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My kitten's eye is crusty. Is Terramycin okay and how often to use?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | spayed | 5 months old

Hi, My kittens both have what looks like an eye infection in their left eye. There's a crusty discharge on it everyday. I had some Terramycin delivered today and gave them both a warm compress on the eye, removed the crusty discharge, and applied the eye ointment. Is this an ok treatment and how often should I apply the Terramycin? Thank you!

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on October 5th, 2020

Hello. You can continue with this treatment every 12 hours. But if the eyes do not improve in a few days, or the symptoms worse, please do see your veterinarian for further diagnosis & treatment. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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    Answered By Christie Long, DVM

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on January 2nd, 2017

    If your vet instructed to clean "several" times per day, I would say 2 - 3 times should be sufficient, but take care that you are not being too rough and wiping directly over the cornea, just the skin and fur around the eyes. And yes, terramycin ointment for the eyes can be dosed as often as every 6 hours, so every 8 hour dosing seems reasonable.

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My 12day old kittens have crusty eyes and one of your vets gave me instructions that I would like to ask about. Firstly, they said to clean the eyes several times a day. How many times would that be exactly? Secondly, they asked me to apply Terramyci
If your vet instructed to clean "several" times per day, I would say 2 - 3 times should be sufficient, but take care that you are not being too rough and wiping directly over the cornea, just the skin and fur around the eyes. And yes, terramycin ointment for the eyes can be dosed as often as every 6 hours, so every 8 hour dosing seems reasonable.
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Poor kitty. The condition you have described here is called distichia, which is where the eyelash grows in an abnormal spot, causing constant rubbing on the eye cornea. This is usually treated with 2 things. First topical eye ointment to resolve the infection. In this case the Terramycin is a viable option. And second you have to get the abnormally grown eyelash removed surgically. This is usually done with cryotherapy through a referral from your General practioner vet. I would ask your vet for a referral to an ophthalmologist to have this procedure done so that you can fix the underlying problem here. I hope that your kitty KM is able to get this resolved soon. It definitely looks like the eye may also need addititional eye ointments if there is more damage here. The bluish hint to the eye suggests that there may also be corneal edema (excessive fluid bulid up inside the eye), which may require an additional ointment for complete resolution. Best wishes with KM moving forward.
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My rescue kitten (3weeks) was diagnosed with uveitis and given terramycin. 2x daily. It appears to be clearing up but was not advised for how long to continue to treat. On line the indications say 2-4x daily. Can I keep using it. It has improved abou
Coco is adorable! As long as the eye is improving, then I would continue using the medication. Normally, I have clients continue using eye ointment until I can examine the eye again to make sure that it is completely healed before stopping the medication. This often takes 7-14 days, but can take longer. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
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Can I use terramycin on a 3 week old kitten for eye infection?
Terramycin is commonly prescribed in cats and kittens, but I cannot recommend its use for Snowball until she has been examined by a veterinarian to make sure that it is the appropriate medication for her eye problem.
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My kitty gets eye infections in one (her left)eye every couple months. Eye waters, she squints and it is pink. It has been six days using Terramycin oint ment and the redness is gone and she squints it half the time and its still watery. She has snee
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My cat scratched my dogs eye( again) have Terramycin eye ointment know to do 3 Times a day can’t remember how long to apply.
Whenever there is an injury to the eye it is very important to have your vet examine the eye to see if there is an abrasion or possibly even a rupture of the cornea. If this is the case, treatment options are very different as is the prognosis of saving the eye. If the Terramycin was from a previous injury it may or may not be appropriate to use this time. Also, if it has been more than 30 days since it was last used it should be discarded. Since the eye is such a delicate structure, I strongly recommend you take Thumper to your veterinarian for an examination.
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My kitten ,mok got conjunctivitis in her eye i already put terramycin in her eyes and she rub her eye. Is it ok to let her rub her eye?
I'm glad to hear that Bubu Kitty Mok has already been to her vet to address this eye issue and start a course of terramycin. Do not allow her to rub her eye, as this could cause a corneal ulcer or abrasion in addition to her existing conjunctivitis. Put an e-collar (cone) on her until this eye issue resolves to prevent further damage to the eye. If the redness in her eye continues despite medication, she will need to go back to her vet for further evaluation. Although uncommon, terramycin can be irritating to some cats. I hope that she's feeling better soon!
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I have an outdoor cat and kitten about 3 weeks old and his eyes are crusty looking for a Couple days and today they look red I think conjunctivitis but I can't afford to take him in right now is there anything I can do besides a warm compress
Warm compresses can certainly help, but if there are corneal ulcers and/or an underlying infection, other medications will be required. In addition, this type of ocular abnormality is usually seen in concern with other upper respiratory symptoms. Typically, an antibiotics are required to help resolve these issues. If seeing a veterinarian is simply not an option at this point, I would suggest you obtain some terramycin ointment and use this in both eyes several times a day. in addition, Lysine gel (lots of different formulations out there) can be used in an attempt to help boost up the immune system. Ultimately, a visit to the vet for a thorough exam is what is truly needed. However, if this is what you can manage right now, this is the next best thing to do!
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