How Much Of The Third Eyelid Should You See?

[TheCosmeownauts]

Hello! I'm the brand new parent of two amazing Siamese kittens. Although I grew up with cats in my house, I always had parents and older siblings who took care of them. This is the first time I'm fully responsible for a cat's health, so I get nervous about every minor abnormality (even though I'm probably imagining most of them!).

Anyway, I've read that being able to see your cat's third eyelid is a sign of illness, both mild and serious. But I'm confused as to what extent of seeing the third eyelid is "normal." One of my kittens shows no third eyelid when awake and alert, but when he's relaxing/sleepy, I can see it covering ~a quarter of his eyes when he blinks. It does not stay like that all the time.

Is that normal? Or should I never be seeing it?

Both kittens have to get their second FVRCP in a couple of weeks, so they'll be at the vet then... but I want to make sure there isn't anything urgent I should be concerned about in the meantime!

I'm not sure if this is relevant at all, but this same kitten has some gas issues. He doesn't have diarrhea, but his stool is definitely on the watery side, and his flatulence is... unpleasant. I'm considering adding a probiotic to their food, which is identical to what they ate before I took them home.

 

[duckpond]

A sleepy cat will often show a bit of third eyelid. and i think its especially true of Siamese cats from what i read. Never hurts to bring it up with the vet when you go in. My little white cat with blue eyes shows hers occasionally when sleepy, or if she is having seasonal allergies.

the gas will most likely be unrelated. What foods are you feeding? LOL i have one male that if he eats anything with peas in the food he will stink you out of the house. It could also be several other things, such as parasites, but your vet should be able to rule those out. or treat for them. If he has then i would suspect the food.

 

[TheCosmeownauts]

Thank you! I feel better already I figured I was just having "new mom jitters."

I'm feeding them both Purina Pro Plan Focus kitten food. I leave dry out all the time and feed them a can (for both) in the morning and a can in the evening. I know the same line makes a probiotic, so I'm tempted to try it out but want to clear it with their vet first.

 

[duckpond]

Thank you! I feel better already I figured I was just having "new mom jitters."

I'm feeding them both Purina Pro Plan Focus kitten food. I leave dry out all the time and feed them a can (for both) in the morning and a can in the evening. I know the same line makes a probiotic, so I'm tempted to try it out but want to clear it with their vet first.

Great, check with the vet. and if the gas continues you may want to try a different brand of food. sometimes thats all it takes. Just something in that brand may not agree with the one

 

[Furballsmom]

You could take a photo without the flash of that third eyelid and show the vet. I'm always paranoid about it and am not used to seeing it with any of my cats even my Meezers back in the day, but everyone is likely right and your baby is just fine

 

[Neo_23]

I had a cat with really big eyes who often had his third eyelid showing. He was a big boy too and I think he had some Maine coon ancestry. If you google Maine coon cats their eyes are so big that part of their third eyelid sometimes shows. I feel like you will know when your cat is sick but if you’re worried just take a picture under good lighting and send it to your vet.

 

[epona]

Honestly, one of my cats (an Oriental Shorthair - so the same as a Siamese but in a different range of markings) - when sleeping he sometimes sleeps with his first 2 eyelids a bit open and when that happens we can see the 3rd eyelids either whole or part way across his eyes - it looks freaky, but isn't unusual during sleep or when they have just woken up.

It's like when we feel really sleepy it is hard to keep our eyelids open, same goes for cats just they have 3 eyelids.

Because you just got your sweet little loves, you should take them to your regular vet anyway to be weighed and have a health check (take any vaccination records with you). Yes the breeder may have taken them to their vet, but you need to get them registered with yours and have a health check done, to establish that they came to you in a healthy state.

What you have described about seeing the 3rd eyelid when asleep or a little bit when very tired does not sound abnormal if everything else is ok, but that would be something to ask your vet about when you get them registered and health-checked

(And also I feel we need photos of your kittens!)