Our cat has an eye infection.

We took him to the vet on Wednesday afternoon. He prescribed an ointment that we have been applying to the cat's eye twice a day since then.

This evening, however, we noticed that he was clawing at his eye with his claw causing redness on the outside of the eye which now looks worse than it did previously. We called the vet who's turn it is to provide 24 hour service over the weekend. She said it wasn't normal for the cat to react like that, and to have him checked over again as soon as possible, which will obviously be tomorrow morning. Instead of going to church, it looks like I will be taking our cat to our own vet who diagnosed our cat in the first place. They are open from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Sabbath mornings.

In the meantime, is there anybody here who has had any experience with this sort of problem, and can give us any suggestions? It is snowing here, and the roads are not good, so we are waiting until tomorrow morning unless things really get out of hand here. At the moment our cat seems to be doing Ok which we hope will continue throughout the rest of the night. any suggestions will be appreciated.

You can also pray for our cat.

I am also searching the internet for any kind of advice, and found this suggestion:

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.....their eye balls are all red and look like they have been turned inside out or something and they all have this sticky yellow stuff dripping from their eyes. I don't know if they can see out of their eyes.

We tried to put comfrey oil on their eyes and that helped a bit. What you do is get some comfrey leaves and let them soak for about 3 hours in about quarter of a cup of water and wipe it on their eyes with some toilet paper. And keep doing it to it gets better.

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I also found this suggestion:

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My cat.....has a reoccurring eye infection that the vet diagnosed (no tests, just a visual check) as being viral. His eye gums up about once a month. She'd prescirbed some drops, but they were nearly ineffective... They soothed his eye a little bit, but not much. She advised me to get regular drops or ointment at the drugstore (which would be less costly).

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Still looking, I think, as it is also way past my bedtime.

Our cat seems to be doing better now. Keep praying.

I am editing this same post as I discover more information, this time, from a human viral eye infection:

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Cleanse the eyes with cool boiled water or cold tea. Often the eyelashes become stuck together. Soak crusts away using wet cotton wool. It is quite safe to cleanse the inside of the lower eyelid using moist cotton wool. Pull the eyelid down slightly and wipe the cotton wool from the side towards the nose.

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This is the best information I have found so far:

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Even a simple injury or infection can get worse fast. Never waste time in having a veterinarian examine an eye problem.

Until you can see the veterinarian:

1 - Remove any foreign material such as plant matter that is visible and reachable under the eyelids.

2 - Flush the eye gently with water or saline solution if you suspect that noxious fluids or small particles have contacted the eye.

3 - Keep discharge from the eye from building up by gently wiping the corner of the eye with a moistened cotton ball.

4 - Prevent the animal from rubbing at the affected eye. Animals frequently cause a minor irritation to become a more serious problem in this manner. (Note: This is exactly what our cat is doing now. How can we prevent or stop the cat from doing this? Any suggestions?)

5 - Apply an antibiotic ointment intended for the eye if possible. This will keep the eye moist and help to prevent infection. Avoid using products containing hydrocortisone on eye injuries until the patient is examined by a veterinarian because healing may be delayed by the cortisone.

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Here is the link to the above information:

http://www.discounts4pets.com/eyeinjuriesinfection.html

[ November 30, 2002, 12:36 AM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

I know honey is a great healer, Daryl.

Eyes are so very sensative to 'things' in them.

Hope you have some answers, and an improvement this weekend.

I have had to do the same on the odd occasion, God would not want us sitting in church while our animals suffer.

We took our cat to the vet right when they opened their doors at 8:30 a.m. this morning where he is now being kept for treatment and observation until Monday. Will know more on Monday, I hope and pray.

Daryl, how is your cat doing? I hope it will be okay!

We had to treat one of our cats for a scratched eye one time, although it wasn't infected. I think, unfortunately with cats, the only way to keep them from scratching is to immobilize or put one of those huge plastic collars on them to keep them from getting at the eye. You could try boots or mittens or something on the paws, but if your cat is anything like mine it will just pull them off to scratch. Trimming the nails as short as you can without going below the skin (red line) would also help a little bit.

Let us know what the vet says today.

Our cat, Toby, is back home with us. His eye is looking better and he isn't rubbing it.

The vet said that the cat doesn't have a reaction against the ointment. He thinks that the cat may have gotten something in his eye that irritated it from which his rubbing of the eye worsenend the condition of the eye.

We are contining the treatment here at home ans well as watching as much as we can to make certain the cat isn't also reacting to something here at home that is irritating the eye. WE will be giving our cat some of the ointment this evening, and then wait to see how it goes from there.

[ December 02, 2002, 06:20 PM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

About last November I discovered my black rabbit had a sore eye. I took him to the Vet, and he thought it had been knocked. I could only think that the cockatiels, who were nesting in his box, had pecked it, not wanting to be intruded upon.

I completed the drops and the eye was looking almost normal again.

A few weeks later I went into the avery friday evening to do a final check before Sabbath, and discovered that the eye now had a hole in it. It looked terrible, red and inflamed and bulging. The Vet was closed by then so had to wait till the morning. I believed he would loose his eye, or worse, have to be put down.

As I was taking SS in the morning, our son Robbie took him to the Vet.
I came home from church expecting to see a body, but when I went through the back door, there he was sitting in his cage - alive! Wow, it was great to see him.
Robbie had come home with a tube of ointment to be applied 5 times a day. If that didn't work, he would have to be put down, as the pain was giving him depression.

Robbie and I went to prayer, we prayed for 1/2 an hour, taking turns till we were prayed out on the Rabbit. It was a very special time, I will never forget it.

And so these last 3 weeks I have faithfully applied the ointment. Gradually the hole disappeared. The eye is made up of layers - I never knew that - and the infection had burst quite a few layers. It took 2 weeks to close, but still a large white mark on the eye.
Today the white mark is a pinhead. As I apply the pointment I thank God for his healing.

In having to go into the avery 5 times a day, the Rosellas have become a lot tamer, as have all the birds. Rozellas are very shy birds, but now they just sit and look at me and don't fly off in fright.

When the eye is completely healed, I am taking him back to show the Vet. He actually didn't hold out much hope for it.

My cat, Sam, has had a watery, reddish eye for some time. I took him to the vet, and was given an anti-biotic creme. It didn't work well. Now the vet thinks he has Herpes Conjunctivitis..not a serious disease but tends to be cyclic. Its only in one eye. In my March 2003 issue of Cat Fancy they talk about this and recommend L-Lysine at 250 to 500 mg. That's a kind of amino acid. I havn't tried it yet as i want to ask the vet first. But my main problem is that Sam is a feral cat i adopted last year to save him from starving in the woods during our bad drought. He's come a long way and can pet him now. He follows me around like a puppy and loves to lay pressed against me when I'm on the couch. I've come to love him very much because he tries so hard to overcome his fears. But he still won't let me hold him down or put stuff in his eye. I don't want to ruin his trust by throwing a blanket over him to hold him down. I got some salve in his eye by just putting some on the back of my hand where he likes to rub anyway. But that's hit or miss. Sam is a white shorthair with grey tabby spots, and his eyes are a beautiful sea green, and sure wish I could find a cure. He doesn't seem to suffer much like yours, daryl. How's your cat doing now. Any new ideas?

Our cat, Toby, is doing fine now.

Every now and then it looks like it is going to happen again, but then it disappears.

And no, I don't have any ideas.

Toby didn't like receiving the ointment so we stopped it short of the time that we were supposed to, however, it seemed to have done the trick.

The picture you see is my deceased cat Prince, whom I still miss very,very much.

I should get a picture of Toby on here.

Zita, i do hope your bunny is doing better. I had a cat who got a scratched cornea some years ago and i was in despair over it as seemed so bad he would surely lose the eye. One day it began to discharge so much fluid I was sure it had ruptured and "died" right there. I thot it would be nothing but a hollow place after that. It was hard to tell, as he kept it tightly shut all the time. But the kitty got over it. The scar got smaller and his sight was okay. Took awhile tho. The vet said eye injuries are slow healing. I realise rabbits are a different species, but maybe this will help anyway. I have a lot of room for animals and should get some birds, rabbits, etc. I only have 3 cats. I used to have horses, dogs, chickens, peacocks, ducks, and guinea hens. There are a lot of wild animals around my place too, as I live against the Wekiva State Park in central Florida, USA. Do keep us posted about your bunny is doing. What's his/her name?

Hello Restin, sounds like you have a great piece of land there! Now just as well I have only got an ordinary back yard! My husband Allan calls it as farm as it is!

Frodo is the Rabbits name. Came with the rabbit. The owner was moving and couldn't keep it or the guinea-pig, but that died a couple of years ago.

I had not long had the rabbit - just a few days - when I noticed something was not quite right, and invistigated it's mouth, and the bottom teeth had grown up into the top gum. It was a wonder it could eat at all, and the previous owner had no idea it was like that. So now I have to cut it's teeth every week.
It was difficult when I broke my wrists, but still managed with the help of my son holding it.

Today as I was treating the eye, it has improved yet again, which I am delighted in. I thank God every time I treat it.

My beautiful female guinea-pig died yesterday, so I just have one of each now. Knowing me, I will be replacing it, no doubt.

Thank you for your interest in my rabbit.
The vet was reluctant to take the eye out in a rabbit, as they are more delicate than cats, and probably would not have survived the operation.

I appreciate knowing that eyes take time to heal.
There is plenty of ointment in the tube, so will just keep on.

I think the Vet will be really suprized when he sees it all better.

It was such a mess, you wouldn't give it any hope.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I went to the Pet Shop today and discovered one female exactly like the one I lost this week. Same colouring, same type.
She is only a baby, so I will enjoy watching her grow.
Now I need to find a name for her.
Any ideas anyone?

It's over 2 years since my rabbit had his eye problem, and I am happy to report that he is still doing well, and one would never know his eye was so bad.
I am still trimming his teeth every week, and he is just a delightful black bunny to have. Guineapigs are well too, and continue to be a delightful addition to our collection of animals.

Zita, I love animals like you do. Your rabbit sounds so precious. We have lots of wild rabbits here where we live but I don't have a tame one. Instead I have a pure black cat named Panther and a pure black dog named Inkie. Some animals don't mix and I'm afraid a rabbit with my dog and cat wouldn't mix well.

We did have two little hamsters that were just so cuddly and cute but when our daughter married, we gave them to the little 14 year old neighbor girl. I loved them so much! It was hard for me to see them go.

In heaven I look forward to having many pets and learning more about them.

Debbie, you are right, some personalities in animals don't allow the mix.
As I have always had Rabbits/guinea-pigs in the bottom of the bird avery, they have been safe away from the cats and dogs.
I have trained my dogs 'not to touch' when they went near the avery, but I know if given half a chance by the drooling as they look at the guinea-pigs scampering about.
Once we had a dog that did get that chance when we had a couple of long haired rabbits in cages. We hadn't had the dog long, and when we came home one day he had ripped the end off and killed the rabbit.We were very sad about that, but knew it was just the natural dog instinct.

Even though our daughter left home, I maintained my love of rabbit/guineapigs, and now with grandchildren coming along, have something special for when they come to visit grandma.
Life would be a lot easier if I didn't have to clean them out, but I just keep going until the day I call it quits, or maybe this time they won't be replaced when they pass on.
In the meantime, I continue to enjoy picking long grass, feeding them special treats and hearing the squeels of delight.