Mary Allen
According to the Uelzener Versicherung, inflammation of the conjunctiva is one of the most common eye diseases in cats. But how do you recognize an eye infection? And how can you help your cat? A veterinarian has advice.
If the cat comes home with puffy, reddened, or watery eyes, maybe even tired and limp, and drags itself into its basket, there can be many causes.
Among other things, serious eye diseases can lead to blindness or even death of the velvet paw. A visit to the vet is therefore inevitable if a change in the eyes is noticed.
This is How You Can Tell Your Cat Has an Eye Infection
In order to prevent long-term damage from eye diseases, they must be recognized and treated as quickly as possible. If the cat is withdrawing, avoiding light, squinting or blinking frequently, and rubbing its eyes, these could be signs of eye disease.
Therefore, you should watch your velvet paw closely and seek the advice of the veterinarian in the event of possible symptoms. The causes of eye disease are many and only a veterinarian can assess and treat the cause of the suffering of the velvet paw.
Discharge from the eyes, crusts, or other traces of secretion around the eyes, and swelling of the eyes or face are also alarming signs that require a visit to the vet.
Conjunctivitis is No Trivial Matter
A cat flu pathogen is often responsible for conjunctivitis. In cats, these pathogens can also spread to other parts of the eye, for example, the cornea. In young kittens, the eyelids can even grow together with the conjunctiva.
“Inflammation of the cat’s eyes should never be understood by cat owners as a minor disease,” says Dorothea Spitzer, a veterinarian at Uelzen Insurance. “An infection with cat flu pathogens can have very significant health consequences and even be life-threatening.”
Cats can be vaccinated against cat flu at an early stage. This is possible from the eighth week of life. If a new four-legged member joins the family, the vet’s health check should be on the agenda anyway. Cat owners can also ask all other questions there, such as vaccinations and prophylactic measures.
Bacteria or Injuries Can Cause Eye Infections in the Cat
In addition to cat flu, there are numerous other causes of eye infections, for example, bacteria can get into the eye through injuries or foreign bodies.
Veterinarian Spitzer: “Since the eyes are directly above the jaws, injuries in the mouth area can also affect the eyes. In addition, dental diseases in the upper jaw, especially purulent inflammation of the tooth root or the tooth socket, can spread to the eyes. This is another reason why it is important that the teeth are examined and cleaned regularly ”.
Dangerous Infection: Threat of Blindness
A corneal sequester can occur as a result of inflammation and injuries. This is a dead corneal area, which sits like a foreign body in the eye of the four-legged friend. This is very painful for the cat and has to be treated surgically.
In addition, various general diseases can also affect the eye: in older cats, for example, pathological high blood pressure, which, if left untreated, can even lead to blindness in individual cases.
Diseases of the cat’s eyes can be more than a minor matter because the causes are very diverse. Changes to the cat’s eye should therefore always be treated by a veterinarian.