My cat's eye is bothering him. Can I use a rinse or wait for the vet?

Poor Pip! Looks like he has a little abrasion there. It’s reasonable to put an e-collar on him and wait a few days to see if it starts looking better on its own. Since it is so close to the eye, there’s nothing over the counter that you can safely put on it at home, just keep it clean (water only) and dry and use a cone (ecollar) to keep him from rubbing at it. If it’s not looking better in 3-4 days, take him to the vet. If it starts looking worse, if he starts developing additional clinical signs, or if he starts having additional sores show up elsewhere, don’t wait, take him in. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

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.

I always lean toward being more careful with eye conditions. Even though you could likely wait 5 days, I would probably go to the emergency vet if it was my cat. And it is likely uncomfortable for Roxie, so I would like to get it treated. Eye conditions can become very severe very quickly, so I would have it evaluated sooner rather than later. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It looks as if Pip may just scratched the corner of his eye, most likely with his paw, and it now has a small abrasion. I think it is ok to just watch it for now. If you notice any tearing, discharge, or if Pip is constantly holding the eye closed, you should probably have it checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Piper. Poor girl. You can get some sterile saline and use that to flush her eyes twice daily until you are able to get her into the vet. You should be able to find some sterile saline at a pharmacy. I hope this helps!

You will have to use your best judgement on if Binx needs to see the vet tonight or if it can wait, since I am not able to evaluate the eye. If he has chronic eye infections, they may be viral, and the antibiotics may or may not be needed. Helping him keep it clean by using a warm wet washcloth until he sees the vet.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You can keep Colin's face clean with a damp, warm washcloth. If the discharge is continuous, or he is squinting or eyes are matted closed he should see a veterinarian to determine the cause of the ocular discharge. Do not use any sort of eye drops without a veterinary prescription. Treatment will vary depending on the cause of the infection or inflammation.