The most important rule to remember and always follow is to never unnecessarily touch a cat’s eyes!
There are very simple rules to follow for cat eye care:
- Do not use cotton for cat eye care. Small hairs on contact with the eye, at best, will cause increased tearing and, at worst, inflammation of the lining.
- Never have your cat’s eyes with water. There is a misconception that a cat’s eyes should be rinsed with water. Water disrupts the microflora of the mucous membrane of the eye, which can cause redness of the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, pain, increased intensity of discharge from the eyes, and inflammation. Therefore, try not to let water get into the cat’s eyes while washing. If water gets into your eyes, wet them gently with a sterile towel and drip Vizin drops.
- Do not use non-eye medications as treatments.
- Do not treat an animal unless you have veterinary training.
- Don’t have your cat’s eyes with a chamomile decoction. The cat’s body reacts very precisely to chamomile – alopecia areata.
- If you need to wash your cat’s eyes, use a special eye wash solution that should be in your cat’s veterinary kit or a strong solution of freshly brewed tea.
In general, cats need daily eye care help if they are Persian or exotic. In these breeds, the tear duct is shortened, so shedding tears from an exotic or Persian is not such a rare phenomenon. Cats of these breeds should wipe their eyes daily with a sterile towel.
However, regardless of the breed of your pet, eye discharge should be closely monitored, as their appearance can help determine the cause of their appearance and identify cats’ health problems in a timely manner.
If the discharge is transparent and the eyes appear healthy, that is, there is no redness, the eyelids open in the same way, then the lacrimal ducts are probably affected.
If the discharge is thick, viscous, purulent or with mucus, there is an inflammatory process that must be treated.
The appearance of the third eyelid in the corner of the eye indicates that the cat is sick. Look carefully, there may be other symptoms.
In all of the above cases, show your pet to a veterinarian, who will diagnose and prescribe treatment.
How to Wash a Cat’s Eyes
The cat’s eyes should be flushed if sand, grass or dust gets into their eyes. In addition, rinsing the eyes can be a preparatory procedure before instilling the eyes or before putting an ointment in the cat’s eyes, if there is a lot of discharge from the eyes and they stick to the eyelids.
For washing, it is best to use a special liquid that can be purchased from a pharmacy. You can also use a freshly brewed strong infusion of black tea (of course sugar-free). To make a tea brew, take half a teaspoon of black tea for 200 g of water. The rinse aid should be warm (imagine that you have to rinse your eyes, what temperature of the solution will be comfortable for your eyes, the same will be suitable for your cat).
- Prepare eye drops, pipettes, cotton swabs or cosmetic discs.
- Sit comfortably and take the cat in your arms. Lock the animal’s head.
- Pipette the washing liquid and gently drain at a distance of 3-4 cm on the eyelids (if the eyelids are stuck with secretions) or on the surface of the eyeball.
- If the eyelids are stuck after removing the contents of the pipette, take a cotton swab or cosmetic disc and gently wipe the eyelids in the direction from the nose to the outer corner of the eye.
- Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the eyelids open freely.
- Rinse the eye again and wet the area around the cat’s eyes with a cosmetic disc.
How to Drain a Cat’s Eyes
- Sit comfortably and take the cat in your arms.
- With one hand, firmly fix the animal’s head, as if you were clenching it in a fist.
- Take the medicine bottle or pipette in your free hand.
- Place the palm of the hand in which you are holding the medication under the cat’s chin and secure it. The fingers in which you are holding the medication should be directly above the cat’s eyes.
- Drop the medication into the inner corners of the cat’s eyes.
- Gently massage the eyelids over the eyeballs to distribute the medication evenly.
- Pet the cat and offer it something tasty. Treat yourself too, you deserve it!
How to put an eye ointment in a cat’s eye
- Sit comfortably and take the cat in your arms.
- Attach the cat’s head.
- Take the medicine tube in your free hand.
- Press the medication tube against the cat’s cheek. So if the cat suddenly jumps, it will help prevent eye injuries.
- Pull the cat’s lower eyelid.
- Put the ointment on the inner surface of the eyelid. It is very important to apply the ointment just behind the eyelid. Cats do not tolerate when the ointment is applied directly to the eye. The animal can suddenly shake its head, which in turn can cause eye injuries.
- Gently massage the eyelids over the eyeballs to distribute the medication evenly.
- Pet the cat and offer it something tasty. Treat yourself too, you deserve it!