# Tears and red eye in cats

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 20, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683 "2017-07-20T00:01:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683/1 "2017-07-20T00:01:18Z")

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Today, I saw that one of my cats had a year in his right eye. Now, that same eye is bloodshot. He doesn’t seem to be in pain.  
Have you seen something like this happen? What might help until he gets a vet visit?

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**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683/2 "2017-07-20T00:43:51Z")

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Scratch or foreign debris. Does he go outside? Just make sure he doesn’t pick at it until you go to the vet.

The dog got a foxtail stuck in his eye, vet got it out. They might give you daily drops.

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**Author:** ![MichaelEmouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/michaelemouse/32/101_2.png) [@MichaelEmouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelEmouse)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683/3 "2017-07-20T00:58:09Z")

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He doesn’t go outside. He has been spending long periods of time by the open window with only a screen door between him and outdoors.

Also, his sitting spot is next to the AC.

I haven’t seen him pick at it.

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [July 20, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tears-and-red-eye-in-cats/791683/4 "2017-07-20T19:20:50Z")

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Wrap him up good, and wash the eye out carefully with a saline contact lens solution, or even just distilled water. Then see if it clears up by the next day. If not, get to the vet.