How to help a stray cat with a missing eye that is infected?

Hi there and thanks for posting! Eye infections will need to be seen and treated by a veterinarian as the cat may have a viral or bacterial infection of the eye which may need antibiotics or other eye medications as necessary. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This eye looks like it is ruptured. This is a constant source of pain and infection, and this cat will likely succumb to these things and not live a normal happy life. Infection could also lead to sepsis, so I highly recommend helping this stray kitty and getting this eye looked at. If the eye is too far gone, then removal of the eye (enucleation) may be the best course of action to help this poor kitty. Best of luck in caring for this street cat moving forward. Take care.

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!

It's difficult to know what this is without seeing it. This could be a bad case of conjunctivitis, an infection within the eye, or a problem with the skin surrounding the eye. Either way, this sounds very severe and it's important that Kitty be seen by a vet soon. If you can get her into carrier and take her to a vet, that would be best. Sometimes, you have to catch them in a trap (non-harmful) in order to get them to a vet. If you have trouble doing this, or are unable to take her to a vet, then I recommend calling the local shelter and asking for assistance. The shelters have vets on staff and will ensure Kitty gets the necessary treatment. I hope that helps and Kitty gets better soon.

There isn't anything you could do for the eye at home. Ideally the remaining part of the eye would be removed and the hole closed for cleanliness and comfort (avoiding infection or parasites in the socket). You might want to try to collect her and the all of the kittens. She can still have surgery even with kittens.

If it is possible I would take this cat to the SPCA or a veterinarian. This wound needs to be cleaned up and the cat needs antibiotics. If you take her to a veterinarian you would have to be able to medicate her without her running away from you and to do it safely. If you would like to continue to take care of her I would also recommend a Rabies vaccination for her to have her protected especially since you will be handling her. If you brought her to the SPCA they would take her in and after her recovery they would be able to put her up for adoption. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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.