Nine Month Cat with Pink, Watery Eye

[Luna5505]

Hello, and thank you all who helped with Luna’s diarrhea months ago! Unfortunately, last night after coming home, I noticed that she was slightly squinting her left eye, which was a little watery. I had believed she may have gotten something into it, but I checked and it seemed fine. However, this morning, the rim of her eye was quite pink and she was squinting a lot more. It is very watery now and she keeps trying to groom it. Every once in a while, she lets out a huge sneeze.

Luna will be nine months old in a few days, and has been eating, drinking, and playing well otherwise. Nothing in her environment has changed, and her right eye is fine. The only off thing about her is that she has a very forlorn expression, which I hope is not because she is in pain. I will be making an appointment for the vet today, but it snowed significantly last night as well, so I am not sure if they will be open soon.

Here are some pictures of her eyes taken a few minutes ago.

I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions on what could be wrong.

 

[Mr. Meow]

It's very possible that it could be an upper respiratory infection, allergies, or even maybe she got something in her eye, or a scratch on her eye.
If she'll let you, take a flashlight and shine it towards her eye, but from the side, not straight on, and see if you see a hair or any other object in her eye. Many times these objects will tear themselves out, buy sometimes they may require eye drops. If it's a scratch, then the vet should be able to get you some pain reliever eye drops to help her stop messing with it.

 

[Luna5505]

Thank you! I used the flashlight, as you suggested, but couldn’t find anything. Unfortunately, I called, and the vets in my area will be closed for several days due to the snow. However, I was told to call again tomorrow.

 

[Mr. Meow]

Keep us posted!

 

[Luna5505]

I will, thank you!

 

[Luna5505]

As a little bit of an update, Luna has been sleeping almost nonstop all day, and is lethargic, which is quite unusual for her. Our vet recommended an emergency hospital, although it is a little far. I hope that this does not turn out to be a bigger issue, but I will do whatever it takes to make her feel better.

 

[stephanietx]

Did you get her to the vet? It could be a little upper respiratory issue, allergies, or maybe even something like a piece of dust irritating her eye. Let us know what you find out.

 

[Luna5505]

I did not take her to the vet yet, as they have been closed due to the snow storm, but I will be sure to bring these up with the vet when we do meet. Thank you!

 

[stephanietx]

Do you have any chamomile tea by chance? You can brew a cup, let it cool, and then use a cotton ball and dab it on and around her eye to help soothe it.

 

[Luna5505]

I don’t believe that I do, but I will try that if I find some. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Luna5505]

Thank you both for your help! After taking her to the vet today, I was told that Luna has a developing case of conjunctivitis, and was given Tobramycin Ophthalmic Solution eye drops for it. The vet also suggested buying her a cone to prevent her from scratching or grooming it. Additionally, as you all said, she also has a suspected Upper Respiratory Infection, so I was given an Enisyl-F oral paste for her food. Once again, thank you all, and I’m glad we know what was wrong.

 

[stephanietx]

You might find that she'll lick the Enisyl off your finger. My girl loved it! Keep an eye on her and if she becomes lethargic, starts hiding, or you notice changes in eating or play habits, get her back to the vet because she might need an antibiotic.

 

[Luna5505]

Thanks, I’ll be sure to keep track of any behavior changes. Unfortunately, Luna is very suspicious of the Enisyl and refuses to eat it. I’ve tried mixing it in with her favorite food, but she is quite picky when she wants to be. I don’t want to stress her out by forcing her to eat it, so I’m hoping she’ll just give up and eat her food.

-Edit- I put some on my finger and put it on her tongue, as she clearly does not like it. As soon as she tasted it, she gagged. I also replaced her food with some without medicine, and she ate like she has never eaten before! At least she took her medicine.