My cat woke up with one eye closed. Why can't she open it?

This film over Angel's eye could actually be her third eyelid, or nictitating membrane. This typically covers the cat's eye when they are sleeping, but it can appear when the cat's eye is open due to illness, infection, or injury. I would have Angel seen by a vet right away this. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any problem with it should be considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. The vet can determine if it is her third eyelid sticking, what's causing it, and how best to treat it.

Poor Storm! He could have an eye infection, corneal scratch, corneal ulcer, etc. You could try to rinse his eye with an eye wash or artificial tears and see if that helps. Otherwise, he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. Your vet can stain his eye to look for an ulcer/scratch on his cornea and then prescribe medications to help. He may need an antibiotic to treat.

What you are seeing is Zoe's third eyelid, which is a normal part of a cat's anatomy. What isn't normal, however, is it being out while her eye is open. Normally it comes out when her eye is closed, and if it's out while her eye is open, that signals a medical problem such as an eye infection. An eye infection would also keep her from opening her eye as normal. The eye is such a delicate and important structure that any problem with it should be considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would have Zoe seen by a vet as soon as possible to have her eye examined and treated.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. I highly recommend that you have Chiku evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

You could use a warm washcloth to get some of the mucous off of Cat's eye and hopefully allow it to open, but I wouldn't try too hard to open it. It is possible that she is holding it shut because it is painful as well. It sounds like she could have an upper respiratory infection, which is usually viral however if there is eye discharge she could have a secondary bacterial infection. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian so they can examine her eye and prescribe antibiotics or topical eye medication if necessary.

He may have something in it like a hair or he could have injured it somehow. Place an e-collar (cone) on him and have him seen by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. A potential eye injury should be addressed sooner rather than later to prevent unnecessary pain, permanent damage or loss of vision.

I'm so sorry that Myrtle has been injured. Injuries to the cornea (the clear outer portion of the eye) are very painful, so that is likely why Myrtle is keeping her eye closed. Hopefully Myrtle just has a small scratch that will heal well, but I would strongly recommend having it evaluated ASAP to get her on antibiotics if there is a scratch. Unfortunately, a cat scratch to the eye can be very serious. I have included a link to more information below. https://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=554 I hope that was helpful! Thanks for using PetCoach.