My cat's third eyelid constantly showing?

madijanes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
4
Purraise
1
I am aware cats have a "third eyelid" that shows up occasionally. My cat seems to always have his breeching the corners of his eyes. He also develops a black crust in the corners that I clean out daily. It seems to happen so often and I'm concerned about his health. He has poor grooming skills, as he has white fur and will often allow himself to become brown with dirt. I give him wet cloth baths whenever it gets out of hand, but I'm worried about his eyes. He has short fur, so none is in his eyes. I'm worried he may become blind or have bad vision? Should I take him to the vet immediately or wait until another routine check up to bring it up? Its been happening for years now, but it's seeming to get worse (or  I have started to notice more). 

Please help?
 

jewelnn

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
2
Purraise
1
If the third eyelid appeared with signs of declining health as poor visibility, moving slowly, you should take him to the vet. I have never met such case before so that's all I can help.
 

ritz

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Messages
4,656
Purraise
282
Location
Annapolis, MD
I agree with jewelNN: you should take him to the vets sooner rather than later. Poor grooming is another sign of illness; cats are hard-wired to groom themselves so they don't smell and attract predatory animals.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

madijanes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
4
Purraise
1

In this photo you can see how much dirt I scrub off of him about weekly, and if you look to his eyes you can see the thick black crust that appears daily. 


Compared to my other cat, you can see the third eye lid more clearly here, especially in his left eye. (Sorry for the poor quality)


This one I think is a really good picture of what the third eye lids look like nearly constantly. Its kinda frightening and uneasy appearing. 


In this photo, you can see very little of the crust in his eyes (this was before it got extremely bad) and you can see the third eye lid in the corners.

I may be able to get a better photo soon.  

Ever seen anything like it before?
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
No need, I am able to see his eyes well.

He's a handsome flamepoint!

Some details about him, his age, where is he from, what vetting has he had, last time he was dewormed if ever?

This third eyelid protrusion is sort of a window to his insides and what is right or that something is wrong.

Has he been tested for felv/fiv?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

madijanes

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Jan 28, 2015
Messages
4
Purraise
1
He was a stray kitten that road up UNDERNEATH my grandmothers car to our house before we heard meowing. He was in bad shape, sick, fleas, everything. We got him treated. His shots are all up to date. He's about I want to say 5 years old?  Does this help?
 

catwoman707

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Dec 16, 2011
Messages
7,689
Purraise
2,263
Location
Vallejo, CA
Yes it does help, thank you.

If he is regularly de-flead, that rules out possible mild anemia, if you got him as a kitten that pretty much rules out FIV, if he is 5 yrs old that pretty much rules out FELV, since he would have been born with it from mom and before now you would have seen something.

So my guess? Worms. Maybe a tapeworm.

Roundworms can be difficult to get rid of completely, and as a cat matures their bodies basically will control the infestation to a degree, but it can wear on his system.

Same with tapeworm. They can live their entire life with a tapeworm, but it doesn't mean they don't cause harm to a cat's system.

I think the best idea would be to take him in to the vet for a visit and request he be dewormed. Be sure he gets a follow up deworming as well.
 
Top