Cats eyes

mrshuxtabones

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Hi all,

I have 2 cats. Male and female. Male 5 YO & female 2yo.
Our male has always had "sleep" (we've had him for about 3 months) and he never seems bothered by it, I usually get a cotton pad and wipe it away on each eye as it's just by the side of his nose.
Recently (saturday morning) I notices that our female was squinting in one eye, after managing to get hold of her we found that she had "sleep" in her eye so managed to get that out and it was a lot runnier than our males but she seemed fine. Sunday morning she had a little sleep again so did the same as usual. On tuesday I noticed she was squinting in her other eye and had this "sleep" in that eye. Generally she seems fine but this is the first time that it has happened and I'm concerned.
Does anyone know what it is? Why it happens? And if there is anything I can do about it?

Thanks
 

stephanie42

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could be many things.  because both of them have it in one eye, it could be conjunctivitis.  it could be herpes symptoms.  it could be a mild upper respiratory infection symptom.  my cats have herpes, only one is regularly symptomatic but it's always her eye, one is worse than the other.  it's often a little wetter than the other eye on worse days (we call it crying eye, no idea why) and she seems to squint it a little when it's very symptomatic.  a trip to the vet wouldn't be out of line just to rule out an infection.
 
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mrshuxtabones

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It's not in one eye it started in one and is now both.
Could really do without a trip to the vet as our one car finds it very distressing. What do you do for your cat when they have the 'crying eye' ?
 

stephanie42

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because my cat's weepy eye is due to the herpes virus, i give her l-lysine supplements.  when she become more symptomatic, i double her l-lysine dosage to 500mg for a short time.  terramycin is an over the counter eye ointment that i used to use that might help - it's a mild antibiotic so it should help clear up any mild eye issue like mild conjunctivitis.  i've not seen a pet store that keeps it in stock regularly, but i know many websites carry it.  

edit to add: even if you use terramycin for a few days, if you see any worsening of the condition or it doesn't clear up soon, get to the vet.  eye issues in cats can be tricky to diagnose and can lead to blindness or the loss of the eye.  well worth a trip to the vet.
 
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mrshuxtabones

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Thank you very much. I'm going to visit our local pet store and speak to them & get some eye treatment. If it continues or worsens we shall just have to take the dreaded trip to the vet!
 

ayeshajae

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Keep is updated on your kitties condition. /:3
 

irinasak

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Problems with the eyes could have underlying causes (URIs, second infections) or could be because of allergies or other external causes (dust, polen). A vet should and could determine what is wrong with your kitties.

I had to deal with both internal and external causes of eye problems and I have used more than TEN different ointments and drops in different combinations. I have had cats that had an allergic reaction to the ointment that was supposed to help them, so I would strongly advise to try to find out what is causing the reaction first, and then treat it.
 

tammyp

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Ditto the advice to get the vet check.  The squinting is usually from inflammation (I'd say it hurts them).  Also, if the 'sleep' is coloured yellow or green (usually for our cats anyway), then this indicates a secondary infection. But there is one symptom where you cannot delay a visit - and that is is a 'watermark' on their eyeball.  This indicates ulceration...untreated, the eyeball can burst and goodbye eye.  

This is info I've picked up from our vet and my cats - we suspect one of our cats has herpes (both the vet and I), and the other is a carrier although not symptomatic. This is a known condition in my cats and I'm getting better at treating the symptoms and suppressing the virus (lysine, plus lactoferrin is a natural way - we use antibiotics for secondary infections on our vets prescription), but one thing my vet has said to watch for - and bring in for a visit asap is that watermark.  Sometimes it can be very difficult for us to get a good look at the eye, as if there is significant gunk and squinting, it is hard for the cat to tolerate handling around the face and eye due to the pain of the inflammation.  This is where the peace of a vet visit kicks in, cause she can do it, and also put coloured drops in their eyes to make what she is looking for stand out.

I just wanted to share our experiences and advice given to us to help you work out 'when' the vet visit might be needed with no delay.  If you have a regular vet, you could always ring and talk to get advice on when/if to bring in (our vet is good like that, and we also email her).  I get that vet visits can be very stressful and you have to balance the needs of the animal against the damage of the stress, as stress can make them sick/er (especially with herpes virus, which is often 'triggered' by stressful events).
 
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