My cat has URI and her other eye is suddenly gooey and swollen. Is it an emergency?

This is a classic presentation of a cat with an upper respiratory disease and conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis can be caused by a few different infections, but is commonly caused by a virus that most cats harbor and comes out during times of stress. These infections can become complicated with bacterial infections and cause more problems. Nugget's eyes appear rather infected, so I recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. They will be able to better inspect the eye and provide the most appropriate treatment. For now, you can flush the eye 3-4 times a day with saline (can get this at the pharmacy) to help clean and soothe it. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI You can also help the congestion by giving a steam bath. Below is a link to information about upper respiratory disease in cats and explains how to do the steam bath. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier It's best if you can get Nugget to a vet within the next day or two. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make her feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and Nugget feels better soon.

Poor Daisy! It can take the eye a little time to respond to the ointment, and sometimes it will get worse before better. I would apply the ointment 3 times a day if it is this bad. If the eye does not start to settle, or you notice cloudiness or redness on the eyeball itself, I would take her back to the vet as sometimes when the eye is sore they can scratch it and cause an ulcer on the eye itself, this can be serious.

It sounds like Olive has an eye infection. We are unable to prescribe anything for her, it's illegal for us to do that without seeing her in person. Any eye problem is a medical emergency as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take her into a vet now to get this treated. Best of luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Sabian! I am concerned about his eye and I suggest you take him to an open 24 hr Veterinary Emergency hospital. When it comes to eye issues it is best to have the pet seen sooner than later. Possible causes are: corneal ulcer, glaucoma, ruptured globe, severe conjunctivitis, tumor, or tooth root abscess. He needs to have the eye examined, stained for an ulcer and possibly the pressure measured with in the eye. He would nee a safe eye medication to be prescribed based on the cause of the swelling. I hope this helps and I wish Sabian a speedy recovery. Happy New Year!

if you are noticing the eyes are looking worse, I recommend to call the vet asap. It could be an allergic reaction but it could also be a worsening of the viral infection (and the meds have not had enough time to take effect yet). You vet is the best one to advise you in this scenario. I hope Emma starts feeling better quickly and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hunny's eyes look really bad. It looks like she has a severe eye infection. Any eye problem is considered an emergency because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take her into a vet immediately. While there, the vet can treat her stuffy nose as well. Best of luck.

Ori is such a handsome boy! Swelling and irritation of the eye can indicate an eye infection and/or an injury to the eye. He may be rubbing the eye because it hurts him. Unfortunately I cannot say without seeing him in person if the swelling will go down on it's own or not, and any eye problem is an emergency that requires an immediate vet visit. This is because the eye is such a delicate and important structure, and leaving problems untreated can lead to vision loss. In your picture, I can see that one is is smaller than the other, indicating the swelling. I recommend taking him into a vet asap to get this checked out. I hope this helps.