Petco Text Logo
Petco Pet Logo

  • Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!

My cat's eye is swollen and painful with clear discharge. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 14.4 lbs

Hi! My cat has clear/white mucus-like discharge coming from left her eye and the insides of her eyelid is swollen as well. I noticed this one day ago. I have been using q-tips dipped in warm water to help clear out the discharge. Touching it seems to be painful for her. What does she have and how can I treat it? Is there something you can prescribe?

This question includes photos that may contain sensitive content. Click to view.

View more to consider that the photos may include sensitive content.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Image profile

Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on May 8th, 2021

It sounds like Olive has an eye infection. We are unable to prescribe anything for her, it's illegal for us to do that without seeing her in person. Any eye problem is a medical emergency as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take her into a vet now to get this treated. Best of luck.

Vote icon

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Questions

Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
There's some type of mucus coming out of the corner of his eyes
So sorry this happened to Oliver. The entire area around Oliver's eye is swollen and the eye looks infected. That appears to be really painful too. He could have something stuck in the eye or a scratch/ulcer on his cornea. It could also just be a really bad conjunctivitis (infection of the insides of the eyelids). You really need to get him to a vet for an exam. That way he can get the proper treatment. Treatment varies depending on the underlying cause. He will likely need eye ointment or drops (sometimes two different kinds) and some pain medication. Eyes are very delicate organs and tend to go badly very quickly if not treated correctly. He could lose his vision or even the eyeball in some cases. This could be a very serious issue. Please get him to the vet as soon as you can. Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Fey has swollen, cloudy white-filmed eyes. One is severely inflamed. They ooze green mucus. She has not been living in sanitary conditions, and has had an eye infection since birth. If bright light is shone in her face, she will squint. One pupil, in
Complete physical and opthalmic exams would be necessary to determine the underlying cause and whether or not the eye can be spared. It may be a severe infection. The cost will vary by geographic location and diagnosis. You can request an estimate from your veterinarian. Most clinics will provide one as a matter of hospital policy.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
A (outdoor) cat that has adopted our family has come back with a terrible eye infection. It looks swollen and the entire eye appears to be covered in a thick greenish pus, where you can't even see the eye anymore. Are there any over the counter thing
Oh, poor Oreo! His eye does look awful :( I'm afraid there is really no way around taking him to the vet for this problem, as it looks to be a pretty nasty infection - he definitely needs prescription antibiotics to treat it. There is nothing available over the counter that will help. The good news is, there is no reason that this needs to be an expensive visit - the only costs should be the exam fee, plus the cost of whatever antibiotic or other medication is prescribed. In the meantime, you can try gently rinsing his eye with plain saline eye wash and using a warm washcloth to clean away the discharge. This will not do anything to treat the underlying infection, but may help to make him a bit more comfortable until you are able to see the vet.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Starting today Oreo has had excessive discharge in his eyes especially the left one. He doesn’t have any other symptoms but it’s causing him to squint that eye a lot. When I wiped it I can see that the discharge is clear but I still wanted to check i
It could be Oreo has hurt his eye or has an eye infection. Any eye problem is an emergency because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I'd take him into a vet today to have this diagnosed and treated. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My kitty has an irritated eye and sometimes her eye has a lot of discharge. So I would like to know what can buy her to put on it.
It sounds like Marshmallow has an eye infection, and that requires prescription medication from the vet. Any eye problem needs to be checked out promptly by a vet, as leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Please take her into a vet today. Best of luck.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
Our year old female cat has suddenly started having issues with her eye. It looks a bit swollen and has had clear and green liquids come out. What should we do, if anythjng?
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. I highly recommend that you have Cleo 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 kittens eye is swollen , red, looks cloudy, and the white longing is very swollen and red, discharge, the red swollen lining covers most of her eye as well
It looks like a very severe eye infection, you must take your kitten to the vet urgently in order to get it treated, he will need antibiotic eye drops. failure to treat it fast will result in blindness in both eyes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cat had one eye swollen and closed the other night. But yesterday morning when i saw her again, it became worse. It has opened a little bit but a yellow fluid is coming out from her eye. What could it be? Do my cat need to undergo surgery? What ca
This appears to be a potentially severe eye infection. You would need to have Snow physically examined by your veterinarian for confirmation and treatment. Once the eye is cleaned up and examined, the best course of treatment can be determined. If the eye is not functional or salvageable or if it is causing discomfort, then surgery may be indicated. Have her seen sooner rather than later to prevent unnecessary pain and potentially permanent damage to the eye.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
Health & Wellbeing
My cats eye is swollen
His eye does look swollen! He could have injured his eye or he could have an eye infection. The eye is such an important and delicate structure that any problem with it should be considered an emergency. That's because leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. I would take him into a vet immediately to diagnose what is causing his eye to be swollen so it can be treated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Petco Pet Education Center
New Pet
We came home after an hour to our cat Smokey with his eye like this. Not sure what it could've been. He can open the eye it seems like (when he wants to). There doesn't seem to be any apparent damage to the eye from what we can tell. There is mucus
That is likely to be due to a mild to moderate conjunctivitis, probably secondary to a trauma or infection. A check up would be needed as appropriate treatment would include antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops. Corneal injuries must be ruled out as well. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
Updated on September 24th, 2025

Related Searches

Cat Food Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Cat Supplies Cat Ear & Eye Care Prescription Cat Allergy Medicine Dog Ear & Eye Medicine Prescription Horse Ear & Eye Care Prescription Dewormer for Cats Cat Medicine Pain Meds & Arthritis Relief for Cats Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Solution Cat Medicine Neo-Poly-Dex Cat Medicine PetAlive Cat Ear & Eye Care Neo-Poly-Dex Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Tobramycin Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Latanoprost Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Latanoprost Cat Medicine Dexamethasone Ophthalmic Solution Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Dorzolamide Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication Animax Cat Eyedrops & Ear Medication
image
Have A Vet Question?

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

Book Now

Sponsored