runny eyes

[dave demoulpied]

Our year and a half old domestic shorthair has a persistent runny eye problem that developed not long after her birth.
The vet has determined Nalah is lacking ducts to handle tear-removal and after consulting with a specialist he recommends against a particular surgical procedure which would involve insertion thru her nose.
We've used drops and ointments at the vet's direction in recent months with some effectiveness, but it appears we're looking at a long term "maintenance" kind of situation.
We'd appreciate hearing from anyone with a similar problem as to how you dealt with it. Thanks.

[email protected]

 

[Anne]

Hi Dave and welcome to the forums!

Sorry about your kitty's problem. I hope someone will post some useful info.

 

[sandie]

Thats a tough one. The only way to fix it is surgery, but from what you said, she is not a good candidate. I can however sympathise, I have a persian kitten...who for whatever reasons were bred to have eye problems. It is a great deal of upkeep. I will say though, that it is all worth it when the day is over.

 

[mike w]

We have two Persians, and from what I've read, the weeping of the eyes is "Normal" for this breed. This stems from the pushed-in face, and the cramping of the tear ducts in their heads. The people who show the Persians swab the eyes with a Q-tip, and use baby powder to dry it up, and cosmetically cover it up (on lighter colored cats, of course). Sure made sense to me... with no nose sticking out, where would there be room for tear ducts/glands? Half of the face isn't even there!!!<G> Add that to the list of daily grooming requirements, and live with it! It won't go away!

 

[sandie]

Yes, it has been quite a different story with our persian addition. If you would like a little more insight, there are a lot of posts about grooming the persians in the grooming section. You may want to read through them!!! They are so cute that you cant resist..

 

[mike w]

OOPS!!! After re-reading the original post, I see where the problem was with a domestic shorthair... NOT a Persian! Sorry... I must learn to read more carefully! (Or pay attention to what I read!)

Go ahead and remove this and my last post if you want... they were off-topic and irrevelant anyhow!

Mike W

 

[dayrt67]

I have just read the posts on runny eyes for cats and I see it is more common for persian cats? I have a longhair cat with runny eyes too. I just thought maybe he had a cold in his eye....Does anyone know if it could just be that? I keep wiping them with tissue and somedays it seems to get better and other days it comes again with a pussy type of matter. Help???

Debbie

 

[Anne]

You know, I think that although the cause may be different you may still be able to use some of the grooming tips for Persian regarding the eyes. So the Persian posts were not off topic IMO.

 

[sandie]

The tearing in Persians actually comes from smaller ducts from the pushed in face. If your cat does not have a pushed in face, it may be allergies or an infection. I would consult a vet on this one. An eye infection left untreated may cause blindness.