Sudden Eye Issue

Moka

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I woke up this morning to find Salem holding her right eye half shut. The eye is a little watery, but no real discharge. She has probably been rubbing it all night because some of the hair just around the border of her eye is thinned. It looks like she is wearing white eye liner. The iris and sclera are a little red, but not drastically so. Other than occasionally rubbing her eye, Salem is acting normally. All of this happened overnight. Salem was fine when I went to bed. I don't know what to do. Is this something that needs a vet immediately or should I give it a bit and see if the irritation goes away? I should say that I have no real way of getting her to the vet at the moment anyways , both due to lack of funds and transportation. :frustrated: It would be at least a week before I might be able to get her to a vet. I hate this! I feel like I am failing Salem. :( The only thing I can think to do is walk to a nearby pharmacy and get some eye drops. I am not talking about medicated ones. I would never give a cat any kind of otc human medication without a vet's approval. But, maybe just some plain sterile saline drops might help flush her eye and make her more comfortable? Has anyone ever used plain saline eye drops before for their kitty? I don't know. Maybe (Hopefully) I am just worrying for nothing. Maybe Salem just got something in her eye and the irritation will go away on it's own. :crossfingers:
 

Libby.

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do you have a health store near you? Colloidal silver is antibacterial and antifungal. If you can afford a small bottle, I would start putting the drops in her eyes 3-4 times a day and a teaspoon orally 3-4 times a day as well.

When you get the funds, order a bottle of Colloidal Silver from utopiasilver.com. They've got the best price around and it's really good CS. Then you'll have it on hand. It's good for eye infections, bladder infections, etc.
 

stacydc83

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I'm having success with Nutri-vet eye drops for cats, its got boric acid. Lily woke up yesterday morning with a little bit of clear goo, and was holding it somewhat shut. Normal me would jump and take her to the vet, but....yeah I don't have a job right now so can't afford it :( So hopefully this stuff is working, so far so good, it'll clear up and she'll keep it open for a few hours then it gets droopy again. I'm thinking she scratched it somehow. But yeah, try the nutri-vet stuff, she doesn't even mind it when Mom & I put in her eye.
 

neely

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I should say that I have no real way of getting her to the vet at the moment anyways , both due to lack of funds and transportation. :frustrated: It would be at least a week before I might be able to get her to a vet.
Could you possibly call your vet and explain the situation? Perhaps they can advise you what to do until you are able to bring her in or maybe you could send a pic of the affected right eye to them. You may also want to ask the vet what signs or symptoms to look for that would indicate a more serious problem. In the meantime, here is an Article about eye issues in cats that may be helpful for you:
Eye Problems In Cats: What Every Owner Needs To Know

Best of luck, please keep us posted on her progress. :hangin:
 
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Moka

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Thank you to everyone for their advice. Salem is doing much better today. I still have no idea what triggered the irritation. But, with stuff like this, do we ever really know? Anyways, I am still going to watch her closely just in case it comes back.
 

Lisannez

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Our cat gets this exact thing, it’s allergies to pollen ! She never had them in Los Angeles but here in DC she gets them just like humans do. Just like me she itches her eyes and they get red. This could be the cause.
 
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Moka

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Our cat gets this exact thing, it’s allergies to pollen ! She never had them in Los Angeles but here in DC she gets them just like humans do. Just like me she itches her eyes and they get red. This could be the cause.
I woke up this morning to the same problem, but with the other eye. So, I think you might be onto something with the allergies. I guess I have some research to do on seasonal cat allergies in case that is the cause. Does it ever affect your kitty's eyes separately or are both eyes always irritated?
 

Lisannez

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I woke up this morning to the same problem, but with the other eye. So, I think you might be onto something with the allergies. I guess I have some research to do on seasonal cat allergies in case that is the cause. Does it ever affect your kitty's eyes separately or are both eyes always irritated?
No oddly it’s always the same eye the right one. The eye appears swollen (the lid) and the hair is a bit less from her scratching it and I actually see her scratching the eye. At first I thought it was a bug bite but the vet said no. It usually goes away in a day, two max and it comes and goes.
 

Azazel

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I woke up this morning to the same problem, but with the other eye. So, I think you might be onto something with the allergies. I guess I have some research to do on seasonal cat allergies in case that is the cause. Does it ever affect your kitty's eyes separately or are both eyes always irritated?
My girl gets eye irritation once every few months and it always alternates eyes. It lasts about a day and then goes away on its own. I think it's due to an underlying virus that many cats have. If your cat was adopted from a shelter it's possible this is the case. There really is no cure for it except management and trying to make the cat comfortable when it happens. Definitely if it persists more than a couple days though I would have a vet look at it.
 
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