We have two cats at home. They both live indoors in a fairly clean enviornment. recently, one of them has developed what I can only describe as a “goopy” eye.
There is dark, dried stuff in the corner of one of his eyes, and there also appears to be some kind of mucus-type stuff seeping from that eye.
I tried to clean it up, but to ne avail. He does not appear bothered by it. He never rubs the eye, nor does his sight seem to be affected by it.
Is this worthy of a trip to the vet? Or should I just let nature take it’s course?
[DISCLAIMER: I am not a vet.]
Your kitty could have a cold, which sometimes causes goopy eyes. In which case, I believe it would clear up on its own.
Or kitty could have some sort of infection, (perhaps from the other kitty scratching the eye in a spat/play-fight) in which case you can get an antibiotic ointment – for cats only – to put on its eye. Do not use human Neosporin or any kind of human antibiotic ointment – those aren’t formulated for kitty eyes.
Or. (Which is why I’m posting… I’ve had this experience) Your kitty could have Bartonella, also known as cat scratch fever disease. Generally, it isn’t fatal or even dangerous in cats. If you or someone who lives with you is autoimmune deficient and the cat scratches that person… they (or you) can get Cat Scratch Fever, which is like the worst flu ever, and takes about a month of antibiotics to get over. Cats tend to carry it, and occasionally, give it to each other. According to my vet, 60% of the cats in in the South carry Bartonella (I don’t know where you are). Most vets don’t test for it and most people never know their cats have it. In my case, both my cats had it and the only way I knew about it (which cued the vet to test for it): one cat had a goopy eye. 10 days of antibiotics for both cats and all was well in Chez Dogzilla again. BTW, both cats are indoor kitties since I’ve had them, which has been years and years.
I’d watch it for a few more days and if it doesn’t seem to go away, a trip to the vet is in order. Perhaps if you have a checkup or immunizations due, you could roll this into a visit like that.
Perhaps you could do a search on and e-mail Crazy Cat Lady, who works in a vet’s office, IIRC. If she doesn’t show up here and post in this thread shortly.
Good luck!
It could also be conjunctivitis.
A quick trip to the vet will get you the correct eyedrops and shouldn’t be too costly.