Mucus in eyes keeps returning.

chaucer

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Hi, everyone. I haven't posted in a long time but I have a stray I've been feeding and providing shelter for nearly two years. "Gatsby" finally allowed himself to be trapped about a month ago. At the vet, he was neutered, given a rabies shot, and his mattering, mucus-draining eyes treated with antibiotics mixed with his food because I would not be able to use drops on him. He's friendly, but only the petting variety. The vet did not seem overly-concerned about his eyes. Gatsby is my first TNR. I've been able to keep indoors the others (three of them) and adopt out the others. Recently, he went missing for nearly a week and returned this morning and ate two cans of cat food before running off again. His eyes look bad - actually worse. He is squinting in the first picture because the flash went off on my camera. I'm wondering if anyone else here has had cats with this issue. It looks like some form of conjunctivitis but the mucus is thick and green and it's staining the sides of his nose now. When I took him to the vet, the mucus covered one eye completely, but cleared up with the daily med. I suspect this is viral. I've sent these pictures to the vet.
 

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fionasmom

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Welcome back to The Cat Site! Having ferals myself, I do understand what you are saying about Gatsby being friendly to a point and certain meds might be out of the question....or methods of administering them. I could very easily find myself in the same position. So...I don't have a lot of good advice for you and hopefully others will respond. As you say, this sounds viral which means that he probably needs different meds, possibly administered to the eye itself although there may be an oral route which is possible.

You have done what you can which is to send the pics to the vet to get more help and instructions. Gatsby is lucky that you are looking out for him. Please let us know what you find out and what helps him.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I'm hoping you explained to the Vet just what you explained to us, that meds or supplements mixed into his foods may be the only way to treat this. Now I think the best thing to do is wait to hear back.

If it's Feline Herpes causing this, in future you may be able to help keep it at bay by using L-Lysine and/or Lactoferrin mixed in his food on a daily basis, or at least when he's around.
 
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chaucer

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Thank you both for your replies. Yes, I told the vet everything when I took him in. He mentioned drops but agreed it would be difficult to administer, particularly on a daily basis. This morning Gatsby didn't show up. I considered it might be Feline Herpes, but the two cats who reside on my carport have not contracted anything. They are very senior outdoor cats - one is 15-16 and her baby is at least 13-14 - who were abandoned by neighbors but were spayed at least when I "acquired" them. I'd fed them for six years before I realized they were just left to their own devices two years ago. Now they have shelter on the carport. I got one to the vet for a rabies shot recently and hope to get the other there but she isn't fond of the indoors or crates. They spent the days/nights with sub-zero temperature here in the south in my house. I had to sleep in the den with them because I have four cats inside and two are Alpha males - as if that wasn't interesting in the beginning. My point is, as much as I would like to bring Gatsby inside and get him completely healed, it's not possible. I'm hoping that there is another person feeding him and giving him some shelter when he's not here.
 
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chaucer

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He didn't show up yesterday morning, but he did this morning - photo attached. He was lying on the roof of my car. Like the other day, though, he didn't hang around after he'd eaten a large can of cat food. However, his eyes look a bit better, probably because he's cleaned them. I imagine that after he's slept they are pretty bad. The downside for me is that he tends to show up around 3:30 in the morning. I have a sleep disorder and wake up about that time, but if I feel able to go back to sleep, I force myself to get up so that I can check for him, but I can't got back to sleep afterwards. He used to wait for me for his meal, but it seems like now that he's neutered he doesn't do that.
 

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fionasmom

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Glad that he showed up safely. The eyes do look as if he cleaned them a little bit himself. Sunday, so the vet has probably not responded to your email?
 
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chaucer

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He didn't show today, but I slept in an extra hour. Honestly, I can't keep getting up at 3:30 to feed just him or even to check and see if he's out there because that disrupts the cats in the house and the other two who live on the carport. Once awake like that, I'm up for the day. Hopefully, he ate the food my neighbor leaves. I wish he'd start showing up a bit later. He used to do that and would hang around, but I'm afraid the raccoon problem is driving him away. I have had to stop leaving food out at night because it's eaten by them, and they will come for the early, early morning food as well if I don't stand out there with a broom.
 
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chaucer

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An update on Gatsby. He's been intermittent with his visits but he looks so much better. One thing I discovered when I couldn't sleep last night was that he was eating the dry cat food I'd left out for the carport kitties at 1:30 this morning, so I know now that even when I don't see him, he's still coming here for meals during the night. I fed him (and the other two) wet food when I saw him. His eyes looked better. i think it may be some sort of reaction to some place he goes and is worse when he wakes up.

No news from the vet but that was just their standard courtesy email I answered asking about eating and drinking (in general) and any other issues after the visit. I'm not even sure it's read because you are requested to call the office and the one I answered was more than a week after the visit when he showed. I had already called three days afterwards when he returned the first time that he looked well.

Thank you so much for your support. The Catsite has been invaluable to me over the years. I think I have two very long threads detailing my "adventures" with FIV + and - cats living together. I see I joined April 2014 and that was four days after my first rescue - a pregnant cat who had five kittens a month later. I still have her and adopted the kittens out to friends.
 

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Thank you for the update. It would be wonderful if somehow this is resolving itself. One of my previous GSDs vets had voicemail which, I found out, they never checked. You may be right about the email. I saw your other threads today and enjoyed reading them.
 
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