Recurrent watery eyes

[Ravynn]

My poor boy Binx (1 yr old in August) has been having watery eye issues for the last few months - it seems to have possibly started in the summer. Either one or the other - just watery enough to where you see it in his eye but not going onto the fur. It was very occasional and didn't worry me.

The past 1-2 weeks they seem to be bugging him more - it looks as though he gets something in it, squints, gets watery then rubs his eye, sometimes scratching it. He sometimes scratches inside his ears too. I noticed yesterday his top right eyelid has a tiny slant/droop that's hardly noticeable and today he scratched that exact spot and caused it to bleed. His eyes never get red from this and the inside of his eye (conjunctiva) is a normal color. No discharge, just watery eyes with no tears.

The closer vet clinic closed and combined with one 30 mins away temporarily and they're always crazy busy and booked up. Just wondering what you guys think this might be and if I should keep an eye on him (no pun intended!) or try to get him in to the vet sooner or if you have any tips. He was going to go for a check up in Jan-Feb.

*It also just occurred to me that we've had a small pot of mums/chrysanthemums in the kitchen and it's been there since Sept 18th. Wondering if that could be contributing? I put it outside...

 

[sivyaleah]

It could be a few things; allergies and the herpes virus jump to mind.
Both would require a vet to have a look. If he's scratching so hard as to bleed this is rather urgent. All eye issues are considered high priority since they can go downhill so fast.
I would not wait until early 2022 to have him seen. It could get a lot worse by then and I'm sure he's not feeling comfortable either.

 

[Ravynn]

It could be a few things; allergies and the herpes virus jump to mind.
Both would require a vet to have a look. If he's scratching so hard as to bleed this is rather urgent. All eye issues are considered high priority since they can go downhill so fast.
I would not wait until early 2022 to have him seen. It could get a lot worse by then and I'm sure he's not feeling comfortable either.

It's not constantly throughout the day and it was a single scratch from a claw I forgot to cut. He got vaccinated for FVR and hasn't been around any cats, can he still get it?

 

[sivyaleah]

It's not constantly throughout the day and it was a single scratch from a claw I forgot to cut. He got vaccinated for FVR and hasn't been around any cats, can he still get it?

There are other viruses it could be too. Or even something bacterial.
Allergies (food or airborne) certainly is a big possibility and it is not something treatable on your own. I know - been dealing with this for well over a year with out younger cat. She's on sublingual allergy medication daily now, and it's made a big difference for her.
I don't think it warrants an ER - but getting in to see your normal vet sooner than next year would be optimal.

 

[Ravynn]

There are other viruses it could be too. Or even something bacterial.
Allergies (food or airborne) certainly is a big possibility and it is not something treatable on your own. I know - been dealing with this for well over a year with out younger cat. She's on sublingual allergy medication daily now, and it's made a big difference for her.
I don't think it warrants an ER - but getting in to see your normal vet sooner than next year would be optimal.

It's just strange since his eyes look normal and are not red but he keeps having this issue. He's not even producing running tears, his eyes just get watery. The last time I was talking to them about my dog in August they said they were booking for October. I'll call them this week.

 

[sivyaleah]

It's just strange since his eyes look normal and are not red but he keeps having this issue. He's not even producing running tears, his eyes just get watery. The last time I was talking to them about my dog in August they said they were booking for October. I'll call them this week.

The other thing I thought of was a scratched cornea. We had that happen to one of our cats.
Hopefully you can get an appointment without having to wait too long. We've been lucky where we are that we have no trouble getting in the door now, especially for more urgent matters that may not require ER care. But I know other areas are still dealing with longer wait times for appointments.

 

[Ravynn]

The other thing I thought of was a scratched cornea. We had that happen to one of our cats.
Hopefully you can get an appointment without having to wait too long. We've been lucky where we are that we have no trouble getting in the door now, especially for more urgent matters that may not require ER care. But I know other areas are still dealing with longer wait times for appointments.

It was happening in both eyes but never both at the same time. Started occasionally around summer so maybe it is allergies. He has/is constantly in the windows with the screens open. His eye got watery this morning but it's almost 3:30pm and hasn't happened since. It's the only bigger vet clinic here so they're swamped with everyone in the area.