My cat's eye is leaking and she's lethargic. Allergies or other cause?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Allie! The most common cause for an excessively teary eye is a viral upper respiratory tract infection and they can cause a fever. A fever can cause lethargy and not wanting to eat. Other possibilities are an injury to the eye that is painful. Since he isn't eating and lethargic he needs to be examined by a Vet. Cats shouldn't go longer than 2-3 days with out eating as they can get very sick from a secondary liver problem. I wish Allie a speedy recovery!

The most common reason for a watery eye is infection though allergies are possible. Without an exam, it's hard to know. Since it's been going on a week, I recommend to have Pet examined by the veterinarian. Sometimes Lysine for cats can help as well as an oral supplement. I hope this helps.

Her duct that draining the eye could be clogged. I would put a warm compress on inner part of the eye near the nose and gently massage. You could also try Benadryl twice a day to see if there is an allergy component. If this doesn’t help, I would talk to your vet about y’all trying an antibiotics eye drop with or without a steroid to see if that helps it. I hope this helps! https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/

If your pet has tested negative and has been vaccinated for feline leukemia and feline aids, you shouldn't have to worry about those. This could simply be an upper respiratory infection (if sneezing or nasal drainage have been seen), allergies are common this time of year, feline herpes (if you've seen an ulcer or bump), or maybe even something going on with just the eye. You'll want to visit your local Veterinarian for an exam. He/she may prescribe an antibiotic depending on Zoey's condition.

What a cutie! I am sorry to hear about Kalli's issue. Allergies is one possible cause. Abnormally positioned eyelashes or facial hair touching the cornea can also cause this, as can blockage of the nasolacrimal duct which normally drains tears off the eyes. You can read more about this issue at https://www.vin.com/veterinarypartner/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951527 (the article says dogs but applies to cats as well). I would recommend wiping the tears from her face several times a day with a wet cloth. If she seems bothered by the tears, she squints or rubs her eyes, or the eyes look red or develop a green or yellow discharge she needs to see the vet. If she is stressed by travel to the vet you can see if there is a housecall vet in your area, or you can ask her vet for medication to give her prior to her visit to make her less stressed. You can also use Feliway spray on her carrier and give her a calming supplement such as Composure or Zylkene beforehand to try to help her be less stressed. These products are available online or at your vet's office.

This actually sounds more like a viral upper respiratory infection. Herpesvirus and calicivirus are very common in cats and many cats are exposed as kittens then continue to have mild outbreaks throughout their lives, particularly during times of stress. Symptoms include watery or red eyes with clear discharge, squinting, sneezing and clear nasal discharge. If this is new for Cass I'd recommend having your veterinarian take a look at her to see what they think. I would not recommend using any eye washes or giving antihistamines - this would be unlikely to help and could make the symptoms worse.

If he is blinking this eye excessively also, then I would recommend taking him to your vet to have the eye examined. It is very likely he has an eye infection and in need of antibiotic eye ointment to help clear things up. Eye infections are common in cats and can be caused by a mild scratch or ulcer on the eye. They can also be caused by mild viral infections (i.e. Herpesvirus, Calicivirus). I hope your furry friends eye issue resolves soon! Best wishes and take care.