Cats Eye Watering

[Stacec]

hello everyone! I’m new here and just looking for advice on my cat.
Firstly, he is only 6 months old, we rescued him and his sister from a shelter 3 months ago & they are inside only cats.

My boys eye has been watering with a discharge type liquid for a week now. I left it alone for a while since when we adopted them, his sister had cat flu and had watery eyes, so I thought maybe it was that. But his discharge seems different, more thick I suppose?
I’m calling the vet in the morning to get an appointment for him but I thought I would see what you all had to say as well.

I will add some photos, but the phones are after he just cleaned it. It can be more thick.

Thank you in advance!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. So sorry no one has responded to your post yet. But, I do think the best thing to do is arrange for him to see a vet. Did you get an appointment set up? How is he doing?

 

[Stacec]

Hey sorry!
My vet doesn’t open until tomorrow morning, but I’ll be calling in the morning!
He’s acting fine, he’s the “naughty” sibling and he’s still causing mayhem! His teary eye isn’t closing over or red, it’s just watery.

 

[Jem]

More than likely it's a mild case of an URI or possibly environmental allergies. Whether it's bacterial of viral, the vet will be able to tell you, but considering your other kitty just had a URI, that would be my first guess. I would still bring him to the vet just in case eye drops or something of the like is necessary but if he's acting fine otherwise, I would not be too concerned.
Does he display any other symptoms other than the eye? (nasal discharge, congestion, fever, still eating and drinking as usual?...)
In the mean time, try to make sure he has as much fluids he can, including wet food due to it's moisture content. Staying hydrated is a great way to help him fight off this possible cold/flu.

 

[Stacec]

More than likely it's a mild case of an URI or possibly environmental allergies. Whether it's bacterial of viral, the vet will be able to tell you, but considering your other kitty just had a URI, that would be my first guess. I would still bring him to the vet just in case eye drops or something of the like is necessary but if he's acting fine otherwise, I would not be too concerned.
Does he display any other symptoms other than the eye? (nasal discharge, congestion, fever, still eating and drinking as usual?...)
In the mean time, try to make sure he has as much fluids he can, including wet food due to it's moisture content. Staying hydrated is a great way to help him fight off this possible cold/flu.

Thanks for your reply! The only thing that deters me from thinking about the cat flu is that it’s been a couple of months since his sister had it.
He shows absolutely no other symptoms. No nasal discharge, no sneezing, no coughing, not lethargic, eats and drinks like a horse! No fever from what I can tell (touching his ears) the only thing is a little heavy breathing when he’s sitting on my shoulder close to my face.

 

[GaryT]

My Theo has watery eyes due to allergies I suspect. He is allergic to lactose I have discovered. The breeder sent him home with me with some mother's milk replacement powder. I mixed a 1 part powder with 2 parts water. The breeder said she gives it as an occasional treat because it's good for the coat. He would scatch mercilessly but it stopped when I stopped the milk. I have to wash his face around his eyes a couple times a day. He loves the attention. All I have to say is, "It's time to wash your face" and he comes running all excited. He lays so nice in my lap and hold still for me to wash with damp cotton rounds. I also give him some "Angels Eyes" powder mixed with his wet food every day. It seems to help.

 

[Jem]

Have you looked into Feline Herpes Virus at all? It's VERY common, most cats have it or are at least carriers of the virus. Sometimes it can present itself as a severe URI, and sometimes the symptoms are hardly noticeable, but just like Herpes in humans, you can't "cure it", the virus just stays dormant in the cat and can "flair up" usually during periods of stress. My cat has FHV and his eyes water on and off all the time. And the cat flu that your other kitty had could have been FHV. Just because your kitty did not "get sick" when exposed when your other kitty had it, does not mean he did not contract the virus at some point, especially while still at the shelter. The symptoms of FHV can present itself differently and with various degrees of severity in every cat. And some cats will get "flair ups" while others may never experience another bout of it.
And as GaryT mentioned, allergies are also a high probability, whether food or environmental. I had a cat who would get conjunctivitis every spring due to his environmental allergies, the symptoms got worse as he aged, but they were always only his eyes.
Of course, I still think a vet visit is in order, I'm not trying to dissuade you from going, just trying to give you some info to speak to your vet about.