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Why is my cat's third eyelid showing and making him look unwell?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 6.5 lbs

My cats eyes have changed, the white from the corners seems to be larger and he looks unwell.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on July 9th, 2021

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The white tissue in the corner of the eyes is the third eye lid. It goes up like this when a cat is unwell. It is not a specific sign for one particular disease but it often means that a cat has fever, has breathing problems, has abdominal discomfort, muscle or joint pain. Please, take Lancelot to your local vets tomorrow for full clinical examination. Your vet may recommend a blood test or abdominal scan to find out what is going on. Good luck !

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on July 19th, 2017

    This is usually a sign of abdominal discomfort, often it is related to intestinal worms. you need to take Minnu to the vet in order to get her checked and de-wormed and hopefully it will solve the problem.

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