Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

Cat has tears in one eye after moving. Is it dust or an infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Norwegian Forest Cat | Female | spayed | 7 years and 11 months old | 14.5 lbs

I've owned my cat for 7 years and I've never seen her have cat tears until today. I did a bunch of moving today to a new house, but am currently staying the night in a basically empty house... could it be that my cat has tears in (only) her left eye due to dust? I looked up what cat tears mean and now I'm terrified she could have a virus or disease so I'm hoping this live chat will help calm me.... or lead me to get my cat care.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on June 6th, 2020

Yes, it could be Mimi's eyes are reacting to the dust from the moving. They may be irritated from something in the environment. Monitor her for now but if her eyes become red and irritated, the tears keep coming, or they look greenish/yellowish, then she has an eye infection and she will need to see a vet. I hope this helps!

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 3 year old male cat's one eye started to water a lot, there is no sign of any unormal fluid coming out, but i am a bit worried since he is abviously bothered by it with the extra blinking. Any advice?
Place an e-collar (cone) on Mimi and have him examined by your veterinarian. There may be a corneal injury that you can't see or developing infection. If Mimi is squinting or blinking, the eye may be causing discomfort. Tiny hairs in the eyelids may also be causing irritation which would cause excess tearing.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
I was looking at my kitty rarlier and noticed one if his eyes was squinting a bit more than the other. I noticed his eye is watering (his eye is not red). It has never done that before and wasn’t like that, not even earlier today. We have just moved
It is possible that your kitty is getting an upper respiratory infection, or has a bit of an allergic reaction or, during the move, got into a draft or got dust in his eye. I would watch him for a few days. Should the squinting get worse, or should he get a purulent discharge (yellow or green) or should he start to sneeze or cough, there is still time to take him to a vet then.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat seems to have some issue with his right eye... I noticed last night that his eyes seem very wet almost teary eyed and he had a line of soaked fur from his the corner of his eye (closest to his nose) to mid nose... last year around January he h
It could be Moxie has an eye infection causing the issues you are seeing. I would take him into the vet first thing in the morning. Any eye problem needs to be checked out promptly because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. The vet can treat his eye as needed. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 year old female cat has had clear sticky watery drainage from the left eye. Today I noticed she had white mucus looking drainage from the left side of the eye.
It sounds like Meika has an eye infection such as conjunctivitis. You can bathe it gently with warm water to provide relief. I would make an appointment to have her eye checked to make sure there is no damage to the eye itself. She will likely need an antibiotic drop.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hi my name is hailey i just bought a kitten last night and i noticed shes been getting green eye boogies . Does she have an infection?
Yes, she is probably suffering from an eye infection which is very common in kittens. you will need to take Mika to the vet ASAP in order to get it checked and treated, she will need antibiotic eye drops.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Kitten's eyes tear up, good appetite, drinking, pooping, social and active and she doesn't fuss with her face.
She likely is carrying a virus such as herpesvirus or calicivirus, which are quite common in kitties. Giving her an antiviral supplement (Lysine powder or gel) can help with this. Other possible causes are excessive tear production or conjunctivitis (which is still usually viral in nature). If her eye start to redden, if you notice her squinting or any yellow/green discharge, or continuous discharge that doesn't cease even for a little while, then a vet visit is needed to treat for a possible injury to the eyes or tear gland problem. However it is likely she is just carrying a virus and in some case cats do well with antiviral, while other require a short course of topical antibiotic ointment to get the eyes to resolve. Best wishes with your kitty. Take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
She gets a goopy watery look to her right eye sometimes that sometimes makes it so she doesn't open it. I think its allergies but I'm not sure what she'd be allergic to. One brother is allergic to fleas. And the other is allergic to his own fur. I th
This actually sounds more like a viral upper respiratory infection. Herpesvirus and calicivirus are very common in cats and many cats are exposed as kittens then continue to have mild outbreaks throughout their lives, particularly during times of stress. Symptoms include watery or red eyes with clear discharge, squinting, sneezing and clear nasal discharge. If this is new for Cass I'd recommend having your veterinarian take a look at her to see what they think. I would not recommend using any eye washes or giving antihistamines - this would be unlikely to help and could make the symptoms worse.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
I came home from vacation to see that my cat's right eye ia obviously bothering her. She's neen diagnosed with allergies but we haven't figured out what she is allergic to. She rubs it but it doesn't really seem to bother her and there's no discharge
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This could be due to an eye injury or conditions such as a corneal laceration, corneal ulcer, conjunctivitis, dry eye (also known as KCS), among many other conditions. There is always a concern about a corneal laceration in cats that have been rubbing at their eyes. This does warrant a veterinary evaluation. I highly recommend that you have Maisey evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Further therapy would be based on the findings. Good luck and best wishes!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat, Nemo's eye has been running some. I wipe it clean and it drys out but comes back later. Could this be from allergies?It started when the weather started changing. It has been doing this for a few weeks.
This certainly could be due to allergies and in most cases, does not cause much discomfort apart from runny eyes. This could also be an upper respiratory infection from a viral infection. I would keep an eye on this and if it continues, recommend having a veterinarian examine Nemo so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Hello! It has been 2 days since I've adopted 2 kittens. Its winter in my city. Today i noticed that one of the kitten has its eyes watery and there is greenish yellow mucus discharged. He is a bit less active than the other one. Also, the food intake
Congrats on your new kittens! No, it's not normal to have a watery eye with greenish yellow mucus discharge. This is an indication of an eye infection, and I would take him into the vet today for an exam. Any eye infection should be considered an emergency, as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. It could be that he has a virus such as feline herpes or chlamydia causing the infection, and it should be treated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Supplies Cat Ear & Eye Care Wet Cat Food Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Cat First Aid Cat Health & Wellness Cat Allergy & Itch Relief Cat Toys Dog Eye Care PetAlive Cat Ear & Eye Care Pet Honesty Cat Ear & Eye Care Vetericyn Cat Ear & Eye Care NaturVet Cat Ear & Eye Care HICC Pet Cat Ear & Eye Care Pet Parents Cat Ear & Eye Care Vetnique Labs Cat Ear & Eye Care Well & Good Cat Ear & Eye Care Nutri-Vet Cat Ear & Eye Care Virbac Cat Ear & Eye Care
image
Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Book Now

Sponsored