Cat's third eyelid showing.. please help

Hi there,

Thanks for your post!  We have 4 kitties. 2 of them are 3 months old and 2 of them are 2 months old.  One of our 3 month old kitties has the HAW syndrome going on...he looks haggard and sickly but he eats poops plays and purrs like a normal kitty..? =/

The 2 month old kitties just came back from the Vet with upper resp infections and were dewormed...the Vet said that the upper resp infections will heal themselves overtime and not to push for antibiotics because just like in humans antibiotics can cause their immune system to not respond to them so it is better to just let the infections run their course. So thats what we are doing.

The 2 month old kitties seem to be doing great but now my 3 month old kitty is showing signs of illness and he feels hotter then normal...but like I said, he is playing and pooping and eating like normal...?

Raelene in Eugene

My cat's inner eyelids were half closed, but then they went to just sticking out. What happened? She's still squinting and they are both still poking out... I can't afford to see a vet!

Catlady:  Whenever the 3rd eyelids are showing, it's a sign that they aren't well, but no one here can tell you what is actually wrong.  You need to see a Vet for a diagnosis.  If you want to start up a new thread and give us more information, like how your cat is acting, whether she is eating, drinking, peeing/pooping, sleeping or not, playing or not, what else has happened recently, etc., (anything out of the ordinary) we might be able to give you some suggestions, but really will not be able to tell you exactly what is wrong if it truly is a health problem.

BUT, when you say her eyelids are "poking out", that to me sounds like cherry eye, which is pretty rare in cats.  Please google that for pictures and tell us if that's what you are talking about. 

Since you cannot afford a Vet right now, maybe this thread will be helpful:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155462/cant-afford-a-vet-please-read

my cat has the same thing,,, seems fine except for the 3rd eyelid... it makes her look crosseyed... it started last Wednesday ,, took her to vet, they didn't see anything wrong, said it could be start of conjunctivitis.. gave me ointment, which is a pain and  I think it makes her eyes worse coz they look like they stick together and look like Vaseline     I have been giving her l-lysine supplement too from the vet and some probiotics... coz I remembered her smelling gassy last week which I forgot to mention to vet.. I gave them tuna fish one day so I thought it was from that. which is whyi have the probiotics... shes an outside cat so im thinking maybe allergies?????  hope the lid goes down soon, she looks funny and I feel bad for her.....

did you read about haws syndrome, I think that's what mine have... the one is starting to clear up now, but its been about a month...

My siamese cat kitty, has been looking ill with her eyes looking glossy and the white part showing! Just like the picture of your boy simon. Our cats look like siamese twins. Anyway tomarrow i will be taking her to the vet. But where you mentiond about respiratory infection i noticed that kitty weezes when she sleeps. And i just took her to the vet for all her shots and told the vet she has tape worms. So they gave us a pill. Which she will not take. Will see what happens. And ill let all you know soon.

one of my 4 month old kittens was born with both eyes third eye. He is not sickmy dad has seen them doesn't seem to be concerned

that should be my Vet has seen them

My cat is having the same issue with his third eye (1/4 closed). He was diagnosed with clostridium perfrengens over 6 weeks ago. His stools are much better, he still has a bit of liquid mixed with a normally formed stool. He seems fine otherwise, even more active than usual. He may be a bit stressed as I just returned from a trip. Also, I fed him tuna last night as well as gave him Ignatia Imarra (homeopathic remedy for anxiety, stress).

Here's what I found online--very interesting, if true (see the sentence I bolded):

The "Third Eyelid"

Cats have an inner, third eyelid, called a nictating membrane  (also spelled "nictitating"), which serves to protect the eye from dryness and/or damage. When a cat is sick, the third eyelid will partially close, which is a signal to get him to the vet immediately if other symptoms present. Curiously enough, a very happy cat will also show that nictating membrane.

I'm thinking he's just really relaxed after 24 hours on the Ignatia Imarra (normally can take up to 3 days, but I added water to their bowl which can increase the effect of the remedy).

Will try to post a follow up, after praying for him, and watching him closely.

Be blessed y'all!   

So I just adopted a 12 week old female kitten from the vet,(tuxedo cat) and her third eyelid seems to always be showing a bit. Considering the replys online, this seems to be a problem with her respiratory system or other signs of a serious illness. The vet clinic that we got her from is a well known and respected place, So I am hoping that there isnt an issue with her health. I have contacted my vet and just waiting for a response. I will let you guys know (in my case at least) if this is something to worry about.

Wish me luck!

It is most likely a very common herpes infection, a lot of cats have and keep getting this. L-Lysine is usually given to build up the immune system, the treats work well for my cats. I'll send all the luck your way, praying for a good outcome!

Hi all,

So I need to clarify I am no expert, but I want to share what I have learned.


From what I know there are two major types of problems that could be going one when you can see the inner eye lid.


1. Inflammation from an upper respiratory infection such as herpes or a calici virus or even conjunctivitis. In kittens this nothing to sneeze at. ( sorry, bad pun not intended) There is a wide range of these viruses. Some easily treated. Some not.

2. You will see it in a cat in crisis as with dehydration from kidney failure. If I had an older cat who suddenly became lethargic with his nictating membrane showing - that is an emergency.

I hope that helps.

So I finally got in touch with my vet, this is the email she sent me.

"Hi Madeline and Matt! 

Torte's third eye lids may be up just as she's adjusting to her new environment (new dust, etc). As long as the third eye lid's are not red, protruding, or weeping any green, yellow or red discharge, I wouldn't be concerned. My own cat's third eyelids commonly show when he's just woke up, or is especially relaxed (like when I scratch his chin). 
Please don't hesitate to send us more questions, or call us anytime!"

THANK GOD!

**Update**

So the day after that email was received, her eyelids had gotten a little red. I Emailed them back and insisted that they examine her, took her in and was charged $30 for antibiotic eye drops. Yikes..

I'll keep updating to let you know what it is.

[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <woNotOptimizeForBrowser/> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]Go to the vet. But, don’t panic. Cats can feel your emotions. There are a few different things that can cause this. I wouldn’t wait more than a day to see a vet. Herpes can cause it. That will cause the third eyelid to show. I really think you need to see a vet. That is the smart thing to do. You’re a good cat owner. Cicada was given to me for free when she was 4-weeks-old and her third eyelids were showing. Is the OP gone? Cicada still has eye problems to this day. Sometimes her third eyelids show from time to time. I’ve got her on L-Lysine. It helps. She has had this problem since she was a baby. I know this post is old, but I felt like I should respond. It’s a good thread. Today Cicada’s eyes are at half-mast. Yesterday her third eyelids were showing. The day before, too. Three days ago her eyes were glossed over. My vet things she was born with a congenital third eyelid abnormality. If your cat has eye problems, they need to see the vet. Five days ago, Cicada’s eyes were only open about 25%. The day before that I could see her third eyelids. Herpes usually causes it, but Cicada was just born with problems. As a retired psychiatrist, I am certainly no expert in cat health. But, I do recommend getting your cat to the vet if they are showing eye problems. Two weeks ago, Cicada’s eyes were very red.

Thanks guys for all your help.  I'll be taking her in later this week, and giving her Clavamox until then.  Her eyes seemed to make a full recovery, all blue, no blood.  No third eyelid.  Thanks for your help!

So her eyes have cleared up, I guess it was just a little bit of an infection. YAY!

This is the new big boy that has adopted us I am very concerned about his eyes I am a Nurse & started doing warm compresses on his eyes & cleaning them up He is going to our vet this week He has like a stuffed up nose too A friend of mine told me to Google Fungal Streptococcus I did, sounds a lot like it except he eats very good is gaining some weight now I noticed finally after getting all the dried gunk out & around his eyes He has clear drainage out of left eye I am thinking someone dropped him possibly because of his symptoms because he is such a sweet loving cat!!!! That just bothers me so bad This baby needs extra TLC!!!!!

And yes sorry forgot to add his third eyelid shows in both eyes but it is pink

Hey there, So when we first got our cat who was quite young, and brought her home, her third eye was taking up half her eyes and was really concerning me. Of course I googled everything and came up with some pretty scary conclusions.. her third eyelids were not pink (as that is a sign of irritation) but still freaked me out. Contacted the vet and was told to give it a couple days, nothing improved and I was starting to convince myself that the eyelids were now a little pink.. so I took her to the vet and got $30 drops (same consistency as polysporin) and was told to put them in twice a day and that they were antibiotics because she was getting used to her new home, two days later the problem was 100% gone.

Sounds like your problem is a little different, all I can suggest is to ignore the horrifying answers on google and go to the vet, I can be something as simple as dust, or a more serious underlying problem.