Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the ocular membranes that causes redness in the eyes and inside the eyelids; in cats, this disorder can also affect the third eyelid in the inner canthus. Conjunctivitis shows recognizable signs that you can detect through a careful examination of your feline friend; however, it is important to take the animal to the vet for a check-up, as this disease can arise from a number of various causes that need to be identified and treated.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Recognizing Conjunctivitis in the Cat
Step 1. Pay attention to the symptoms
Although there are several causes responsible for this disorder, the signs are often the same, and more in detail:
- Squinting or blinking: the surface of the eyes is hot and itchy, the cat therefore tends to blink more often than usual or even rub its muzzle on the ground. This is one of the most common symptoms of conjunctivitis in the domestic feline.
- Red eyes: they may appear red or even tinged with blood. You can see this mark on the sclera, on the edge of the eyelids or on the surface of the third eyelid; you should notice that the fabric has a bright pink color or, in the most extreme cases, it is evidently reddened.
- Secretions: The type of purulent discharge can change depending on the underlying cause of the conjunctivitis. If there is an infection, in addition to inflammation, you can usually notice greenish-yellow secretions leaking from the eyes; if the cause of the problem is dry eyes, that material is thick, sticky and almost glue-like. Eyes that are irritated by dust or inflamed from an allergic reaction tend to release a lot of watery fluids.
- Eyelid edema: The eyes are swollen, as the eyelids are slightly swollen.
Step 2. Consider the most common causes of conjunctivitis in a healthy cat
If your cat has eye inflammation, it does not necessarily mean that he is sick or that he has some kind of ailment; the cause could often be the presence of a foreign body in one eye. Among the main factors responsible for this inflammation consider:
- Allergies: some specimens develop allergic conjunctivitis by reaction to pollen or other substances, resulting in redness and inflammation of the eye.
- Irritants: The introduction of powder, shampoo or an accidental splash of perfume into the cat's eyes can cause irritation which in turn leads to inflammation and redness.
- Foreign bodies: it could be some ear of grass that gets trapped under the third eyelid or on the fur and then falls into the cat's eyes, which by reaction begins to scratch, causing irritation and inflammation.
- Dry eyes: It is quite rare for cats to suffer from a condition known as "keratoconjunctivitis sicca", or simply dry eyes. In the presence of this disease, the cat is not able to produce enough tears to lubricate the eyes, which consequently dry up becoming red and inflamed.
Step 3. Review your cat's recent medical history
Conjunctivitis is an eye disease that can be caused by a variety of different infections or diseases; it could be an eye infection (a primary infection) or a general infection that has affected the whole body (secondary). The main diseases that can lead to conjunctivitis are:
- Bacterial or viral infection: it could affect the eyes, just like any other part of the body; in particular, cats are quite prone to suffering from feline chlamydiosis, feline herpesvirus and feline mycoplasmosis.
- General diseases: ailments such as upper respiratory tract infections are often accompanied by conjunctivitis; in such circumstances, this inflammation is only part of a syndrome involving runny nose, sore throat, cough and sneezing.
- Trauma: If a cat has been scratched or has suffered an eye injury, it may experience redness and inflammation.
- Autoimmune Diseases: In rare cases, it is the body's own defense system that attacks the ocular lining as if it were a foreign body, causing conjunctivitis.
- Formation of the eyelids: some specimens have drooping eyelids, a characteristic that causes the walls of the internal membranes to dry out due to the air and consequently conjunctivitis can develop. Breeds, such as the Persian, which have flat faces may also have facial folds that push the hair towards the eyes.
Step 4. Look for symptoms of any underlying disease
Conjunctivitis can develop when your cat has another infection that weakens its immune system. Secondary symptoms of the most common feline diseases that can occur in conjunction with conjunctivitis are sneezing, lethargy or coughing, all signs that could indicate an allergy or an upper respiratory infection.
Conjunctivitis can occur due to the feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV); symptoms of this disease are swollen lymph nodes, fever, weight loss, diarrhea, dental disorders, poor skin and coat, difficulty breathing. If your cat has these symptoms in addition to the eye infection, take it to the vet
Step 5. Get your cat to be checked regularly for physical health
As with major diseases, conjunctivitis is also best diagnosed and treated early, and this can be done by carefully examining its physical appearance; if you inspect it regularly, you can more easily notice if there is any problem. When you play with him or stroke him, examine his whole body for any changes; take the time to understand if there are any abnormalities, check the eyes to see if they are clear and also check if the paws have defects or lesions.
Part 2 of 2: Medical Diagnosis
Step 1. Take your cat to the vet
If you have an eye infection, it is best to see a competent doctor. just remember that you don't want to jeopardize their eyesight. Your vet will review your medical history, perform a physical check to see if there are any signs of any trauma (for example, scratching your skin against a tree or struggling with another cat); he will also want to know the vaccination situation (if he is protected from viruses that attack the respiratory system, such as herpesvirus or feline chlamydiosis) and will be able to spray an aerosol product around the cat.
Step 2. Discuss a possible diagnosis with your vet
An eye exam is sufficient to make a diagnosis of conjunctivitis, although it is not always possible to understand the cause. The doctor will want to consider several factors, such as the presence of hairs rubbing the cornea, abnormal eye anatomy, recurrent or relapsing conjunctivitis. Be proactive about the cat's health and feel free to discuss the diagnosis; make sure your vet is committed to addressing the root of the problem.
- The doctor should rule out corneal ulcers. To perform this examination, the vet instills a special orange dye, called fluorescein, into the eye, which makes damaged corneal surface tissues visible by staining them green after exposure to cobalt light.
- The doctor will perform further checks to rule out dry eyes as well, although this is quite rare in cats. He could subject the cat to the Schirmer test, which consists in using a special absorbent paper to evaluate the tearing of the eyes; if the paper does not soak up to a set standard level, it means that the cat is suffering from dry eyes.
Step 3. Follow your doctor's directions for treatment
If the cause responsible for conjunctivitis is identified, the veterinarian will prescribe a therapy to eradicate it, in the belief that in this way the ocular infection will also be overcome. Otherwise, if the underlying problem cannot be found, the doctor will treat the conjunctivitis as a general infection and prescribe antibiotic eye drops.
- Corneal ulcers can be very painful and are treated with antibiotic drops, which are usually enough to get rid of the associated conjunctivitis as well.
- If dry eye is diagnosed, your doctor may prescribe artificial tears, lubricants, and even other steroid eye drops or cyclosporine drops.
Step 4. Take your cat back to the vet if the ailment does not subside
If, after 5-7 days, you do not notice any improvement, the doctor can take a sample from the cat's eyes with sterile cotton swabs and perform a bacterial culture to evaluate the possibility of an infection; in that case, antibiotics will be needed to eradicate it.
- If chlamydiosis is found through the swab, the vet may prescribe oral antibiotics (from the tetracycline family), as well as eye drops.
- If there is no bacterial infection, it is more likely that it is allergy; in this case, the doctor will prescribe steroid-based drops.
