Why is my cat's third eyelid showing, tired, and over-grooming?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The white tissue in the corner of the eyes is the third eye lid. It goes up like this when a cat is unwell. It is not a specific sign for one particular disease but it often means that a cat has fever, has breathing problems, has abdominal discomfort, muscle or joint pain. Please, take Lancelot to your local vets tomorrow for full clinical examination. Your vet may recommend a blood test or abdominal scan to find out what is going on. Good luck !

If her third eyelid is up, it could be something more concerning such as a scratch on her cornea. If she is pawing at her eye, please put an e-collar on her to prevent her from causing significant damage to the eye but rubbing it. You can use an eye wash to rinse the eye (here is a great one for pets https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-eye-wash-for-dogs. If its just allergies, this will usually help. Also, Benadryl can be safely given to cats and may help if its an allergy, however most cats HATE the taste, so giving it can be a challenge. Here is an article including dosing information: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-eye-wash-for-dogs If her eye is still bothering her, and/or if the 3rd eyelid is up, take her in to your vet. Thanks for asking PetCoach!

Cats with really painful eyes (such as from a scratch to the cornea or something stuck in the eyelids) will elevate their third eyelids to help protect the eye. Though some types of neck injuries can damage a nerve to works in the face and can also cause this to happen. Since I am concerned that this beautiful kitty is in pain, I would recommend taking her to the emergency vet. After the examination, discuss financial constraints with the vet to determine what can be done to alleviate pain but still fit within the budget you have set. Many times we are able to come up with plans B and C to do what we can to help the pet!

This can be a sign of sickness or an infection in cats. however, since he is normal in the day,he may be tired at night and the eyelid comes out. If there is no squinting or ocular discharge, and no sneezing, then i would not worry at this point. Monitor his activity level and eating habits and if any changes are noted, then i would get him checked

It sounds like you may be describing an elevated third eyelid - it looks like a thin membrane, that covers part of the eye near the inner corner. This is often associated with an eye infection or an injury to the cornea (such as a scratch or ulcer), but can also be seen with other types of illnesses. I would recommend taking her to the vet for an eye exam tomorrow, if possible.

What you are seeing is the third eyelid which is elevated. The third eyelid shows like this when the animal is sick and/or in pain. It is not necessarily an eye problem. It could be any illness causing this. The kitten really needs to see a vet if at all possible. ( https://www.tampabayvets.net/questions/cats-3rd-eyelid-showing/ )

It looks like your kitties have prolapsed third eye lids. I am assuming they are inside/outside cats and go hunting as well. A prolapse of the third eye lid can be caused by an infection with tape worm. We do not know why this happens, but most cats who have this (reversible) condition without other disease of the nervous system had a tape worm infection. Tape worm can be successfully treated with a wormer for cats containing praziquantel. If your cats show other signs of illness you should have them examined by a vet as there are other conditions that can cause this prolapse of the third eye lid.