My cat is squinting one eye. Is it a scratch? Can I use eye ointment?

Hello, A cat scratch to the eye can be a serious emergency and warrants evaluation by a veterinarian. It is important to have the eye evaluted because if left untreated, Fluffy may develop a severe infection inside the eye. However, with prompt treatment and application of an E-collar she should make a speedy recovery.

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.

Great job thinking on your feet to keep Midnight in your lap so that he can't scratch his eye. It sounds as if he may have either gotten something in his eye or potentially have a corneal ulcer, which is just a fancy way to say a small cut on the surface of his eye (the cornea). It is important that you keep him from scratching or rubbing the eye, as this can potentially cause more damage. Midnight will definitely need to see a veterinarian to examine his eye and prescribe the appropriate medication if needed. In the meantime, I highly recommend getting Midnight an e-collar, or cone of shame until you can get him seen by a vet as soon as possible. Most pet stores sell them, PetCo. definitely carries them. While this is not a true emergency, it may be easier to take Midnight to an emergency clinic just to get things taken care of before there is time for things to potentially get worse. I hope this helps and good luck with everything. I'm happy to consult with you or your parents if they have any additional questions.

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.

If Halo's actual eyeball (cornea) was scratched she should be seen by a veterinarian as soon as possible because she will need an antibiotic ointment to heal properly. They will use a special stain to evaluate the eye and prescribe the appropriate medication if needed.

Your vet will need to take a look at your cat's eye to see if the scratch perforated the cornea and involved other structures of the eye. Your vet should also see it to treat it because not treating it can lead to vision loss depending on the severity of the injury. The course of treatment will depend on the severity of the injury and the part of the eye that was injured. If the wound is non-perforating and has no wound edge or opening, an Elizabethan collar will be used to prevent your cat from scratching at its eye, along with antibiotic or atropine eye solutions. Non-perforating wounds that have a mild break in the tissue, or a pinpoint wound perforation, may be treated with a soft contact lens, an Elizabethan collar, and antibiotic or atropine solutions. If the scratch goes deep into the eye and involves other structures in the eye, surgical repair will likely be needed. Your vet is the best person to determine what course of treatment is best.

Hello, & thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I am so sorry that Sheldon has scratched his eye. These are common injuries in kittens, & invariably they need to be treated with antibiotics. The reason for this is there is no way to clean or bandage the eye & there is bacteria on the eye. Depending on how deep the scratch goes will also dictate how deep an infection can become seated. In addition, a scratched cornea is very painful. Antibiotics will prevent a massive & deep infection from possibly compromising the eye, & appropriate pain medication will make Sheldon much happier. The thing to remember is an eye infection can clear up very quickly with proper treatment. Things can also go very bad without, so I hope you ca have him seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Good luck.