Ragdoll Cat Forums

Right, so remember how in my thread about diarrhea I said that after the diarrhea cleared up I noticed Saoirse was keeping one of her eyes partially closed all the time? The next morning it looked red and there was green gunk in the corner of her eye, so I called the vet right away and got an appointment for the same day (I've learned from my own experiences to be paranoid about permanent damage when there is an issue with eyes).

The vet checked with dye and an ultraviolet light and told us that Saoirse didn't have any physical injuries on either eye. She said the green gunk is usually a sign of a bacterial infection, so she gave us some eye drops and ointment and told us to give them to Saoirse for 10 days (she said that it would be very unlikely for it to spread to our dog). Well we did this (into both eyes) and the problem seemed to clear up after only one or two days and both eyes have looked perfectly healthy since. The medicine regimen stopped on thursday (we continued the whole 10 days) and I thought all was well.. until I started noticing today that she is starting to keep the same eye somewhat closed again. No redness or green gunk that I have noticed yet but I think I know what is coming. So what gives? Any ideas?

Edit: Oh, I should mention that I checked the medicine package and it contains two chemicals - one is supposed to alleviate swelling, pain, and other symptoms of an eye infection or allergy symptoms and the other one is supposed to prevent the growth of bacteria. So is it possible it only seemed to work because it alleviated the symptoms without actually killing whatever caused the problem in the first place (I wouldn't think it is an allergy cause it seems to be only the one eye and I haven't noticed any other symptoms like runny nose or anything)? I also just emailed my breeder to ask if she has had this problem and can share any advice.

I'm going to call the vet (a different vet - I couldn't call her before cause she was on vacation when the problem first came up) if the problem gets worse or if it doesn't clear up on it's own after a couple days. But has anyone had this kind of problem before?

Thanks in advance,
- Worried Ragdoll Mommy :/

I don't have any advice for you, because of no expierence with any eye issues yet! but i'm hoping soon you will get some answers on here. Looking for vet help seems your best option right now. Hang in there.

We had that with our Mykah and it took forever to clear up. We had to go back several times and got more meds but it did spread to our other Raggie, Zeke and he took longer to heal and after that we have not had it. We do tho give them RC fit 32 which is for the immune system along with their other food. It has helped alot.
I do wish you much luck.

I have no idea, but I'm sorry that you're having such a tough time.

It is not unusual for infections to recur. Since it responded well, one would expect another course of the same meds to be the next step.

Abby had gunky eyes just after she first came home. Emergency vet visit, which sounded much the same as yours complete with squint, and a week of ointment later it was clearer, but not 100%. She had another few episodes of gunky eyes lasting about 48 hours at a time for the next couple of weeks, but nothing that made her squint like the first one had.

She happened to have a bit of gunk when she had one lot of her vaccinations, and the vet had said if it persisted, he'd have a really good look at her tear ducts when she's under GA being desexed (booked for next week) but her eyes have been really good for the last month or so and it no longer seems necessary.

Just sharing, I suspect either Abby came with it, or it was a reaction to the new environment (she crawled into spaces under cupboards that showed my poor housekeeping skills with the huge dustballs that were tracked out on her coat!!). It does get better, as long as she'll let you clean the eyes and isn't uncomfortable it sounds like you're on the right track.

Hey, thanks for all the help and support! My breeder also said that eye infections are pretty common with kittens especially, and she said I should wipe her eyes with a paper/cloth and warm water and if her eye/eyes turns red or has green gunk, that's when it's time to see the vet and get meds. So I am following her advice and feeling better that there is no immediate danger. If it gets bad again I guess I will try the same meds again, as Jan suggested. But if it goes bad again after that then I have to see the vet anyway, as the meds are only good for 28 days after being opened.

And thanks for sharing, Just Me. I too have wondered if Saoirse is getting this by sticking her face in all the dusty places that I have missed! She's turning me into a better housecleaner, that's for sure.

Also, my breeder mentioned when we took Saoirse home that wind blowing into the cat's face can easily cause eye infections/irritation. Is this true (she mentioned it because it was a hot day and we have no air conditioning in the car, so before that we had been planning to keep the windows open on the ride home)? Because we have a ceiling fan in the living room that is on all the time in the summer and her cat tree is in the same room so she is up high. I hope that is not irritating her eyes further, cause it's really a necessity in the summertime.. :/

You do not need to worry about the air moving from a fan. I would treat any recurrence of symptoms as soon as they happen rather than waiting for them to get worse. Your vet was right that this was bacterial (and not only irritation from wind, dryness or debris) and meds will work. You can call and see about restarting meds and there may be no need for an exam.

Okay, thanks so much for the advice! I'll let you guys know how things go..

I called the vet like Jan suggested and she said we can try the medicine again, and both eyes are looking much better and brighter already. But now I've noticed something else that is difficult to describe.. on the eye that seems to be the problem eye, there is like a little cloud of brownishness on the colored part under her pupil. I have no idea what that is, but it doesn't seem good. It's not on the surface of her eye like gunk or anything, but it looks to me like it is close to the surface within her eye. ::sigh:: I'm guessing I need to take her to the vet again.