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My Persian cat has watery, gooey, black eye discharge. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Persian | Male | unneutered | 11 months and 30 days old | 3 lbs

Hi, My male Persian cat aged 1 years has watery eyes predominantly and over some time it becomes dry black..it is kind of gooey and sticky when it becomes dry...he has been having this problem for quiet sometime...his other behavioural attributes are fine - eats good, sleeps good and very active in God's Grace. Can you please help? Thanks in advance.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on April 20th, 2018

Persians have very flat faces, and eye tearing and improper tear drainage due to their face structure. Bacteria causes the discharge to become rust-brown and can stain the face of white or light colored cats. You should clean Simba's face daily to prevent this from happening. You can eye use wipes, sold in pet stores, to keep them free of tears and the build up. You can also use a slightly damp cotton ball one to two times daily to wipe the area around the eyes, removing any dried, crusty tears that have formed overnight. Also have him checked out by a vet to make sure he doesn't have an eye infection, as that can also be cause of excessive eye discharge. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Andrea M. Brodie, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 27th, 2016

    Unfortunately persian cats are bred for a flat face, to resemble a child (round face, flat nose). in the b\process of breeding for these characteristics often the tear ducts get obliterated or are not functioning, so the tear fluid produced does not pass through the tear ducts but comes out from the eyes directly down the face. The red and black color is thought to be caused by porphyrin (iron/magnesium combo) pigments in the stains. Unfortunately the only way to stop that is by specialised surgery where the surgeon implants an artificial tear duct, however, this is not a routine surgery and may not be available in Jordan. You will need to remove the crusts every day, by soaking them in warm water (with a cloth) and then gently wiping them off.

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