My cat's eye is squinting and pink. Is it an injury or infection?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. From the pictures you posted it does not look that there is anything very serious going on with her left eye. Squinting the eye could be result of trauma (usually scratch from another cat) or infection. Please, keep wiping the eye and giving her soothing eye drops. If the eye is not back to normal after 5-6 days, you will have to try and get her seen by a vet.

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 Shelby evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!

Squinting, or keeping one eye closed, is usually a sign of pain in the eye - so yes, this is something that I would definitely have checked by your vet when you are able to :) Fudge Stripe may have an eye infection, or an injury to her cornea such as a scratch or ulcer. Your veterinarian can do a thorough ophthalmic exam and may also use a special eye stain if needed to help diagnose the problem so that your kitty can be treated appropriately.

I see what you mean. He could be squinting because the light is painful to his eye, and it may be he has injured his eyes or has an eye infection. Any eye problem is an emergency because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I'd take him into a vet right away to get checked out. Best of luck.

Its a bit hard to tell from the photos. It may be a wound that has caused the problem, or its possible he was rubbing his eye if his eye was uncomfortable already, and then he scratched it traumatized the skin there on the inner part of the eye. Put an Ecollar (cone of shame) on him so that he can't scratch at it or rub the eye on the ground, worsening the problem, and get him in to see the vet in the next couple of days.

It is very important that Frankie be seen by a vet for proper diagnosis and treatment of her eye to determine if this is an infection, if it is due to allergies or trauma, if it is a corneal ulcer( a scratch on the eye), or another condition that may need to be treated in a completely different manner. Squinting can indicate pain, so you are correct that something is wrong with her eye. Over-the-counter medications are not recommended for use in treatment without a vet visit, as some types of eye ointments and drops contain steroids that can severely damage an eye that has sustained a corneal ulcer or trauma. In addition, cats can have allergic reactions to certain human eye medications. Her vet will need to evaluate her eye, and a Fluorescein stain to check for scratches, tonometry to test the eye pressures, and a Schirmer tear test to evaluate tear production may be needed, based on the vet’s ophthalmic exam findings.

When they squint the eye they do that because it’s painful; so she is in pain. Usually they squint because there has been an injury to the cirnea. I suggest you get her to the vet for an exam. Eyes are very delicate organs and can go from bad to worse quickly. I don’t think you need to rush her to the ER but try to get her in tomorrow to see your vet.