My stray cat has a blind, weird eye. Is this life-threatening?

If you are able to catch the cat the best option is for it to have a veterinary exam. Whether the speed through your veterinarian or if you have a stray or feral cat consortium in your area that may help. He likely needs systemic antibiotics and all alarm may potential he require surgery to remove any remnants of the globe if the eye ruptured. If he's difficult to handle or you're on shore please contact your local Humane Society group or animal control. Do not get bitten. Rabies in stray cats is a very real possibility. Thanks for looking out for the sky. Good luck and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach

No, this is not normal and it appears like the eye has ruptured, possibly as a complication of the original injury or due to a more recent accident. Removal is recommended to prevent infection and pain

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.

It is very hard to say based on the pictures alone. There is a possibility it could be saved but he would need to see a vet in person to know for sure. If not and it's not bothering him or getting worse, he could keep the injured eye. Worst case scenario is he needs the enucleation but if the eye is painful, he will experience relief from the pain and be just fine. Good luck and kisses to the little one!

Hello. I am sorry to see that John is having issues with his eye. It does appear that the eye is severely compromised, and if the white clear discharge seen is the material from inside his eye then yes, it needs to be removed. You can always see an ophthalmologist for their opinion, however if that discharge is from a ruptured globe there is likely very little they will do aside from remove the eye. If the discharge can be 'wiped away' and a normal eye is underneath (unlikely based on what your vet has said and the picture provided) then it could be saved, however this is unlikely. Good luck with John, and remember, animals with 1 eye do exceptionally well, so don't worry about John only having 1 eye, he will do great!

Poor baby! It looks likes she might have a ruptured corneal ulcer so she needs to be examined by a veterinarian as soon as possible. It is difficult to determine if the eye can be treated based on just the picture but there is a chance she will not be visual in that eye and enucleation may be the best choice. Please call a vet and schedule an appointment.

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!