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Why is my cat's third eyelid showing and making him look unwell?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6.5 lbs

My cats eyes have changed, the white from the corners seems to be larger and he looks unwell.

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on July 9th, 2021

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The white tissue in the corner of the eyes is the third eye lid. It goes up like this when a cat is unwell. It is not a specific sign for one particular disease but it often means that a cat has fever, has breathing problems, has abdominal discomfort, muscle or joint pain.
Please, take Lancelot to your local vets tomorrow for full clinical examination. Your vet may recommend a blood test or abdominal scan to find out what is going on. Good luck !

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on July 19th, 2017
This is usually a sign of abdominal discomfort, often it is related to intestinal worms. you need to take Minnu to the vet in order to get her checked and de-wormed and hopefully it will solve the problem.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Jenny, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on November 23rd, 2017
Any time you can see a cat's third eyelid, it is generally a sign they do feel well for whatever reason. In your case, it must have been a GI upset to cause the diarrhea. This can be from an infection, parasites or food. I would recommend seeing an emergency clinic since it has started a few days to get some testing done and antibiotics or probiotics to add to the food. They may want to try a sensitive stomach formula food to help until things get back to normal
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on August 7th, 2018
In cats it'a usually due to an intestinal problem, worm infestation can also cause that. the first step would be to deworm him with a high quality dewromer such as Drontal or Profender, if it does not solve the problem you will need to take him to the vet for a checkup and probably other tests such as ultrasound and blood test.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on May 13th, 2017
The third eyelid showing is usually a general sign of gastrointestinal disorder in cats, it could be an infection, worms or some other chronic intestinal disease. the watery stools is also a sign of gastrointestinal disorder. Corona virus could be the cause although in my opinion it's not likely. i would suggest having a test for Giardia done (an intestinal parasite) and ask your vet to put him on an hypoallergenic food as well. he will also need another course of antibiotics.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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