My cat's eye is red and swollen, and she can't open it. What's wrong?

It looks like Kitty might have an upper respiratory infection causing conjunctivitis. A viral infection is most common, although secondary bacterial infections can also occur. A scratch on the surface of the eye could also cause redness and discharge but would not cause sneezing. I would recommend seeing your veterinarian for an exam. They can check for a scratch on the cornea or prescribe medications to treat a respiratory infection.

Hi. Poor baby. This could be an infection or a corneal ulcer. Both which are red and painful. I would recommend getting him seen today or tomorrow. Nothing over the counter besides saline is safe. Good luck

the most common causes are an eye infection or an eye injury (most commonly a scratch on the cornea). If the color of the cornea seems to be changing, i would consider it as an emergency, the damage to the eye might not be reversible if you wait until a monday apointment. if it is just a milky discharge, then it may be ok to wait until monday if it doesn't get worse in the meantime.

Oreo seems to have an infection. We cannot rule out a corneal ulcer just by looking at the picture. Cats often have upper respiratory tract infection, and develop conjunctivitis and I discharge because of it. Take Oreo to your veterinarian for a detailed exam that possibly will include staining the cornea to rule out ulcers. I forsee you will have to give eye meds at least twice a day or more depending on the physical findings. You can use a clean washcloth wet with lukewarm water and gently wash away the eye discharge for now. Good luck and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Common causes of cloudy eyes include corneal ulcer/abrasion, dry eye, conjunctivitis, viral infection, glaucoma, uveitis, among a few others. Common causes for increased third eyelid exposure include allergies, dehydration, eye pain or light sensitivity. If this is a sudden change, I recommend that Marshmallow be evaluated as soon as possible as a few of these eye issues can get drastically worse very quickly. It is also likely that Marshmallow is very uncomfortable and could benefit from appropriate eye medications or pain medications.

Poor girl. If she is indeed closing the eye and seems bothered by it, there is a good chance she has a scratch or ulcer on the the from some unknown trauma she may have caused herself. She will need prescription antibiotics from your vet to get this to heal properly. I would recommend taking her in soon to get this treated before it gets any worse. Best wishes with Millie and I hope she feels better soon. Take care.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about He Tian. I would suspect that he may have gotten into a fight with another animal outdoors, or he could have injured his eye. He can't keep his eye open because the eye is painful to light. He has to see a vet immediately. Any eye problem is considered an emergency because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website. Best of luck, I hope this helps!