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My cat's eye was pink yesterday, now red and swollen. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Turkish Van | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 5 months old | 10 lbs

Yesterday he had a little pink around his eye but now it’s his whole eye.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Elizabeth

Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on July 6th, 2022

Hello, my name is Dr. Elizabeth and I certainly share your concern.

With the description of the lesion changing quickly and how it looks, I'm concerned this is either ringworm (which humans can get) or a bacterial infection.

I recommend to get Smokey into the veterinarian this week. They may want to test him for ringworm. I suspect he'll get some type of medication as well.

At home you should have him wear an elizabethan collar at all times. You can purchase one of these at almost any pet store.

Avoid touching that lesion. If you do, wash your hands really well with soap and water afterwards.

You may consider isolating Smokey to one area in the house until you know it's not ringworm. Once a pet has ringworm, any place it hangs out needs to be thoroughly cleaned several times to remove the fungal spores.

I hope this helps to provide some guidance and that this gets figured out quickly!
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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