Cat's left eye is watery, with a little bit of clear discharge at times

[BTFan]

Hi all, I have an almost 14 year old male strictly indoor Siamese Flame Point. He's my only pet. About 10 days ago, I noticed his left eye is a little more watery than his right one. The first couple of days, I saw some brown discharge, and the eye rim was a little red. Since then, the redness and brown discharge has gone away, but his eye is still watery, and there is still a little bit of tear discharge at times.

Other than that, he seems to be perfectly fine. Still plays, eats, goes to the bathroom ok. Any idea what this could be? I know taking him to a vet is the safe option, but with the pandemic this isn't exactly easy out here.

See photos below. You can zoom in to his left eye (our right when looking at the photo).

 

[Kieka]

Sounds like he could be developing some allergy or starting to have problems with the eye or had an infection and its clearing. I'd keep an eye on it and see the vet if it starts having the brown discharge again or the clear discharge doesn't clear up in a week. Definitely if it gets any worse see the vet.

Especially with older cats, its better to take care of things before they become major. All that said, my Moms 7 year old has a constant weeping eye that gets better and worse throughout the year. Nothing medically wrong that the vet can find, sometimes weeping eye is just weeping eye. Sometimes though it can be a sign of something else, I would bring it up at your next annual if it clears up just to get it noted.

 

[Tobermory]

Mocha, who’s six, gets one or two watery eyes with red rims when I open the windows in the spring. I can tell they bother her because she rubs them with her foot. After a few days, they get better until a couple of weeks later when it happens again. She just seems to have seasonal allergies that come and go. Lily, who’s 16, had one weepy eye with some discharge a few weeks ago for the first time ever. I kept it clean and watched it carefully, and after a couple of weeks, it got better. She’s never had it before, but like humans, cats can develop allergies.

I agree with Kieka . Watch it, keep it clean (I wipe gently below the eye with a soft, damp cloth), make sure the eye itself looks clear and the discharge isn’t excessive—and keep your vet in the loop.

 

[minish]

Minish has the same in one eye since she was kitten. Only springtime and first week of air condition being open. That kind of allergy passes on its own or with mild medication. I heard teabag compressions are OK but haven't tried. Unless the inner eyelid swells or the discharge is colored rather than clear I guess it's OK and will pass
Minish's eyes become red and puffy, weeping from both when she's with me as I cut onions Similar reaction in proximity with household chemicals. That kind of exposure is dangerous but I guess in that case the reaction wouldn't last more than a day.