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My cat's eye is watering and he's scratching it. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Russian Blue | Male | neutered | 5 lbs

my cats eye is watering really bad and hes whining like it hurts and he keeps trying to scratch it and i dont know what to do im only 17 and hes 5 i think. his name is midnight. we cleaned out a moldy room recently and he ran in while we were moving the bed out. im holding him in my lap so he cant scratch his eye. i dont know what to do and my dads not home right now. what do i do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Lauren Celestin, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Dentistry Resident

Published on July 27th, 2017

Great job thinking on your feet to keep Midnight in your lap so that he can't scratch his eye. It sounds as if he may have either gotten something in his eye or potentially have a corneal ulcer, which is just a fancy way to say a small cut on the surface of his eye (the cornea). It is important that you keep him from scratching or rubbing the eye, as this can potentially cause more damage. Midnight will definitely need to see a veterinarian to examine his eye and prescribe the appropriate medication if needed. In the meantime, I highly recommend getting Midnight an e-collar, or cone of shame until you can get him seen by a vet as soon as possible. Most pet stores sell them, PetCo. definitely carries them. While this is not a true emergency, it may be easier to take Midnight to an emergency clinic just to get things taken care of before there is time for things to potentially get worse. I hope this helps and good luck with everything. I'm happy to consult with you or your parents if they have any additional questions.

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