My cat's eye discharge is drying. Should I still take him to the vet?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. I would say that based on the picture and your description, as long as the eye does not look reddened or inflamed and the discharge is not green or yellow then I would say waiting 2 or 3 days should be fine. If at the end of the two to three day time frame the discharge is still there and is not any better or is worse, then I would schedule an appointment with a veterinarian to have this looked at. The eye discharge could be from allergies, infection or trauma. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please feel free to contact me with any other questions you may have and I would be more than happy to answer any you may have.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sometimes a scratch can be naked to the visible eye and you need a special stain to see it. I would recommend having a vet check that first. If negative, he may have herpesvirus. This is common in cats and can flair up in times of change or stress. If so, there are antiviral oral and eye medications if needed. Good luck and kisses to Onyx!

Cats often are infected with herpesvirus as kittens, and it can come and go throughout their lives, but often it flares up during times of stress (such as adding a new kitten). They can also get secondary bacterial infections in the eyes and upper respiratory infections. If it's not improving on its own or he starts squinting or pawing at his eye he may need antibiotic drops from your vet.

I would have Junor seen by a vet. This discharge can be indicative of an eye infection, and that requires an antibiotic eye ointment to treat. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any problem with it should be considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would take Junor into a vet right away to have his eyes examined and treated.

Excessive discharge and crusty nose as well may be due to an upper respiratory tract infection possibly due to a viral infection. These infections can be quite severe and cause superficial keratitis when they affect the cornea as well. That may be the reason for the cloudy appearance of the left eye. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. This eye infection appears to be quite severe. If the current treatment is not working well, it may be time to consider switching to a different antibiotic. If this is viral, an antiviral drug might be considered if this is bad enough. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Lysine for cats may help if this is viral as well as this will help shorten the duration of a viral herpes infection. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Sneezing and eye discharge make me suspicious of a viral infection, especially feline herpes virus. Herpes virus can cause a myriad of eye problems including ulcers, conjunctivitis, and keratitis. I would highly encourage you to have him evaluated by a veterinarian soon as you don’t want the problem to get worse. In the meantime I would use a warm water compress on the eye several times a day for 5 minutes at a time. Best of luck and I hope he improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.