Why are my kitten's eyes constantly watering with clear discharge?

Hello. It is very common for an upper respiratory tract infection to also cause eye symptoms. This may include a clear watery discharge and inflammation of the eyelids and conjunctiva. If the discharge becomes thick and yellow/ green or your cat squints or is holding the eye closed, she should be rechecked and started in eye medication as well. If the symptoms are mild as they are now, it may resolve on its own when the virus runs its course and goes away. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

This could be a few things. Most of the time this indicates and infection. I recommend to figure out if this is the case by having Charli examined by the veterinarian. Charli may get antibiotic eye drops to see if the treatment makes the discharge go away. Another reason could be an abnormal sinus. In this case, some of these kitties will respond to cat lysine given every day. Most of these kitties will still have some drainage and you will want to keep track of what is normal for Charli. Less commonly, a blocked tear duct can also cause this issue, Continue keeping the eye clean. This will help to prevent any issues with infection on the skin due to increased moisture. If Charli wants to rub at the eye at all, have him wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Thank you for sending pictures as well- this is very helpful. The eyes (right eye especially) do look very infected. Eye infections in kittens are usually caused by a virus and is best treated with antibiotics and sometimes antiviral medications and supplements such as Lysine. Sometimes these infections can cause the kitten to rub excessively around the eyes which can cause the area around the eye to become very red and inflamed. Batshiva does really need to see a veterinarian for this so she can get properly treated. Eye infections can lead to lead to more serious conditions or the eye so it is best that she is seen sooner rather than later. I hope this helps and I hope she can see a veterinarian soon!

Hello, and thank you for your question! Seraphina is a gorgeous kitty. The eye discharge may be due to a mild herpes virus infection, blocked tear ducts, or environmental allergies. To rule out a herpes infection, you can try giving her a lysine supplement, which will help to strengthen her immune system and reduce the clinical signs of herpes such as runny eyes and sneezing: If this does not help after a few weeks, I would recommend visiting your veterinarian. They can confirm whether or not Seraphina has an eye infection, and discuss antihistamine options to treat environmental allergies, or recommend flushing the tear ducts under sedation. In the meantime, try to keep the eye area free of discharge by cleaning out the discharge daily with a warm soft cloth. I hope this helps, and that your little girl improves soon!

Cats often are infected with herpesvirus as kittens, and it can come and go throughout their lives, but often it flares up during times of stress (such as adding a new kitten). They can also get secondary bacterial infections in the eyes and upper respiratory infections. If it's not improving on its own or he starts squinting or pawing at his eye he may need antibiotic drops from your vet.

Kitten needs to be examined by the veterinarian today. Many cats will get viral infections that cause sneezing and upper respiratory symptoms. Some of these kittens will get viral infections that also affect the eye and can cause painful ulcers which can progress and dive deeper into the eye (which is not good). Lysine supplements for cats may help with viral infections in general but your kitten still needs to be examined today. The doctor needs to check the eye for an ulcer, scratch or perhaps a foreign object trapped under the eye lid. You must also protect the eye from any scratching with an elizabethan collar. I hope this helps and best of luck.

This actually sounds more like a viral upper respiratory infection. Herpesvirus and calicivirus are very common in cats and many cats are exposed as kittens then continue to have mild outbreaks throughout their lives, particularly during times of stress. Symptoms include watery or red eyes with clear discharge, squinting, sneezing and clear nasal discharge. If this is new for Cass I'd recommend having your veterinarian take a look at her to see what they think. I would not recommend using any eye washes or giving antihistamines - this would be unlikely to help and could make the symptoms worse.