Cat Eye Symptoms

Cat eye symptoms may be brought on by a number of illnesses, such as feline herpesvirus, feline respiratory disease, keratitis and cataracts. Eye disorders in cats can cause a variety of symptoms, like swelling, redness, cloudiness, discharge and inflammation. Any eye symptoms in cats can be a sign of something more serious, and should be checked by a veterinarian.

  1. Discharge

    • A cat's eyes should be clean, clear and fully open. It is normal for cats to have a small amount of mucous in the corners of their eyes, but a large amount of eye discharge can be a sign of a more serious condition. One cause of eye discharge is entropion, a condition where the eyelid is turned inward, causing the eyelashes to touch the cat's eye. According to the Cat Heath website, some other causes of eye discharge include allergies, infection and feline respiratory disease.

    Cloudiness

    • A cloudiness of the eyes in cats may or may not be related to vision loss. The symptom---believed by Cat Customer.com to be caused by keratitis, glaucoma and cataracts---is caused by an opaqueness of the cornea, the liquid inside the eye or the lens. Another cause of eye cloudiness is nuclear sclerosis, or aging of the eye lens.

    Inflammation

    • Inflammation of a cat's eyes is an obvious symptom of chlamydiosis, feline calicivirus, feline herpesvirus and toxoplasmosis, as stated on the Cat Health Guide website. Inflammation occurs when there is redness and swelling of the eye lids. This symptom may be minor, or in some cases, but can cause the cat difficulty in opening its eyes.