Why does my cat's eye look bad after waking up? Injury or infection?

Your vet will need to take a look at your cat's eye to see if the scratch perforated the cornea and involved other structures of the eye. Your vet should also see it to treat it because not treating it can lead to vision loss depending on the severity of the injury. The course of treatment will depend on the severity of the injury and the part of the eye that was injured. If the wound is non-perforating and has no wound edge or opening, an Elizabethan collar will be used to prevent your cat from scratching at its eye, along with antibiotic or atropine eye solutions. Non-perforating wounds that have a mild break in the tissue, or a pinpoint wound perforation, may be treated with a soft contact lens, an Elizabethan collar, and antibiotic or atropine solutions. If the scratch goes deep into the eye and involves other structures in the eye, surgical repair will likely be needed. Your vet is the best person to determine what course of treatment is best.

If he is blinking this eye excessively also, then I would recommend taking him to your vet to have the eye examined. It is very likely he has an eye infection and in need of antibiotic eye ointment to help clear things up. Eye infections are common in cats and can be caused by a mild scratch or ulcer on the eye. They can also be caused by mild viral infections (i.e. Herpesvirus, Calicivirus). I hope your furry friends eye issue resolves soon! Best wishes and take care.

It very well could be a scratch. If he is also squinting his eye and develops eye discharge then this is definitely a corneal scratch. However if he doesn’t seem bothered by it and the eye is clear otherwise, it may be a pigment or old scar on the corneal surface. If he becomes symptomatic then have your vet examine him and do a confirmatory eye test so that he can be prescribed antibiotic eye ointment to help this scratch heal. Best of luck with your kitty Kidogo. Take care.

Poor Storm! He could have an eye infection, corneal scratch, corneal ulcer, etc. You could try to rinse his eye with an eye wash or artificial tears and see if that helps. Otherwise, he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause and treat. Your vet can stain his eye to look for an ulcer/scratch on his cornea and then prescribe medications to help. He may need an antibiotic to treat.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Luna. It could be she has injured her eye when she got outside, or it may be an infection. Any eye problem needs to be checked out by a vet promptly as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I'd take her into a vet first thing in the morning. I hope this helps!

Oh boy. Felix needs to see a vet ASAP if you want a chance at saving the eye. There could be an ulcer, infection, or it could be secondary to several upper respiratory viruses. The vet will do an exam and look closely at the eye to determine what treatments and pain medications are needed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!