My cat's eye is red and irritated. What should I do & when to see vet?

Since she does not want to hold it open, it may be an abrasions on the cornea from a previous foreign body such as a hair or a small scratch that is not big or deep. It can be from allergies or a mild respiratory infection that is early and just starting. You can flush the eye with saline eye drops and apply a warm compress if she will let you. If this does not get better in 24 hours or you notice further respiratory signs then I would get her checked by a vet as soon as possible

Cats commonly get an irritated eye due to trauma from a cat fight, or from something else scratching the eye. Things, like grass or fabric, can also get stuck under the eyelids and cause irritation. Infection or increased pressure are always possible though. It's difficult to know how serious this is without evaluating her, but it doesn't appear to be an emergency at this time. The mucous in the eye and licking lips just tells me that the eye is producing more discharge than normal - suspect that the licking is due to increased nasolacrimal duct drainage. For now, you can flush the eye with normal saline. Saline flush can be bought at the pharmacy, or supermarket in the eye care section. Flush the eye 3-4 times daily and gently wipe away the discharge with a warm/moist cotton or cloth. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to flush the eye. Cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI If the eye is not better within 24 hours, then it's best to have a vet evaluate it, so they can determine the severity and prescribe more specific treatment. I hope that helps and Lita gets better soon.

Tinkerbell's eye lid does appear to have some sort of tear or ulceration. This could be related to trauma or a viral infection. Tears on the eyelid should be care for quickly. I recommend to have Tinkerbell examined by his veterinarian within the next day. Make sure to protect the area from rubbing by having him wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Rubbing the eye can make it worse. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It doesn't look too bad in the picture. Poppy may have injured herself by rubbing her face against something in the home. I would keep an eye on it for now. if it gets bigger or appears infected (redness, swelling, warm to the touch, pus), then have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Keep an eye on it and if it does not look better by tomorrow, or if he starts to scratch at it or rub his face, then get him seen by your vet as soon as possible. The worry is that if he starts rubbing or scratching, that he'll injure the eye itself and that will require more intensive treatment than a simple scratch or mild eye infection.

Young kittens often get conjunctivitis. It's not pink eye (meaning it's not contagious to you), but it may require medication from your veterinarian for clinical signs to resolve. It does not sound like an emergency, but I would schedule an appointment with your veterinarian within the next several days if clinical signs have not resolved or certainly if they worsen.

The pictures are quite dark, so it's not possible to actually see the eye, but this type of case is usually due to a scratch to the outside of the eye, or a foreign body stuck under the eyelid. Scratches to the outside of the eye are not usually easy to see and we often need to apply a special stain to the eye in order to detect it. For now, it's best if you can flush the eye with normal saline. Saline flush can be bought at the pharmacy, or supermarket in the eye care section. Flush the eye 3-4 times daily and gently wipe away the discharge with a warm/moist cotton or cloth. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to flush the eye. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lXVNMcPzhs If the eye is still swollen tomorrow, then it's best to take him to the vet for an exam. It's also possible that there is an infection in the eye, or conjunctiva that is causing this. The vet should be able to narrow-down the cause of this rather quickly and provide the necessary treatment. I hope that helps and Simba gets better soon.