Health Care For Cat Eyes

The phrase 'cat eyes' can conjure visions of the mysterious and exotic. There is, though, nothing mysterious about preventing feline eye problems or treating cat eye ailments should they develop. There are several steps the cat owner can take to maintain healthy vision in those exotic orbs.

Preventive Cat Eye Health Care

Keep the eyes clear of mucus - Using a damp tissue, remove any mucus that accumulates around the eye. Bacteria can grow on mucus deposits and lead to a problem with cat eye infection. This should start at an early age as kittens with upper respiratory infections will generate a lot of mucus.

Trim long hair around eyes - Hair can scratch that crystal clear cornea so trim it parallel to the edge of the eye lid. This is especially important to cat eye health in breeds like Persians where the skin folds near the eye.

Protect the eyes - From chemical irritation such as flea spray or shampoo.

Symptoms and Treatment of Cat Eye Ailments

A healthy cat will have clear eyes that are moisture bright and the white part of the eye will be truly white. The most obvious signs of cat eye problems are squinting, red eye, excessive mucus discharge and the third eyelid showing for extended periods. The feline eye problems indicated by these symptoms are as follows.

Conjunctivitis - The most common result of cat eye infection. It is a reddish inflammation of the inner surface of the third eyelid as well as the white of the eye. If it is caused by an allergy there will be a clear, watery discharge from the eye but should the mucus be thick, yellowish and tend to stick the lids together then it is a cat eye infection. FHV-1, the feline herpes virus, is the culprit in most problems with cat eye health. Immediate treatment with Idoxuridine and the amino acid, L-lysine is recommended.

Eye worms - These worm infest the tear ducts and between the eyeball and lid. The worms, a problem along the Pacific coast, are spread by flies and while not a danger to cat eye health they are annoying to the cat. The veterinarian can treat this with an injection of Ivermetin.

Visit the Veterinarian

Other cat eye problems such as Horners syndrome and progressive retinal atrophy are damage or genetic related but with some simple cat eye health care and regular visits to the veterinarian it is possible to help a cat avoid most of the feline eye problems that plague our pets.