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Why is my cat drooling excessively after eye drops for conjunctivitis?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 5 months old

My cat has started drooling excessively from her mouth and nose straight after giving her eye drops from the vet for conjunctivitis for the last 4 days every time. Is this normal? However this morning she started drooling again but I only picked her up to do the drops so I hadn't put them on her yet. Is this stress releated as I know she hates me doing it? Or is it a reaction to the medication? I would love some advice

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Answered By Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist, Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner

Published on February 5th, 2018

One of the medications that we will use for eye pain in cats is called Atropine Sulfate. This medication is notorius for making cats drool profusely since the tear duct system is connected to the nose and mouth (so cats will taste the eye drops). This can potentially occur with other eye drops, but Atropine tends to cause the worst problems. The drooling your noticed this morning is likely related to her anticipating the taste of the eye drops (like a Pavlovian response where dogs drool when they anticipate their dinner). If her drooling response is making it difficult for her to tolerate her eye drops, I would recommend contacting your veterinarian to see how long she needs to take the eye drops and if there is an alternative available for her.
Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.
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