Concerned Cat Sitter - help!

I'm watching my friend's 3 year old grey tiger cat (Gucci). She was spayed about a month ago and got her distemper shots and whatnot. Generally, she is an all around happy kitty cat.

Gucci started "leaking" out of her left eye, and seems to be blinking/squinting with it more than the right one. She doesn't want me to touch her face to wipe away the clear liquid discharge, and more shows up within 20 minutes when I do.

The only other symptoms are slight wheezing when she's lying down, but I think that's due to Gucci's owner/mom being an indoor smoker.

Is this just a kitty cold or should I be more concerned?

I'd hate for anything to go wrong with Gucci while she's in my care. Any help/advice would be appreciated.

Thank you!

It does sound like it could be a kitty cold, but it's also possible she's got something in her eye that's irritating it. Is the liquid clear? If it's greenish or yellow, it's usually a sign of a cold. Cats harbor viruses and sometimes they will emerge, especially if the cat's somewhat stressed. Many times colds are mild and resolve on their own, sometimes they become more serious.

Though Gucci's not happy about it, continue to gently blot the eye discharge. Make sure she's still eating, drinking, using the litterbox normally. Watch for unusual behavior, too.

Keep monitoring the wheezing - I'd be concerned about that. Even though it's mild, it's still not normal for a cat to wheeze. I would let Gucci's mom know about it and advise her to take Gucci to the vet to rule out any serious condition. You may be right that it's due to Gucci's mom being a smoker, but to be sure, the vet should take a look.

Good luck - Gucci's lucky to have such a responsible and concerned catsitter!

One of mine occasionally gets the weepy eye. The vet gave us an occular cream/ gel stuff (looks like vaseline in a small tube). The only trick is you need to get it IN the eye. Long story short, the kitty needs a checkup but I suspect she will be just fine.

Are you sure that when kitty is laying down she's not wheezing, but snoring? I thought Billy wheezed, too, but I soon found out that he was snoring. You might want to contact Gucci's owner, and ask her about her eye. CJ has a form of herpes (nothing serious, not contractable to humans) that gives her a runny eye on and off. Just some amoxcicillian is given, and it helps that go away. If it is that, then you have nothing to worry about. Just keep it clean by wiping it with a warm, wet cotton ball. However, if it starts to get dried up and looks bad, you need to take her to the vet to get some amoxcicillian and eye cream.

(Amoxcicillian- spelling? Did I get that right?)