Cat Eye Wetness/ Teary Eye

[Mrs.O]

Hello all,

When we rescued Skeeter from the Humane Society they mentioned his right eye experiencing some issues. He was treated at the clinic there and when it was time to pick him up we were told he no longer needed medication, however it is most likely that his right I will forever appear smaller then the left one. He was fine for a few days, but after about a week or so his eye appeared wet once again. When I say wet I mean he is constantly tearing from only his right eye. Because we were away from the location of the Humane Society we adopted him from, we brought him to a vet that we have frequented for years (they see our rabbit). We were able to give his medical records to the vet so they were on the same page with the doctor at the Humane Society Clinic. At that time the doctor prescribed eye drops that contain steroids for him. I administered the medication and his eye appeared better for a couple of weeks until he was supposed to stop taking the medication. After that time he did get wetness on occasion and so I gave him eyedrops as needed with the prescription he received from the vet.

Now he's been home for about 2 months and today again he's having a very teary eye. Just the right eye and so much so that his forehead was wet and I just feel like he needs a bath from tears drying on his face. Given that he's already been to the clinic at the Humane Society, and the vet's office twice, what could be causing him to have just one teary eye? I understand no one can give exact medical advice over the site, I'm just looking to hear about anyone who's had a similar experience as I tried to find the connection between what could possibly be causing his one eye to tear. Because of this teary eye he is constantly grooming his face and constantly rubbing his eye. I have begun even wiping his tears away myself because he allows me to and I want to help him. I'm not sure if him constantly licking his paw and cleaning his eye and then licking his paws again could cause harm to him or if there's another way I can help him with his teary eye. I have attached a photo so you can see his eye, for reference he is 4 months old, if anyone has any experience like this with their cats I would love to hear about it and any advice is welcome as well. Thank you all!

 

[Furballsmom]

What a sweet baby!! There was a thread going just a few days ago about watery eyes, but the eye wasn't diminished in size I don't think. Let me look ...

 

[Furballsmom]

Everything I'm seeing isn't quite your situation, as far as I can tell from the Humane Society and your vets reactions--nobody went into any detail?
Anyway, the general consensus, in some of the other threads on this site having to do with weepy eyes that I fairly quickly glanced at, is an injury, a tear duct issue or feline herpes (since allergies likely aren't what's causing this, correct?).

 

[neely]

Obviously you should check with your vet again, even a simple phone call. However, it could be Epiphora, i.e. a blocked tear duct that is causing an overproduction of tears. There are so many different possibilities from inflammation to allergies, etc. It would be best to consult with your vet or get a second opinion. Best of luck, Skeeter is adorable.

 

[kittyluv387]

My kitty has a constant watery right eye because of eyelid agenisis. He is missing his lower right lid so the fur pokes his eye causing it to be constantly wet in the area. It's something you can see if you look closely.

 

[Mrs.O]

My kitty has a constant watery right eye because of eyelid agenisis. He is missing his lower right lid so the fur pokes his eye causing it to be constantly wet in the area. It's something you can see if you look closely.

This sounds very possible, I have a lower eye lash that grows inwards towards my eyeball and if I don't pluck it every few months I have a similar reaction. Would that be a birth defect, just something he has to live with you think? I never questioned the Humane Society as to why the right eye would remain smaller. Would it be possible to show your Kitty's eye for comparison?

 

[Mrs.O]

Obviously you should check with your vet again, even a simple phone call. However, it could be Epiphora, i.e. a blocked tear duct that is causing an overproduction of tears. There are so many different possibilities from inflammation to allergies, etc. It would be best to consult with your vet or get a second opinion. Best of luck, Skeeter is adorable.

I will most likely seek a new vet or cat specific care center to get a second opinion. We've been to our vet 3 times total, twice for his eye, once for sneezing, but we still discussed the eye. It doesn't seem red, or gooey, even when he had a cold he didn't have eye boogers. It's just tears so they're nonchalant about it.

 

[Mrs.O]

Everything I'm seeing isn't quite your situation, as far as I can tell from the Humane Society and your vets reactions--nobody went into any detail?
Anyway, the general consensus, in some of the other threads on this site having to do with weepy eyes that I fairly quickly glanced at, is an injury, a tear duct issue or feline herpes (since allergies likely aren't what's causing this, correct?).

You are correct, no one has gone in to much detail with me regarding his eye. It's not specifically irritated, just watery, so it doesn't seem to be very concerning when Skeeter is seen. I am starting to think it is something physically with his eye because I never questioned why it was smaller or would remain that way.

 

[kittyluv387]

It is a birth defect. Options are reconstructive surgery, freezing off the hair or using an eyelid lubricant. I chose the last option because surgery is expensive and might take more than one try. I didnt take the freezing because the hairs could grow back. My kitty has a very mild form of eyelid agenesis. The images on google are pretty severe. So i think i will be able to get away with this method. The risk is an ulcer. I had this confirmed by an opthamologist. She took a pic of each eye and pointed out the difference.

I've included some pics. He only has it on his bottom right eyelid. On the left bottom lid you can see the nice light grey "eyeliner" looking type lid on his lid. On the right side however he has none and it's just straight fur to eyeball. Zoom in and look closely to comapre the eyes. It's mild so its not super obv.

 

[Mrs.O]

It is a birth defect. Options are reconstructive surgery, freezing off the hair or using an eyelid lubricant. I chose the last option because surgery is expensive and might take more than one try. I didnt take the freezing because the hairs could grow back. My kitty has a very mild form of eyelid agenesis. The images on google are pretty severe. So i think i will be able to get away with this method. The risk is an ulcer. I had this confirmed by an opthamologist. She took a pic of each eye and pointed out the difference.

I've included some pics. He only has it on his bottom right eyelid. On the left bottom lid you can see the nice light grey "eyeliner" looking type lid on his lid. On the right side however he has none and it's just straight fur to eyeball. Zoom in and look closely to comapre the eyes. It's mild so its not super obv.

Yes, after looking at your Kitty and comparing the two I believe Skeeter maybe missing his bottom lid on his right eye. I'll see about confirming with my vet and take next steps. You mentioned a cream you put on you Kitty's lid, what is it called?

 

[kittyluv387]

Optixcare Eye Lubricant 25 gm

I use the optixcare eye lube. 2-3x a day was recommended. But im lazy and do just 1x/day. The point of this is to soften the hairs when they poke the eye so they don't irritate the eye so much. As long as no ulcers are formed they're just fine living with it (depending on severity). Just fyi my normal vet didn't catch this and thats why he referred us to an opthamologist. You definitely want to point it out and mention eyelid agenesis to the regular vet.

 

[Mrs.O]

Optixcare Eye Lubricant 25 gm

I use the optixcare eye lube. 2-3x a day was recommended. But im lazy and do just 1x/day. The point of this is to soften the hairs when they poke the eye so they don't irritate the eye so much. As long as no ulcers are formed they're just fine living with it (depending on severity). Just fyi my normal vet didn't catch this and thats why he referred us to an opthamologist. You definitely want to point it out and mention eyelid agenesis to the regular vet.

Thanks, it is something I going to have to point out and ask about. I'm considering going back to the original clinic that saw him, he was much smaller then, maybe they can get a better look and maybe help other kittens/cats coming through the Humane Society.

 

[Furballsmom]

maybe they can get a better look and maybe help other kittens/cats coming through the Humane Society.

You're terrific to think of that!