If there are a significant number of cat breeds around the world. While everyone has their preferences, all the various kitties are beautiful and majestic animals. Cats Eyes Watering?
It doesn’t matter whether you bought your cat at the local pet store or rescued from a shelter, as you probably love it with all your heart. That is why it can be very alarming when something terrible happens. You might immediately go into panic mode and call up the vet or go online to check whether your poor little pet needs emergency care or not.
Luckily, there is no need for immediate care. But, you still need to learn everything there is to know about cats’ eyes watering. The reason is that although it might not require immediate attention, it could still be a serious problem. Not only that but your kitty might also be irritated or in pain because of the eye discharge.
Cat’s Eye Is Watering And Squinting – 6 Commons Reasons
Only a vet can give you the exact answer to this question after adequately examining your cat. However, you should know a little something about the various possibilities.
1. Corneal Disorder
If your cat scratched its cornea, it might be the cause of the teary eyes. The scratch in your cat’s eyes might also be causing it a lot of pain. However, feline herpes can also be the cause of corneal disorders. That would lead to your cat squinting.
The treatment highly depends on what is precisely causing the trouble in your cat’s eye. However, it would generally include antibiotic medication, eye drops that can help the eyes heal, removing part of the cornea, or surgery.
2. Conjunctivitis
If you see inflammation of the light pink lining in your cat’s eye, then it could be conjunctivitis. It can cause either one or both of the eyes to look red and swollen. Not only that, but your cat’s eyes might also have a mucus discharge.
Weeds, dust, and pollen, among other irritants, generally cause conjunctivitis. They are usually treated by giving a cat steroid medication. On the other hand, you will be given an antibiotic cream to apply to your cat if the infection is bacterial.
3. Uveitis
If you see inflammation in your cat’s eye, then it could be uveitis. That means your kitty might be experiencing pain, which is why its eyes are teary. Uveitis can be caused by trauma, cancer, and certain infectious illnesses, among other things.
The precise treatment method highly depends on what is causing the uveitis, which only a feline doctor can tell after a proper diagnosis.
4. Upper Respiratory Infection
If you see a persistent discharge in your cat’s eyes, then it could also be an upper respiratory infection. That is generally caused by calicivirus, among other infections. The symptoms can be mild to severe.
Since many types of infections could be causing upper respiratory issues, you need to treat the cat according to the illness and the severity of it.
5. Dry Eye
Your cat might have a dry eye if it is not able to produce tears at all. The condition is severe, and it can lead to inflammation, red eyes, and even blindness. If this is the case, you will see a thick yellow substance discharging from the eyes.
Dry eye can also be caused by a range of things, which is why only your vet can tell you the exact treatment that is required. They may give drops, or medications, or cause artificial tears.
6. Epiphora
Epiphora is the term used to describe a cat that has an overproduction of tears. It might be allergies or viral conjunctivitis that is leading to this abnormal discharge.
Your cat will generally be put under anesthesia, and your vet might use a solution or water to flush out your cat’s eyes. That will help unblock the tear ducts. However, you might also need other medications if there is an infection.
Should You Take Your Cat To The Vet For A Checkup?
If your cat doesn’t usually have watery eyes, then you should visit to make sure it isn’t something serious. However, you can wait for up to 24 hours to see whether the symptoms clear up or not. If they do, then there was probably nothing to worry about.
If your cat previously had a problem that was causing excessive tearing and your vet gave you some medication, avoid using it at all costs. The reason is that it could be for an entirely different problem.
Is Cat Pink Eye Common?
Pink eye is also known as conjunctivitis. It is among the most common cat eye problems. As you have read above, it is generally caused by a substance that can be irritating to the eyes. Since it’s very contagious, your cat will have it at least once in its lifetime.
On the other hand, pink eye is also caused by the feline herpes virus. Unless your cat had shots that protected it from herpes, it could have picked it up at any time during its life. Although some things can reduce the symptoms, herpes never totally goes away.
To Summarize
Many cats have gorgeous eyes that you may love to see, and any sort of tearing might immediately put you in panic mode. But you should understand that many things could be causing the tearing from your cat’s eyes. You can consider waiting for 24 hours before going to a vet, just to see if the discharge stops by itself or not.
In case the tearing doesn’t stop, you should go to a vet as soon as possible, and have your cat checked. There is a wide range of illnesses that could be causing the tearing. Although your cat may likely have something minor, a few problems can require surgery to be taken care of immediately.
Your kitty might be very dear to you. That’s why you need to take excellent care and also make sure to get all its shots in time.
