A cat has tears in one eye what to do

Increased lacrimation is observed in older cats, which due to their age find it difficult to take care of themselves. This task should be taken up by the owner of the pet.

What to do if a cat has tears in one eye and squints?

Such symptoms occur with many diseases. The most common ones are:

It is usually recommended for cats with this process to put tetracycline eye ointment in both eyes under the eyelid 0.5 cm 3 times a day. If there is no improvement within 5-7 days, take the cat to a veterinary ophthalmologist. Unlike diamond eyes, tetracycline has a therapeutic effect and is indicated for both diseases.

Hello, you will need to see a veterinary ophthalmologist. You will need to take a cytology from the conjunctiva, and undergo a course of treatment. There can be many causes, but chronic viral infection or chlamydia lesions are the most likely.

Find the cause and treat it. Virus or eyelid congestion, allergic reaction or mechanical damage. Read more

🔘 Veterinary exotologist (Univet Balashikha,Kostino) 🦔🐀🦜🦇 🔘 Cynologist (Canine. – 23 Aug 2021.

Without a diagnosis, the consequences of home treatment can be unfortunate. You need an ophthalmologist to take mucosal swabs for an eye profile and perform an examination for an accurate diagnosis.

Veterinary clinic manager, veterinarian, breeder of Malinois and Akita Inu, athlete. – 16 Aug 2021

Good day! Unfortunately treating your dog without making an accurate diagnosis can have very unfortunate consequences. You should consult a veterinary ophthalmologist and take a PCR test to rule out infection. Only after examination and results will it be possible to prescribe treatment. You can wipe your eyes with a cotton swab to relieve the symptoms. Read more

How to distinguish between dangerous and non-dangerous tears

When pathological Tearing in a cat presents problems in one or both eyes. The discharge is liquid or mucous, brown or slightly whitish.

The nature of the discharge may vary from liquid and clear to thick, purulent. Pathological lacrimation is usually accompanied by anxiety and itching: the cat is constantly washing and rubbing its eyes with its paws.

Its body temperature may rise, its eyes may become red, and its eyelids may swell. Crusts may form at the corners of the eyes and hair may fall out. When only one eye is watery, the cat squints at it and rubs it with its paw. Pathological lacrimation may be accompanied by lethargy, poor appetite and other signs of illness.

With a sick animal, you should go to the veterinarian to get a consultation, understand the causes of the disease and take all necessary measures. Timely treatment can help avoid dangerous complications such as infection and blindness.

Tearing in cats can also occur due to natural causes. For example, after sleeping one eye becomes watery and won't open. It is not dangerous: you should rinse the eye with boiled water or decoction of chamomile.

Long-haired cats often have profuse tears due to fur in the lacrimal duct and the accompanying irritation. Breeders are advised to trim the long hair on the muzzle of a long-haired cat, and comb the pet regularly.

Due to the anatomy of the skull and the short nasolacrimal passages in British, Scottish and Persian cats lacrimation is a normal variant. These cats cry almost constantly, without experiencing any discomfort. Breeders of these cats need to take good care of their cat's hygiene, periodically treating their eyes and muzzle.

Common causes of tears in cats

Pets, like people, have risks of eye and nasal mucous membrane diseases. Some of them are not dangerous and can be treated at home, others require the help of a veterinarian.

The most common causes of swelling and tears from the eyes include viruses, infections and mechanical damage.

1. One cause is colds. Cats can also get too cold and get a runny nose. With a cold, cats have a high body temperature and discharge from the eyes, the animal is lethargic, lethargic, and does not eat well.
2. Infectious lesion of the mucous membrane of the eye – conjunctivitis– Is caused by pathogens or viruses. With conjunctivitis in cats, one or both eyes are watery, marked photophobia, the pet hides from bright light under the couch or bed.
3. Parasitesare also the cause of the tears. Not only intestines are affected – cats have worms living in the organs of vision. They cause inflammation, suppuration, and severe lacrimation. Treatment with antihelminthic drugs is effective.
4. A common cause of severe lacrimation and swollen eyelids in cats is allergic reaction. Allergies occur to new food, household chemicals, dust, tobacco smoke, poplar down and flower pollen. Frequent sneezing, red eyes, itching and lacrimation are the clearest signs of allergies. Treatment begins with the fact that exclude contact with the possible allergen, prescribe antihistamines and hormones, if necessary.
5. It happens that on the muzzle and curious cat's eyes get chemicals. In such cases, it is necessary to rinse the affected areas with running water as quickly as possible.
6. If a foreign body gets into the cat's eye causes redness, swelling and heavy tears in the cat's eye. To remove a particle or hair, it is necessary to rinse the eye with water and wipe it with an antibacterial solution. In complicated cases, surgical intervention is required.

Diagnosing a cat with lacrimation

In order to properly diagnose a possible disease, it is necessary to observe the cat. Sometimes eye problems are accompanied by a change in behavior. A decrease in activity, refusal of food can confirm the presence of the disease. The visual examination should determine:

• Both eyes are affected or only one;
• How often tears are secreted;
• How much tears are secreted;
• How clean and color the eyeball is;
• whether there are traces of blood or pus in the fluid;
• whether the mucous membranes and eyelids are swollen;
• whether the third eyelid has not fallen out.

To find out the cause of the animal's tearing, the eye should be examined carefully. Before this, first wash your hands or wipe them with a disinfectant solution. The cat's eyes are washed of secretions and examined by gently pulling back the lower eyelid. A clinical picture is drawn up based on the results of the diagnosis. Signs of eye problems are determined by the condition of the visual organ and the nature of the discharge.

If the cat sneezes and sheds tears

The cause of profuse lacrimation may be due to bacterial, fungal or viral infection. In this case, the cat sometimes coughs, sneezes and tears in the eyes. Respiratory system diseases are not ruled out with such a problem. The animal is tested for mycoplasmosis and chlamydia. With a weakened immune system, the disease can last for more than a week. Another reason why the cat has watery eyes, coughing and sneezing appeared is allergies.

If the tears with a brown discharge

The brown color of the tear fluid is due to the presence of dark-colored pigments in it. There are several reasons for this lacrimation. In some cats, brown tears are a consequence of a short and narrow tear duct. A growing tumor may lead to the narrowing of the duct. But by no means always the culprit is the anatomical structure of the organ. In some cases the dark fluid accumulates due to a worm infestation or non-infectious inflammation of the lacrimal sac. Another cause is trauma, which causes blood to enter the lacrimal secretion.

External factors of tearful eyes

Apart from internal reasons concerning diseases and anatomical apparatus of the visual analyzer there are also external factors that cause an increase in tear discharge. They can be divided into two groups. The first is foreign objects getting under the eyelid. A cat is not always able to remove the dust and dirt on its own. Sharp objects can mechanically traumatize the eye. If foreign particles linger on the mucosa, they cause itching, redness, inflammation. Increased lacrimation in this situation is a physiological reaction of the body. The liquid helps to flush out the foreign inclusion.

The second group of irritants does not get directly to the mucosa. Tear production is triggered by volatile compounds in the air. The cause may be aromatization of the room, chopping onions, release of increased amounts of natural gas, smoke from cigarettes or a fire. It is not necessary to treat the cat, just rinse the eyes with saline solution.

Preventive measures

To avoid problems with cats' eyes, it is necessary to pay regular attention to their examination and hygiene. You should not neglect quarterly deworming and vaccination. To prevent the development of any pathology, you should once every six months to show the pet to a specialist – as you know, the disease is easier to cure at an early stage.

At the slightest problems with the cat's eyes, it is better to show the pet to a specialist – you should not experiment with the health of your pet. On the competent and timely conducted therapy depends largely on a favorable outcome of any disease.

Hello, my name is Elena. I am 35 years old. Education: higher education, department of economics and management. Worked as an accountant in a bank and an agro-industrial holding company.

Diagnosing the problem

If a cat's eyes have been flowing for more than a day and you notice signs of inflammation, go to the veterinary clinic immediately.
As a rule, a cat's discharge from the lacrimal sac is examined for herpesvirus and chlamydia, the patency of the nasolacrimal duct is checked (fluorescein test), blood, urine and stool samples are examined, and an eye ultrasound or ophthalmoscopy (examination of the eye fundus) is performed.

Note. Do not wash the cat's eyes with antiseptic solutions or put antimicrobial ointments behind the eyelid until you have the test results. Taking medications can change the clinical picture and lead to a misdiagnosis.

Treatment of the disease

When the diagnosis is made, the doctor may prescribe conservative treatment. For example, in case of an infectious disease the cat is prescribed a course of antibiotics. In case of inflammation – washing with antiseptic solutions. For allergies – antihistamines. However, in some cases, the problem of lacrimation can be solved only with surgical intervention.
The duration of treatment and rehabilitation depends on the strength of the cat's immunity and the complexity of the case.