My cat's eye is squinty with brownish discharge. Is it serious?

I can see excessive discharge in the right eye and the eye is not as open as the left one. These signs indicate something abnormal and as always with eyes I would recommend to have the eye examined by a vet. The vet will examine the different parts of the eye and make sure no foreign material present as well as stain the eye to evaluate the cornea. Possible causes can be: trauma, foreign material, conjunctivitis, upper respiratory infection and more. Hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

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! Sometimes a scratch can be naked to the visible eye and you need a special stain to see it. I would recommend having a vet check that first. If negative, he may have herpesvirus. This is common in cats and can flair up in times of change or stress. If so, there are antiviral oral and eye medications if needed. Good luck and kisses to Onyx!

Hello. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Squinting of the eye is due to pain - that is not seen with allergies. Most often, in cats, the pain is due to an ocular herpes virus infection or a scratch on the corneal surface. I suggest you take him to the vet for an examination.

Hi there. Simba could have a bacterial or viral infection, or something within his eyelid that is irritating the eye and causing the discharge. I would recommend having him checked by your vet. They will be able to test the eye and look for a cause, as well as prescribe meds to get it cleared up. I hope that helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. This could be any number of things such as a flare up of a herpes virus very common in cats, or he has as infection, possibly from a small scratch on his cornea, or even a bit on conjunctivitis. Wil should see his veterinarian to make sure there is nothing more serious with the eye, & usually, with the proper treatments & medications, eyes clear up very nicely. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I agree that Sprinkles' right eye appears to have a good bit of discharge and squinting. While it's possible that this issue could be caused by an infection, I would expect both eyes to be affected. When only one eye squints, I worry more about corneal ulcers or abrasions. The only way to know for sure is to take Sprinkles to a vet for a physical exam, including eye evaluation. Since Sprinkles is feral, this process is likely to be more challenging, so you may want to ask your vet if they can prescribe a mild oral sedative like gabapentin to be given before the appointment. Depending on what is found, Sprinkles will likely need to receive eye medication at least twice per day, so he may need to be kept inside or in a safe, confined area until this issue has resolved. Eye issues can change and progress rapidly, so it's best to have him evaluated as soon as possible. Until then, keep him confined and try to put an e-collar (cone) on him if at all possible to prevent any rubbing or scratching of this eye. I hope that he's on the mend soon!