Tear Stains and Face cleaning

capt_jordi

TCS Member
Thread starter
Top Cat
Joined
Jul 31, 2007
Messages
2,777
Purraise
13
Location
Knoxville, TN
So I've recently adopted a Himalayan, who we've named Brimley, from a bad situation. He is a wonderful but weird cat. But he is also an allergy cat. He is on Hydroxyzine to help control the allergies and it seems to be helping some.

(first some back story:) When he was surrendered by his owner at the vets office I work at, he was in very bad shape. Skinny, eyes mostly swollen shut, very horrible teeth, matted from head to toe, and covered in poo from his mats. So we shaved him, got him healthier and then I brought him home. We lost Joey in September of last year and you could tell Google missed having another cat friend, so when this cat came up for adoption I knew I had to bring him home! Introductions went incredibly smooth,  Brimley walked in and acted like he had lived here forever, no hiding or cowering, just immediately sat on my SO's lap and watched tv with us all night. Google hissed at him twice the first day and that was all. We kept Brimley locked in the guest bedroom while we were gone or unable to keep an eye on him. But by a week or so in when the cats were laying on the couch side by side, we figured it was time to let Brimley have full run! And they love each other!

Google is long haired, but lord help you if you try to brush him. Usually we will hold him down and try to get any mats the best we can, or I will take him into work where I have extra hands. Although at the beginning of summer I threw in the towel and shaved him. His coat was so thick that he couldnt groom himself and he was a bit miserable. He was completely happy after the shave and loved it. But minus the occasional thing there is no real grooming involved with Google.

Brimley is a different story. Although he LOVES to be brushed, so thats a big plus! But that flat face results in him constantly looking like a mess. And he has tear stains and constant eye goop that I have no idea how to combat! I bought some of the kitty eye wipes from the pet store, but they really dont seem to help that much. Holding him down and wiping with a wet wash cloth helps some. But is there anything else I can do for him? He lost a lot of his teeth, so he gets mostly wet food which of course ends up all over his face, We've switched him to a very flat glass bowl to try to help combat the food on the face problem.  He is not a graceful drinker, or a big drinker for that matter, so we are looking into a fountain for him otherwise its another rather flat wide bowl but he doesnt seem to like it. 

How the heck do I keep my cats face clean?? And how in the world does one clean a nose fold?

And some pics although his face tends to look cleaner in pics.:

 

his second day home. His tongue always sticks out some.


He looks giant here, but he is only 5 pounds. 


So now I have a giant cat and a tiny cat. Google is 16.6 pounds and not actually that fat, he is just a very large breed cat.


A more recent one showing how icky his face can look. 

Can someone offer some suggestions?
 
Last edited:

LTS3

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Aug 29, 2014
Messages
19,209
Purraise
19,695
Location
USA
You can buy eye cleaning wipes from the pet store. Some may be specifically for tear stains. General pet cleaninn wipes would work for the rest of the face. I use the EarthBath brand of wipes. I wonder if you can tuck a corner of a wipe in the nose fold and rub it back and forth to clean? I found this that may help: http://pets.thenest.com/clean-himalayan-cats-nose-9448.html Maybe you can contact some Himalayan breeders or rescues and ask how they keep their cats' faces clean?
 

spiffykitty

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 9, 2012
Messages
72
Purraise
21
I like to use the simplest possible methods, so here is what I do with flat-faced cats. This is such an extreme type of face that I don't think there is any way around doing a daily cleaning. Otherwise, the moisture and debris will build up. 

I like to use either a folded piece of toilet paper or better yet, a small, square gauze pad. First, I make the paper or gauze slightly damp. I clean the crevice, as best I can. Then I use a dry pad/tissue to dry the crevice. We don't want that area to be constantly damp, because that could lead to infection.

Another method I use is this: I use a flea comb or a feline toothbrush to very, very carefully comb out that area. The comb goes into the crevice. 

If you have the money in your budget, I strongly recommend looking for a local cat groomer. Try to find one who only grooms cats, or who has a special "cats only" day at the salon. Cat groomers deal with this sort of problem every day. Schedule at least a three-times yearly groom. 

Congrats on your adoption!
 

GoldyCat

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
Jul 31, 2008
Messages
15,759
Purraise
4,676
Location
Arizona
You could try using a Q-tip to clean in the crease. I think that would be easier than trying to get a corner of a tissue or gauze into it.
 
Top