Eye still watery a week later

[catloverfromwayback]

Phoebe’s left eye was squinting and watery last Sunday. I took her to the vet on Monday. Inspection with fluorescing dye and black light didn’t reveal anything. The lower lid and cornea were a bit red. The vet flushed her eye, gave her an antibiotic shot and prescribed Chlorsig ointment twice daily for five to seven days.

Well, it’s seven days later and Phoebe’s eye is still squinting and on-and-off watery. Anyone else had a cat’s eye so slow to respond to treatment? Should I be calling the vet back?

 

[mxphs]

I’ve had this happen with my cat.
I remember I was really freaked out about it when it first happened because his eye was leaking pus and it seemed serious. I’ve attached a photo of what it looked like

good news is that it isn’t a serious ailment.Humphrey got it from playing too hard and bashing into corners. Occasionally he still gets a squinty eye but it doesn’t leak liquid anymore. I think if it’s still watery it’s worth seeing the vet again but it isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of cat issues imo

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I’ve had this happen with my cat.
I remember I was really freaked out about it when it first happened because his eye was leaking pus and it seemed serious. I’ve attached a photo of what it looked like View attachment 444955

good news is that it isn’t a serious ailment.Humphrey got it from playing too hard and bashing into corners. Occasionally he still gets a squinty eye but it doesn’t leak liquid anymore. I think if it’s still watery it’s worth seeing the vet again but it isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of cat issues imo

Thanks! I think Phoebe probably got hers from a smack from Daisy, or possibly a bit of dust or lint in her eye - more likely the former, since it’s taking so long. It’s certainly not pus in her case, just clear on-and-off watery. Apart from the squinting she’s shown no sign of there being anything wrong. I think at this point I’ll keep using the Chlorsig and phone the vet for advice on whether they think she should come in again. I’m reluctant to use their one emergency spot tomorrow.

 

[lisahe]

Our cat has a similar problem that's also very on-and-off, most likely from allergies. (It's winter and the air inside is dry.) Microcyn cat ophthalmologic gel (which I bought at PetSmart) helps a lot. I also have drops from the vet but Ireland fights them terribly. The gel is much easier to use since it's thick enough that I can drop small dabs of it on my fingertips and then quickly but gently put the gel in her eyes. I now give her a little gel if her eyes seem slightly inflamed.

Good luck! I saw a lot of posts about this when Ireland's problem started in November -- this must be fairly common.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Our cat has a similar problem that's also very on-and-off, most likely from allergies. (It's winter and the air inside is dry.) Microcyn cat ophthalmologic gel (which I bought at PetSmart) helps a lot. I also have drops from the vet but Ireland fights them terribly. The gel is much easier to use since it's thick enough that I can drop small dabs of it on my fingertips and then quickly but gently put the gel in her eyes. I now give her a little gel if her eyes seem slightly inflamed.

Good luck! I saw a lot of posts about this when Ireland's problem started in November -- this must be fairly common.

Are both Ireland’s eyes affected, or just one? Would it be only one eye if Phoebe has an allergy? It’s autumn here, she’s an indoor-only cat, and I’ve had an air purifier running lately.

 

[lisahe]

Are both Ireland’s eyes affected, or just one? Would it be only one eye if Phoebe has an allergy? It’s autumn here, she’s an indoor-only cat, and I’ve had an air purifier running lately.

It's more one eye (her left) that runs but they both look a little inflamed. The vet thought it seemed to be allergies (though Ireland does get daily antihistamine doses) though I originally thought it was probably a recurrence of the upper respiratory infection she had when we brought her home from the shelter. Our previous cat had pretty much the same thing (definitely more likely to be remnants of a URI) with one eye runnier than the other... All I know for sure is that the eye gel seems to ease the problem for Ireland.

And now I see you're in Australia... So you may have a completely different array of potential products to try. I hope you're able to ease Phoebe's discomfort!

 

[catloverfromwayback]

And now I see you're in Australia... So you may have a completely different array of potential products to try. I hope you're able to ease Phoebe's discomfort!

Thank you! Yes, it always irks me that our small population means small markets and often so little to choose from for cat food, medication and the like, not to mention high prices.

Just looked at Phoebe sitting in the sun and her eye looks less squinty today (she’s had one dose of Chlorsig this morning). Fingers crossed!

 

[lisahe]

Thank you! Yes, it always irks me that our small population means small markets and often so little to choose from for cat food, medication and the like, not to mention high prices.

Just looked at Phoebe sitting in the sun and her eye looks less squinty today (she’s had one dose of Chlorsig this morning). Fingers crossed!

I'm glad to hear that Phoebe's eye looks less squinty today. That's how Ireland's gets, too, "squinty." I start using the gel now when I notice that and/or a bit more pinkness than usual. We just went through that over the weekend...

I think it can be hard to find good cat products just about anywhere: in the U.S. there are lots of food options but if a cat has food sensitivities, as ours do, those options can get narrowed down to nearly nothing! And so I make a lot of our cats' food myself. That said, there are quite a few health products that we use, things like eye gel, anti-hairball tablets that the cats think are treats, calming treats, and the like.

Fingers crossed for Phoebe's eye!