Cat has white eye gunk - Herpes?

pepsiandmax

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I got to air out my fears; cause I am afraid I did this, I «gave» my cat herpes.

My cat, Pepsi, is a 7,5 year old male. He has kept up with his vaccination program, meaning he is vaccinated against herpes. He is also an indoor cat.

The second to last weekend of october (so the weekend before halloween weekend), I tried to take a kitten home. I said tried, since it did not work out for me (I am the problem there), and I gave her back after having had the kitten in my home for just about 48 hours.

She was not having any signs of having herpes, the cat rescue place I got the kitten at would not even have mentioned anything about herpes, if it was not for her brother having hepres. So she has never shown any signs of having it, but given how her brother does, its a given that she also have the virus in her body. But asking advice from the vet, from other cat prents, what I was told; Pepsi will be safe, he is vaccinated, many have cats both with and without herpes, and its never been transferred between them. And it seemed like it was very safe to take in the kitten.

Now its been a little over 6 weeks, and my sweet dear Pepsi has some white eye gunk. I tried to wipe it away, but more is comming back. That is all. No fever, none of the other signs they talk about when you read about feline herpes. But I am worried. Have I done this to him, could he have herpes? I feel like a total shitty cat mum for this.

I did also see something about dry eyes that can cause this, and dust. Its been cold, so yesterday to get a bit of extra warmt I put up one of those small electric fan heaters, to spread some heat around, and he did lie himself infront of this fan (about 1,5 meters away from the fan), and did get warm air blown on him. Is there any chance at all that I am thinking too much about herpes, being to afraid of that, and maybe this is just a reaction from the warm air and possibly dust etc…?

Its nighttime, and the emergancy vet is for life and death situations. He is absolutly fine othervice. No fever, playfull, eating, wanting cuddles and treats. He is not squinting his eyes, not red, not swollen, not anything beside some buildup of white gunk, in both eyes.

I will keep an eye on him, I have eyedrops (saline) to use, bu hates that. He has never ever hit me ever, but he was very close to actually hitting me today to tell me to stop, so that is not something we will do again unless we have to 😅

I know cats can be good at hiding pain and such, but I am also on high alert right now so hope I will catch any signs he might be showing.

*and I have not actually measured his temperature, since I don’t have the proper things to do that with, but he does not feel hotter than normal, cold ears and nose. So I guess I can’t say for sure that he does not have a fever, but it does not seem like it.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I think you are overthinking this. It could be the cooler weather, it could be dust blowing up from the heater fan, it could be just about anything.

Whatever it is, you should probably call the vet and see if they want to check out Pepsi's eye just in case it is a bacterial infection that would need to be treated with antibiotics. If the vet wants some sort of eyedrops then ask them the best way to apply them so it is the least disturbing to Pepsi and you. A cat that is receiving any kind of eyedrops/ointment is bound to do some 'pawing' at who is applying them. It is highly likely that he won't use his claws - just his paws.
 
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pepsiandmax

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Update; called the vet this morning, and just got back from there. Right now they are not worried. They are not outruling an infection of some kind, but his eye looks very good. Its not really irritated, it looks very good, no scratches, and his general health is good. So for now my instruction are to keep using the saline to flush his eye, and to call back if it does not get better/if it gets worce. And any eye drops or creme will then be considered, along with an eye swab.

But for now, I am to just flush the eye. Now lets see if I can’t manage to find my appatite andget some food into my system. When he is not 100% ok, then I am not ok.
 

Furballsmom

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then I am not ok.
Try not to let his issues upend your emotions this much. He needs you to be strong for him, and also cats are like sponges for our emotions. It can add to their stress when we're upset. Hang in there, and try to find a little more inner balance 🌹

Can you set the saline bottle in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes? It might help him to be more accepting if the saline is a bit warmer (not hot).
 
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pepsiandmax

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Update:

i gave it some time, and the white discharge has turned into a more green colour. I guess maybe the one positive thing from that is that it should not be Herpes, since Herpes is a virus, and green discharge indicated a bacterial infection.

I got an antibiotic creme to use in his eye. One drop, twice a day, for 7 days. The vet did say if I struggle with it, once a day is better than nothing. Although Pepsi did fight me on the eye creme as well, I think maybe it did not sting the same way that saline can, so it was not as painfull to do. So I am crossing my fingers and toes, and will be praying for this creme to work its magic 🤞🏻

And more or less; no tips or trix to make it easier. Its the towel method that is the best way when one is alone in this. So we will just have to make due with that, and also ofcourse loads of cuddles and treata after when he has been a good boy 💙
 

di and bob

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If the eye discharge has turned white or yellow, or green, then it has turned bacterial and can be cured with eye salve. Whether it is salve or drops, just pull gently down on his lower lid until it forms a pouch, put in drops or a thin ribbon of salve. Never try to put it directly in the eye. even drops should be put in from the side or in that pouch. To get them used to you messing with their eye, just wipe around their eyes gently with a warm wet washcloth a few times a day, when they close their eyes, wipe gently over them. One eye on one part of the cloth. They usually quickly get used to it.
Kittens almost always get feline herpes, especially from shelters or breeders. It is the common cold of cats. NOT transferrable to humans. Most cats carry the virus in their systems and it flares up when they are stressed. I started my cats on DMG an immune system supplement and they have not had the virus since. It could kill them since they have leukemia. It really works. I put it in their food or a small amount of lickable treat.
 
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