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My cat has an eye infection. Are OTC eye drops safe for cats?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Female | spayed | 10 lbs

My cat has pink eye or some infection in her eye and I was wondering how to help here. A lot of online sites say to buy eye drops from the drug store or just to use a warm wash cloth to wipe away any gunk that comes from her eye. But I was hoping to figure out what I should use if I bought eye drops

1 Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on October 21st, 2017

I would not listen to online sites saying to buy eye drops from the drug store. A lot of these sites are written by people who have no veterinary education at all, and some of their advice is frankly dangerous and potentially fatal. It is never advised to buy OTC eye drops for a cat because a cat's eye reacts differently to human eye medications than a human's eye does. In addition, some of these drops contain ingredients that are unsafe for use in cats. It sounds like Cleo may have an eye infection, and she will need to see a vet to get a topical antibiotic ointment to treat the infection. I would take her into the vet first thing Monday. Until then, it's fine to use a warm wash cloth to wipe away any gunk that comes from her eye. I hope this helps!

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