Ask Dr Claire

Cats eye is swollen and watery and her third eyelid is showing

When a cat is having trouble opening their eye (blepharospasm), it’s swollen and they third eyelid is across they are really sore.

Some of the underlying causes of a swollen, sore eye in a cat might be:

• Infectious conjunctivitis (bacterial or viral)
• Dry eye – due to a lack of tear production
• Corneal ulceration
• Foreign body in the eye such as a grass seed
• An actual problem within the eye -uveitis, glaucoma, problem with the lens and more.

Given she sounds so uncomfortable and is swollen, I would advise you get it checked out but your local bricks and mortar vet ASAP today.

In the interim you can gently bathe the eye with saline (you can buy this or make this with 1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water, then COOLED before use).

If you’d like to chat in person, you can book a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail, as soon as possible.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire