Cat Ear & Eye Care

If you notice redness or discharge in your cat’s eyes, see them pawing at their eyes or squinting, they may have an eye infection or other eye issue. It is not usually a good idea to wait and see if a cat eye infection goes away on its own. Certain diseases and other feline eye disorders can lead to eye damage or even blindness if left untreated. Schedule an appointment with your vet, and they may prescribe antibiotic eye drops for cats if your kitty has a bacterial infection.

While cats are typically very good at grooming themselves, they sometimes have trouble cleaning inside their ears. Cleaning your cat’s ears can help lower their risk for a cat ear infection. To clean your cat’s ears, you’ll need to find a cat ear cleaner solution.

To begin, hold your cat in your lap. You may want to wrap a towel around your feline with their head poking out to help keep them still. Pull back an ear flap and squeeze in enough ear solution to fill the entire ear canal. Use gauze—which you can wrap around your finger—to clean inside your cat’s ear canal, and then use a separate piece of gauze to dry their ear.

If you notice redness, swelling or discharge in your cat’s ear before cleaning, you shouldn’t perform the cleaning. Instead, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. Ear cleaning can also be a great time to consider your cat’s other grooming and bathing needs. Take a look at Petco’s full selection of cat grooming and bathing supplies.

Cats can develop several problems in their eyes, and there is no universal treatment. If you notice redness or discharge from your cat’s eyes or that your cat is pawing at their eyes, schedule an appointment with your veterinarian. They can help determine the root issue and help develop a treatment plan for your cat.

When checking cat eyes and cat ears, consider investigating their skin and coat for fleas and ticks. Take a look at Petco’s flea and tick treatments.