My old cat has a red, crusty eye and puffy cheek. What can I do?

That looks like an infection with how red it is and the fur lose. Allergies and skin mites would be other potential causes though less common. There may not be much you can do at home. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for pets, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. Also protect the area from trauma by having your kitty wear an elizabethan collar at all times. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

If Cali is behaving normally otherwise, you can try using an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent scratching or rubbing. This may allow time for healing. Also, check her over for fleas or flea dirt. If she is sensitive, just one flea bite could make her very itchy. A pheromonal product, such as Feliway spray or diffuser, may decrease any stress or anxiety due to your new addition (Congratulations, by the way!). Keep the Ivy out of reach if possible. While not high on the toxicity scale, ingestion or chewing of a leaf or two may cause irritation in and around the mouth and/or GI upset. Monitor for worsening of symptoms, squinting of the eye(s) or discharge. See your veterinarian for a physical exam to address non healing or additional symptoms.

Hi, and thanks for your question. That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Unfortunately there is not much you can effectively do back home without veterinary assistance. A picture of it would help to give you further advices. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

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 Puma evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. He may be pawing at the eye due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively! Good luck and best wishes!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Snowball. He may have a skin infection affecting the skin surrounding his eye. This can happen as the primary problem such as the result of an allergy. It could also be the result of self trauma. If he is continually paw at the eye, then can cause damage. If his eye hurts or itches, he will want to paw at it. His veterinarian will examine him and may recommend some eye tests. In the meantime, place an E-collar on him to prevent her from pawing if he has been doing so. I hope this information helps!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Marie! The most common cause of swollen conjunctiva and raised third eye lids are viral infections, most commonly feline herpes. We can only treat the secondary bacterial infections associated with the viral infection. Some cats are chronically affected by herpes, while others have flare ups with stress. Marie should see a Vet to be sure there are no scratches on her eye and to have a safe antibiotic eye ointment prescribed. You can try calling your local SPCA to see if they offer a low cost Veterinary Clinic. I hope this helps and I wish Marie a speedy recovery!

This is a classic presentation of a cat with an upper respiratory disease and conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis can be caused by a few different infections, but is commonly caused by a virus that most cats harbor and comes out during times of stress. These infections can become complicated with bacterial infections and cause more problems. Nugget's eyes appear rather infected, so I recommend taking her to the vet for an evaluation. They will be able to better inspect the eye and provide the most appropriate treatment. For now, you can flush the eye 3-4 times a day with saline (can get this at the pharmacy) to help clean and soothe it. Below is a link to a good video that demonstrates how to do this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI You can also help the congestion by giving a steam bath. Below is a link to information about upper respiratory disease in cats and explains how to do the steam bath. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier It's best if you can get Nugget to a vet within the next day or two. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make her feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and Nugget feels better soon.