My cats' eyes are irritated on and off, is it allergies or infection?

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.

The NutriVet eye rinse is just a rinse, not a treatment for an infection. It won't hurt but it probably won't help in this case. Unfortunately I cannot tell much from the photos. We have a glitch in the system that won't allow me to enlarge them. I suggest you use this ophthalmic gel for a few days (if he is otherwise acting normally) but if no response or he gets worse then he needs to see a vet. ( https://www.amazon.com/Vetericyn-1066-Ophthalmic-Gel-1-5oz/dp/B0040ZS8R8 ) Hope this helps. Best wishes.

That looks like an infection with how red it is and the fur lose. Allergies and skin mites would be other potential causes though less common. There may not be much you can do at home. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having your kitty wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

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.

I am sorry to hear about Piff! We can have allergies result in a conjunctivitis in pets that is itchy and can cause a discharge. We can also have bacterial infections, or scratches or ulcers on the cornea (surface of the eye) that can cause similar symptoms. I would recommend rinsing the eye with a sterile eye wash to remove any discharge buildup several times a day and scheduling an appointment with your vet to have the eye examined. They can put a special stain on his eye to be sure there are no defects in the cornea and can prescribe safe medication to make his eye more comfortable and treat infection if present.

This could be caused by either allergies or a virus that is affecting all the cats. If the problem is self resolving and not causing any other issues (like anorexia or lethargy) then I would not worry about it too much. If, however, it seems like your cats are ill, not wanting to eat, etc, then you should consider taking them to the vet to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Yes, this can be very normal. Cats and dogs can get allergies just like humans. Sometimes the allergic reaction manifests as itchy skin, but they can also have itchy, watery eyes, and respiratory symptoms. Based on what you were describing with your cat, since it happens seasonally, I would be suspicious of allergies. One other thing to consider in your cat would be an upper respiratory virus. These viruses can remain in the system for long periods of time and cause ocular symptoms like you are describing and also sometimes cause respiratory symptoms. Sometimes cats need medication to get over these respiratory viruses but often times they self resolved within a couple of weeks. Since rinsing his eyes out routinely last year helped I would recommend starting with that again. You may also want to try and over-the-counter anti-histamine like Zyrtec as well. If you don’t see improvement within a reasonable period of time then you might want to take him back to the vet to have him checked out. Sometimes goopy eyes can be indicative of more complicated diseases like anterior uveitis or corneal ulcers. I hope this helps. Thanks reason Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.