Eye Problems In Cats
One of the most common disorders in cats is runny eyes
One of the most common disorders in cats is runny eyes. Infectious organisms such as the cat flu virus, bacteria or chlamydia cause conjunctivitis, this is an inflammation of the membranes lining the eyelids. The obvious sign you will see is a discharge which may be watery and runny or it could be thick and a greenish yellow colour. Occasionally a runny eye is caused by a disorder of the normal anatomy such as the tear ducts.
The eye continually produce secretions which lubricate the surface of the eyeball and flush particulate material into the tear ducts which then drain into the nose. If there’s a blockage of the ducts the tears have no choice but to spill over and run down the face. Blockage can occur if there has been previous damage to the ducts or if the cat has an abnormal anatomy. Persian cats for example frequently have tear staining mainly because their tear ducts are kinked due to the shortening of their faces. Chronic tear overspill causes a brown staining on the fur which is most noticeable in pale colored cats.
Runny eyes can also be as a result of tear overproduction if there is an irritation to the sensitive eyeball. The cause may be easily identified as in some long haired cats a clump of hair may rub the surface. Some can be much more difficult to detect, solitary aberrant hairs may grow inside the eyelid and can only be discovered by carrying out an extremely thorough examination under general anaesthetic.
The cornea is the clear outer covering of the eyeball and is a very sensitive structure. Flu infections can sometimes extend beyond the membranes and also affect the cornea. In very young kittens the damage can be so severe that the cornea is extensively scarred and the cat grows up visually impaired or even blind. However most corneal disease is encountered as a result of a fight with another cat or other trauma. The puncture wound may be very obvious, particularly if a bit of claw is left behind in the eyeball! Mild corneal damage will heal well if the cat is supported with antibiotics but more severe damage may require surgery, stitching the eyelids together often helps with the healing.
The iris is the structure which gives the eye its colour, ranging from pink in albinos, to blue in Siamese, through all shades of yellows, coppers and greens. The iris is a muscular structure which contracts and expands in order to vary the amount of light which passes through to the back of the eye. It has very delicate blood vessels and if a claw has managed to pierce through the cornea to the iris, the bleeding can be very dramatic. Some of the more unpleasant feline infections, Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) virus, Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) and toxoplasmosis can all cause disease in the iris.
The first sign an owner may notice is a change in color of the eye, close examination reveals changes in the shape of the iris and the presence of debris in the fluid behind the cornea. It is often very difficult to distinguish which one of these infections has caused the abnormality so further investigation is almost always necessary. If there is a diseased iris you also have to consider the possibility of a tumor. The two most commonly encountered are lymphosarcoma, a solid form of leukemia, and melanoma, a cancer of the pigment producing cells. If an iris has been affected by a treatable condition it may be left with permanent colour change and a distorted shape because of adhesions or scar tissue produced during the healing response. Not all areas of new pigment are associated with disease. Some cats, particularly orange colored individuals can develop little dark patches of pigment in the iris as they age but any change in eye color should always be checked by your vet.
The retina is a fine membranous structure which lines the back of the eyeball light passes through the pupil and the lens and lands on the retina. There it stimulates nerve endings which cause electrical signals to be sent to the brain where the information is interpreted as vision. Any abnormality of the color, the reflectivity, or the blood vessels indicates disease of the retina. One of the most serious conditions is a generalised degeneration of the retina, the retina appears to be very bright and blood vessels become much finer and in advanced cases are barely visible. The retina can detach from the underlying tissue if there is a leakage or overproduction of fluid between the layers, or if there is bleeding. High blood pressure resulting from kidney failure or an overactive thyroid gland can cause this eye problem. Retinal detachments tend to be quite dramatic in onset and owners report that the cat appears to have gone blind overnight. The pupils are massively dilated and instead of a smooth concave surface there are billowing folds of retina, unfortunately there is virtually no hope of restoration of eyesight in many of these cases.
The thought of a blind cat is of course quite horrifying to most owners but a combination of the cat not knowing it is supposed to worry about its lack of vision and its other senses being so well developed means they actually cope remarkably well. If the environment is kept as constant as possible, most individuals adapt very well to their surroundings.
Ordinarily many problems in cats are self limiting and given one or two days most will rectify themselves. Eye conditions are different though and should be treated with much more respect and a little more urgency. A mild disorder can result in quite dramatic and devastating changes to the eye if left untreated so don’t delay and seek expert veterinary advice as soon as possible, its better to be safe than sorry.
my friends cats eyes are very watery. both eyes look like they have moved outwards and up, so that a lot of white is showing on the inner corners even when looking straight on. iknow my friend needs to take him to the vets,but have you any idea what could be wrong? would be gratefull for any advise. zina
Comment by zina | March 8, 2009
Thanks for the question Zina.
I think to be on the safe side your friend should have a vet check the cat over, you see most small animal vets will have seen eye problems which have gone wrong in a spectacular and irretrievable fashion following a wrong diagnosis or a delay in treatment. With conditions like this there is no real scope for home remedies.
From your description the most likely thing that the cat would be suffering from is some form of eye infection which can be serious, the most effective treatment could be antibiotic eye drops and as these are prescription drugs this is another reason your friend should have a vet check their cat over sooner rather than later.
However I cannot diagnose this over the internet so it could also possibly be a foreign object like a piece of grit in the eye or even an eye ulcer.
If I have not covered your question fully enough or you would like to ask more please get back to me.
Regards,
Scott
Comment by Scott | March 8, 2009
two of my cats have got a greyish skin that is covering the corners of their eyes were the tear ducts are, our other two cats dont seem to have this, the two cats are aged 6month and the other is 3 yrs.
Would be gratefull for any advice
thanks Mark
Comment by mark wardle | March 14, 2009
Hello Mark,
Thanks for dropping by, while I cannot diagnose this over the internet I am pleased to discuss this with you.
Have a look at this image and see if it is what your cats has .. http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/images/cat_eyes/exam2.jpg
If so this is the third eyelid of the cat and is on the inside corner of the cat’s eye and is referred to as the nictitating membrane. It is the same membrane you see in the eyes of birds and snakes but people do not have it. Its function is unclear it may act to clean debris off the eye.
In some cats the third eyelid is noticeable but they are perfectly healthy in every other way, in other cats it may be a sign that they are ill in some way but it is not a reliable indicator which type of illness your cat may be suffering from. This membrane will come up with quite a few diseases and may just indicate a high temperature. Another feature of this situation is that the membrane can stay visible for ten days or so once it is raised so the original infection can be long gone.
As long as your cats are bright and healthy I would not worry about it, it will most likely go down on its own in a week or so. If it persists longer than that you should have your vet check your cats out just to be on the safe side, and if any other symptoms develop you should do the same.
If I have not answered your question fully enough or if you would like to ask more please leave your reply here and I will be pleased to discuss your question further.
Scott Nimmo BVMS MRCVS
Comment by admin | March 14, 2009
My cat’s eyeballs are perfectly fine. However the eyelids all around are red and he cannot open them fully. He leaks tears that dry a brownish colour.
This started about 1 yer ago now and I have been to the vets on numerous occassions and had different swabs done and drops given. The vet could not diagnose what was causing these symptoms from swabs done, results all came back clear. He is 15 years old now and although it started in 1 eye, it’s now spread to the other one. I’m running out of ideas now, can you help?
Comment by Emma | March 17, 2009
Hello Emma,
Of course it is very difficult to give you much advice without seeing the cat but as it has spread from one eye to both eyes it is likely that this is infectious in nature.
I have seen a few cats in the past which have had feline herpes virus infections and had similar symptoms.
The problem you face is that the diagnostic tests which are currently available to properly diagnose a herpes infection are unreliable, particularly in chronic cases.
Where a cat does not respond to normal testing and treatment you might reasonably start to consider herpes virus as an option.
Rather than type out any more I will point you to a link which covers this subject in depth : http://www.peteyedoctor.com/620635.html
Most likely your vet has already considered feline herpes virus as a potential diagnosis but you may want to talk this point over with him or her.
Regards,
Scott
Comment by admin | March 17, 2009
My cats left eye is slightly closed and a bit watery in the corner. We arrived home today at about 6.15pm and he hadn’t eaten much food (very unusual for him) However, he was very keen on our chicken we cooked, and so he had a bit of this, which makes me think he’s appetite is fine. Yesterday though, to get him used to the outside, we took him out into the garden (on a harness/lead) he saw another cat, and was very vocal. I dont think this would effect his eye, as their was no contact with the other cat, may be just a coinsidence?
Thanks
Bianca
Comment by Bianca | June 30, 2009
Good Day,
I too have a kitten that has a sore eye which she cant fully open from time to time and sometimes get brownish gunk in the corner of her eye. I brought her to the vet on two occasions and same thing, the vet cannot figure out what is wrong with it. She is being sedated next week for her spaying and at that time my vet will look more closely at her eye. I am worried about her eye and cannot stop thinking about it. Its now happened twice, the first occasion it happened she was at my parents place and came home we brought her in to vet, the vet put an anesthetic in it and it opened right up, I used maxitrol drops and it went away. the second occasion too it happened at my parents again. She was there for a week while I was away on holidays. We brought her to the vet again, same thing. Her eye does look like it is getting better. I did read that if it was perhaps the conjunctivitis herpes, that flareups can happen when the cat is stressed. I am beginning to think this is the cause, however I am not a vet so I cannot make that claim. I wonder if you have any advice for me.
Thanks
Siobhan
Comment by Siobhan | July 16, 2009
hi, i am waiting to adopt a kittren and mother. some kittens from litter have developed flu and 1 died. milly our kitten to be has had runny eyes for a week now with no let up. she is fine in herself and eating. drops from vet is not working. the last case of flu was found 2.5 weeks ago. do you think she will develop flu now?
Comment by joanne | August 20, 2009
Hello,
My cat is 6 months old and when the light catches his eyes one shines normally and the other is a cloudish white.
In the light both eyes appear normal..I was wondering if you had any suggestions.
Many thanks,
Elena.
Comment by Elena Neophytou | October 7, 2009
my cat has had her left eye closed for severaly days. I have been washing the area around the eye to remove some discharge and the eye lid is a little swollen and pink. Tonight she has her eye wide open like the other but it has a infection/yellow covering the entire iris omg - we will go to the vet in the morning but I want an answer now please. 18 yrs old persian
Comment by joanna | October 10, 2009
Hi,
Any advice would be greatly recieved. My 1 yr old Ragdoll has been suffering with something for a week now. She started with one eye looking weepy and now both have changed colour - from a piercing blue to a murky brown/green and i can’t see the pupil. One is worse than the other and is swollen and very sore round the edges. Can you help me? i’ve read some nightmare stuff that this could be leukemia
Comment by Jo | October 20, 2009
Hello we have been feeding a straight cat fir two weeks he/she has the two eye mith mocus and almust shut. He is three or four moth old. I feel sorry for him. What should I do to help him. Please advice. We already have two indoor carts. Thank you.
Comment by Marcel | October 20, 2009
Hello, my 9 year old Blue Abyssinian male has one pupil that does not dilate in the light, the other is normal. This has only started this morning. He has chronic cat flu and lives with another male who he play fights with. There is no sign of scratching around this eye. The third eyelid is also showing slightly and his eye looks swollen. Could this just be an infection of a sign of something more serious?
Comment by Mark | November 3, 2009
My cats has 1 pupil that has spread out(like a humans 1) and the other one has stayed the same i read on some websites that this could mean she is blind in one eye. Is this true? Can my cat survive with one eye?
Comment by Jess | November 5, 2009
My 12year old persian has a small circular film over right eye looks like a small contact lens the eye has a little discharge nothing I would normally worry about. Does any one know what this is? does not seem to bother him.
Comment by lou | January 17, 2010
my 14ish year old cat has developed a dark green/brown blob in one of his eyes! no discharge and it doesn’t seem to bother him at all, but it runs across his pupil and must be interfering with his sight! any ideas????
Comment by sally | March 4, 2010
My cat had similar symptoms when he was kitten. I am not a vet but this did clear itself up eventually. MIght be worth taking him to see someone though!
Comment by Vet Jobs | March 5, 2010