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Feral cat has a shut eye, can't get to vet. Any home remedies?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 0 lbs

Hi. One of the feral cats I feed has a eye infection. Her eye is shut, not very swollen, not oozing any pus. She doesn't seem to be in any pain. I can't afford to take her to the vet, and she won't let me near her. Is there anything I can do??

5 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on November 27th, 2018

Hi, and thanks for your question.
That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Unfortunately there is not much you can effectively do back home without veterinary assistance. A picture of it would help to give you further advices.
Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

11Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr Stafford, BVetMed, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on July 28th, 2017
I can see discharge and wounds, I would be concerned about the eyes themselves in case they are damaged. If the eyes are ok it is likely a conjunctivitis. You could ring your vet and see if they would dispense an antibiotic drop which you could apply to the eyes at home. Otherwise you may have to trap the cat and take him into the vet, they can administer a 2 week antibiotic injection that could help.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Lotus Altholtz
Veterinarian, Board-Certified Lab Animal Medicine Specialist
Published on October 6th, 2019
A prescription opthalmic antibiotic drop such as tobramycin or opthalmic antibiotic ointment such as terramycin along with daily lysine supplements to help boost a cat’s immune system will likely help. Good luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 11th, 2020
In a kitten, conjunctivitis is often from chylamdia bacteria or herpes virus. I can't tell you which just based on your description. It is best to take him to a vet for an exam. If you can get Erythromycin or Terramycin eye ointment you can put that in the eye 3 times a day until you can get him to a vet.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM
Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident
Published on August 9th, 2017
Oh poor girl! It appears that you are dealing with a severe case of conjunctivitis. I would recommend that you continue to wipe off the excesive mucus so that her eyes are not crusted shut as that can be quite uncomfortable. The trick is in being as gentle as possible. Try to use something very soft such as a soft towel soaked in slightly warm water. Your veterinarian tomorrow will most likely prescribe other medications to try to improve her condition. Best of luck with Azalia!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

My neighborhood stray cat has a closed eye. What home care can I give?

It's always tough trying to deal with feral cats. The best option would be to take her to the vet (maybe they could spay her at the same time? Not all vets would be able to do that, but might be worth asking). The vet could sedate her, check out her eye, and vaccinate her for rabies at least. There is a risk of her biting, but we usually can take appropriate precautions to avoid this. If you do take her in, ask your vet ahead of time what preferences they have for type of carrier etc so that they have the best chance of successfully looking at her. It will probably end up costing you a decent amount of money to take her in, because of the extra time +/- sedation that will be required (plus costs for testing, vaccines, medications), so just be aware of that ahead of time. That said, to answer your question about care at home - she could have a viral eye infection (very very common in cats), or it could have gotten worse and become a bacterial infection or an ulcer. She could have issues with the pressure in her eye or have a congenital problem. All we really know is that her eye hurts for some reason. All you can really do at home is keep the eye clean with a warm wash cloth and maybe put some lubricating drops in (GenTeal severe is best for this, it's an OTC human eye drop). You can also give her L-lysine treats which will help fight off a viral infection. That won't be enough if she has a bacterial infection, an ulcer, or really any issue other than a mild viral infection. Eye issues can get bad fast she risks losing sight or the eye itself, so definitely consider going the vet route if at all possible. I hope she's feeling better soon! Good luck!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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My kitten's eye is shut and looks infected. What should I do?

Unfortunately we are not able to prescribe medicine through this website. Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. Antibiotics (eye drops) for human beings can be used (chloramphenicol 0,5 % three times daily for a week). If no improvement are seen a check up would be required. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. The puffy cheek may be due to an abscess, possibly related to teeth. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. In case of a tooth abscess systemic antibiotics and tooth extraction will be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis and eyelid inflammation, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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Updated on September 23rd, 2025

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