's an amino acid supplement, not a medication. I would get a vet check as soon as you can in case antibiotics are necessary to cure it.

Hope kitty is feeling better soon.

I guess if anything I could attempt denying an Rx at the vet and but it myself from Amazon if it isn't urgent. Not sure how they would take that. XD

Is the discharge from the eye clear and thin like water or yellow/green and thick? Thick and colored will most likely need a vet and antibiotics to heal.

Paradox said:

Okay. Perhaps I'll give that a whirl as long as it's not harmful. I'll browse more google search results first. In the studio recording now (bored bored bored) so I'll prob call on Monday and see when they can take a look at him.

Click to expand...

It's not harmful. It's an amino acid naturally found in foods. It inhibits the growth of feline herpes virus which is a common cause of eye problems in cats.

Paradox said:

Alrighty. I'll stay away from the hydrocrotisone then. Hadn't used any yet.  

Luckily he doesn't seem to be very bothered by the situation yet as he goes about his daily routine of raising hell when Havoc doesn't want to play with him. XD

I'll keep you guys posted on his recovery. The whole cold compress thing was indeed a hilarious epic fail. Idk why that cat hates things near his face so much. I won't even let me give him a kiss on the cheek or forehead, even since he was a little kitten. Surprises me anything got near his little eye to be honest.

Click to expand...

Sorry I don't think anyone meant to jump on you if that's how it felt. Honestly, that was my fault. I shouldn't have made such a specific suggestion without giving a lot more detail. I was just brainstorming and not thinking about how you might read it. I apologize if you felt any backlash from that. However, it's a good lesson for me to learn- I'm just sorry I learned it at your expense! 

The L-Lysene suggestion is a good one. It's just a good immune booster to have on hand. If he does have an infection it will help, and if he doesn't no harm done. I always give it to my resident cats as a preventive measure before bringing in fosters. 

Hehe I didn't think you would get very far with the cold compress- though I bet it was entertaining! 

While you should get him to the vet soon I agree with you it doesn't sound immediately urgent. So long as his behavior is normal and he's eating and drinking fine I would think you would be okay if you didn't do anything until you were able to get him in next week. I wouldn't wait a lot longer than that, but it sounds like he's doing fine and a couple of days won't hurt him. I suppose sometimes it's better to do nothing until you talk to the vet then to try things that may make the problem worse.