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Feral cat eye infection: Can I use old eye cream or is surgery needed?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | 7 lbs

Long story short, there is a very feral cat at the ranch I work at, who I have finally managed to tame enough to get near/pet. She has had an swollen, red, squinting eye infection (was scratched by another cat) for over a year, and I would like to treat it asap now that I can handle her. I have extra leftover eye cream the vet gave to me for my own cat, could I use this on her? Do you think her eye will have to be surgically removed by a vet, since it's been infected for forever?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on January 6th, 2017

Given that it has been infected for over a year, there may no longer be any sight in the eye, and it may be best to have the eye removed depending on the severity of the infection. It certainly will be very painful to her. I would not recommend using the leftover eye cream on the eye, and if you can trap her, I would take her into a vet as soon as possible to have her eye examined.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 7th, 2017

    Poor kitty! It's so lovely of you to want to look after her! Likely if she's had this eye infection for over a year, the damage to the eye might be so severe that it cannot be saved. The vet can make this determination, so I think you should take her into the vet ASAP, and I wouldn't use the Terramycin on her eye. The vet can determine if the eye can be saved or not, and can discuss treatment options with you.

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