Are Himalayans more prone to watery eyes?

[shell]

I've posted a few things on here before and everyone is so helpful! I recently adopted a Himalayan kitty about a month ago and were having a few problems with her at first (my original post was about peeing on my bed). I took the suggestion of getting her spayed and it seems to have corrected her peeing problems. YIPPY!
When I took her to the vet, I asked it they would take a look at her eyes. They seem to tear a lot and I thought she might have a infection. I've never had any eye infections with my other cats, so I really didn't know it is was normal or not. The vet told me that her eyes were fine and clear of infection....but I just have my doubts about that. She got the most beautiful eyes, but it looks like she's got black junk caked all the way around them. I try to take a warm moist washcloth and lay it on her eyes to soften up black gunk, but she just gets really mad at me. Usually I can only get a little off before she wigs out. I really can't tell if it's clear stuff originally or if it's a dark color. I've attached a photo of her, but I don't know if you can see the gunky stuff on her eyes. Her fur is a silver color around her eyes, but it looks black from that stuff. Should I take her to another vet to get checked out? Or is this normal? The vet told me that Himalayan's are more prone to tearing than other cats..is this true?
Thanks in advance for all your help,
Shell

 

[lhezzza]

Thread Regarding Tear Stains

 

[paws and purrs]

Hi Shell-

I have two himalayans and am starting a small cattery. I hope I can be of some help to you.

First, is your himmie doll faced or extreme? The doll faced looks more like a "regular" cat. The extreme has a flat face. The cats with the flat face, which is considered standard in the breed, have many health problems. Especially in their eyes and sinuses. They don't have much of a sinus canal, so therefore, they get sinus infections and their eyes tend to run often. Most extreme faced cats need their eyes cleaned at least once daily. If your cat won't let you use a warm cloth, pet stores have what are called cat eye wipes. I've been told they work well.

Both of my cats are doll faced, so I really don't have the eye problems. There are also some extremes that don't have the problem either.

Honestly, you probably are just going to have to clean its eyes on a daily basis. Get the cat used to it by doing it often and it won't fight you. It's just one of the ritual of grooming the himmie.

If I can be of any further help, you can email me at [email protected].

Best of luck. They are beautiful and very loving cats. They also form close attachments with their owners. In my experience, the female cat bonds with the male human and vice-versa. This is not the rule, there are many cats that bond with either man or woman, its just what I have seen.

Purrs~
Lisa

 

[yola]

When I first got my Persians I was concerned that their eyes were watering excessivly. The vet mentioned that it is normal - provided the discharge is brown and not greeny-yellow.

In fact, he said that I should look out to make sure there WAS a discharge, as no discharge could mean blockages.

I have to say - they do tend to be prone to eye infections - and least 2 per year per cat, but eye drops clear it up pretty quickly.

I clean my cats faces every day. I used cotton wool pads (small ones - like for taking off make-up) soaked in warm water with the exces water squeezed out. The eye wipes you can get in pet stores are good - I found them a little expensive when warm water did the trick ok.

Remember to do it every day otherwise the fur around the eyes will stain and it will be harder to remove the dark marks. Also, don't use the same pad for both eyes or swap the pads over - this just minimises any risk of infection.

Try cat-psychology. Reward kitty after every eye-wash session so it begins to associate eye-washing with nice things.

 

[dmfeng]

I have an exotic shorthair...his face is very flat and he tears a whole lot. It's normal...like everyone has said as long as it's clear or reddish brown. I clean his face twice a day with a warm cloth. He's gotten so used to it that he even just sits or lies down for me to do it. Granted he doesn't like it but he knows mommy will chase him until his eyes are clean. If you leave your kitty's eyes alone it will probably get clumpy and blackish which makes it harder to wipe off...you can use a warm wet washcloth to clean it.