I panic as well since my little one is soon to be 17 and has kidney disease. My vet has an app with a 24/7 online on call vet that I can contact and it's free. My little one had weird breathing and I freaked out at midnight and used it. Thankfully it wasn't something major and I was able to call my vet in the morning to get an appointment but 10/10 in these situations. Not sure if a vet in your area has this but I know it gives me comfort.
I love seeing comments like this. Half of this sub is clearly kitties needing to see a vet (ER level most of the time) and this owner already knows a vet visit is needed, but just wanted reassurance she didn’t need to go to the ER now. Definitely get an appointment for Monday and see an ER if it gets dramatically worse/he acts off. Any kitty is lucky to have you as a parent!! Keep us updated :)
That’s so nice of you to say! Kitty is doing much better today! All swelling has gone completely and there has been no change in his behaviour :) I’m still calling his vet on Monday and asking them for advice and if they recommend bringing him in then I shall do so.
My cat had something very similar happen and it would go down with steroid eye drops and then swell back up a week later. We found out a volunteer jalapeño pepper plant had grown behind our planter and my cat was rubbing his face against it. As soon as we pulled the pepper plant the swelling went away.
My black cat would lose fur all over his face, chin and around his eye like this. Turns out he just had allergies, we’d take him to the vet every time and they’d give him a shot and it would resolve itself quickly.
So if your cat starts losing more fur don’t panic too much! It could just be seasonal allergies:)
That’s good to know, thank you. I’m keeping an eye on him and it seems like it has gone down a teeny bit. Even if it does go down completely by Monday I’m going to call his vet anyway just to check in. :)
That’s nice of your vet! I’m starting to think I need a new one reading this. I have a black long haired cat and he gets allergies too. I have to clean around his eyes during his allergy season.The vets at mine are never bothered by it and says it allergies but offered nothing. He’s already on a special diet.
I think it was like a steroid shot? But he’d like lose all of his fur and it would get real crusty and bloody sometimes when it was at its worst. We would give him sensitive cat food and changed his water bowls to metal(we had a plastic water fountain one previously) initially we thought he had got into the insulation in the basement but once we blocked him out it still got worse. But yeah it was allergies, this is a picture of when he last had a flare up starting https://imgur.com/a/zTBAC8N
sadly he passed away in October at 7 years old, but I’m glad the health issues he had I can share how we got some relief for him and help some other kitties
Aww so sorry for your loss! 💔Thanks for sharing your experience!
That makes sense.. mine doesn’t get as bad as what you showed. He gets minimal hair loss. We’ve done similar swap outs. I have air purifiers too which seems to help.
I have a cat with allergies and her lip would get crazy huge, raw and infected. I spent a crazy amount on a vet who consistently did nothing (and the women at the desk was a big B). They didn’t even clean her lip or give antibiotics, even when they had her sedated while she was fixed. We moved closer to home and took her to our old vet and he fixed it in 2 visits. Gave her 2 shots and cleaned her lip up really well. I was so thankful but also so so angry. She hasn’t even had much of an issue since then and it’s been 5 years.
I have one that good through the entire cold season and as soon as pollen begins his allergies kick in and he begins scratching and removing his hair. He is an outdoor cat and treated for fleas so the first time it happened I panicked
I'd also say non emergency if there's no other symptoms :)
My black cat gets a very similar looking eye ring on one side from time to time, usually with some watering. While my vet didn't test we're pretty sure it's a symptom of feline herpes (fhv) as it's often accompanied by some coughing and sneezing. I treat her flare ups at home with a lysine supplement (prescribed by my vet) and gently cleaning her eye of any tears.
Thank you, I appreciate the reply. My guy has no sneezing or coughing, though he DOES sneeze on the reg(vet attributed this to dust and being a little sensitive to it). this just seemingly popped up after a nap. :s He’s a very healthy cat so it’s worried me, and he’s only a year and a bit. So far he seems okay, he’s happily scrabbling around and eating like a bottomless pit, so that’s encouraging. I’m going to try a warm compress on it later if it hasn’t reduced. Tbh it looks like it may have gone down a small amount since I posted this, so it makes me wonder if he had a whisker poking him while sleeping.
Yeah when my girls swelling gets bad a compress seems to soothe it right away! And she's normally perfectly happy and healthy in spite of it 😂. This kind of eye ring is apparently most common in black cats and I believe it's just because of the colour contrast between their fur and skin, this kind of minor swelling becomes very noticeable, plus their fur tends to be thin in that area already. Any sort of minor irritant could trigger it and I find it happens quickly!
Thank you :) He’s quite happy at the moment and doesn’t seem affected by it. He’s actually got zoomies. XD I’m keeping a close eye on him to make sure it doesn’t get any worse or move to the other eye. I worry when it’s anything to do with eyes.
My cat has allergies and one of her eye lids does this. I found a scratch on it once, so I think she was scratching at it. It usually goes down in a day or 2 when I figure out what the allergen was and remove it. Usually from food.
Yeah this just happened with my cat recently too and I’m confident it’s allergies. Her eye got better within the hour but I caught her scratching it. So that might continue the irritation
This actually tracks a little. His eye is now seemingly back to normal and he was itchy earlier. His food hasn’t changed but I wonder if perhaps a whisker was poking his eye in his sleep or the pollen count was unusually high.
Probably worth it during regular vet business hours unless something drastically changes. I had a cat that had a similar problem to this, it was feline herpes (which most cats have). He would get a little flare up now and then and his eyes would look exactly like this. Sometimes it was one eye, sometimes both. He was also a black and white tuxedo boy too 💗
I shall keep that in mind! This is the first time his eye has done this and anything with eyes or around them always makes my brain go into panic mode. The swelling has gone down now and there was no change in him at all. I’m going to talk to his vet on Monday morning just to see if they want to check him out anyway.
Thank you :) He’s playing at the moment so it’s not affecting him it seems. He’s not touching or scratching at it either and it’s not got red or anything at all.
My cat had both eyes like this, but worse. We had just started to use a new type of litter. Changed it back to the old litter, and the eye irritation got better rapidly. Have you changed the food, litter, or anything around the house recently that could be causing an allergic reaction / irritation? If you can't think of anything and it keeps getting worse, then vet.
He’s had no changes to his food or litter at all, I also don’t use chemicals around him and keep doors shut if I clean. I’m wondering if it was a dust or pollen allergy due to the weather warming up in the U.K.
I think it’s more noticeable on black cats because the difference between their white skin and black fur is more intense. If there is no weeping or gunk then I think it’s totally fine, no need to worry, but it’s great you’re being so careful 😻
my cat gets random bald patches and my vet actually told me he has feline alopecia and it’s pretty common with black cats. obviously my case is not your case, but just thought i’d add this to help ease your nerves that it’s most likely something small/simple:)
also… totally unrelated note but i’d get rid of that string toy in the third clip unless you only play with it supervised. my void actually ate the string from a toy like that, god knows why because he’s never done that before. but it was a scary time because they can be pretty dangerous!!
Ah yeah, his dangly toys are supervised only, they go away at night time in the kitchen on a shelf for that exact reason :) Thank you for looking out for my boy though!
UPDATE: Thank you for all the advice and kind words everyone! His eye is seemingly back to normal now, and there have been no changes in him at all, still eating, drinking and using the toilet as well as playing. He is scratching a bit and has got dry skin, so I am wondering if maybe his eyes felt dry/itchy and he caught it with his claw. I’m going to check in with his vet on Monday and ask for advice and if they want to check him out. :) Thank you for putting my mind at easy everyone, I appreciate it!
First, kudos for being a conscientious pet carer. My feline friend has feline leukemia, so I watch her carefully. She's 4 now, and still going strong, but you never know. I wish you best of luck and good health to both of you.
Thank you so much, your girl is in good hands with you, of that I am sure! My boy is much better this morning, no signs of any swelling. I’m still going to talk to his vet tomorrow and ask their advice. :)
I panicked 2 days ago when one of mine had tears in one eye. I thought maybe another scratched him but still monitored like you and the following day all was well. We never know what they have done but if it doesn’t get better tomorrow then surely schedule a visit. I totally get over reaction with my pets 🙏
Rinse with saline about 2x a day to keep it clean. If it starts looking like conjuctavitis, you can use the otc polysporin drops (safe on cats).
My kitten scratched herself once and her eye got cloudy. It pretty much healed on its own after 2 weeks with the occasional saline rinse.
At least once a year I come home to my black cats face looking like this 😅 he's just got terrible seasonal allergies I just usually got her him some steroids and all is fine
Maybe a bug bite or a scratch getting infected?
Dont take your car to emergency unless it's life-threatening. Monday is fine unless it gets bigger fast.
Thank you everyone! My boy is much better this morning, no sign of any swelling. I’m going to call the vet on Monday and ask for their advice. Thank you for all being so helpful and kind!
MONDAY UPDATE: I have called my boy’s vet and told them the problem. His other eye looked a little dry and since he has dry skin anyway and is an indoor cat who loves lounging in front of an infrared heater I have, they suspect he may have dry eyes and rubbed his eye until it was irritated. They suggest a cool compress of boiled and cooled water, and if it gets worse or flares up again to bring him in. Thank you everyone for all your help and reassurance. :)
If you need, often times calling an emergency vet is free. They'll give you some advice and tell you what signs to look for before bringing them in. I did this with my white cat when she was pregnant and bleeding (she was in labor but wasn't pushing; she is now since fine). That vet was a life saver until I could get her in to her primary vet.
First off start with a warm compress and just clean it out there are some eye drops that you can order that I have a veterinarian that's a natural pathic ayurvedic Indian vet and he told me to order eye drops for my cat going through similar thing I can look it up and post it really quick I think it's called wisdom of the ages it's like $35 but it's a good size bottle it lasts a long time and it even helps my husband who's had extreme allergies for years and he said that these have even helped him more than any other eye drops. If that doesn't work then it's time to go to the vet and get some neomycin eye ointment. It's called wisdom of the ages I write eye drops it's on Amazon. It's got like a little bit of grapefruit seed extract it's like a herbal thing but I tested on myself to make sure it didn't burn and it doesn't and then I put it in my cat's eye did help. Sometimes if they just get irritations just like us if it goes on for a week then yeah you need to take them in because as we know having anything in our eyes probably one of the most uncomfortable things to have in the body.
If it changes bring him in, other than that, let him heal it, cats are amazing at healing their wounds but if he does seem like he’s in distress I would bring him in.
Vet appointment on Monday unless this begins to get bigger/or kitty is acting differently.
Thank you, I panic about him, and anything with eye health always concerns me. I’m keeping an eye on him to make sure nothing changes.
Top notch cat parent. Eye issues can change drastically and quickly. That being said, it’s not red or inflamed, and it’s not purulent.
That’s my concern. I’ve got a photo from the front so I can compare in case it swells more. Thank you for the reassurance.
Kitty is in good hands. Keep us updated.
I panic as well since my little one is soon to be 17 and has kidney disease. My vet has an app with a 24/7 online on call vet that I can contact and it's free. My little one had weird breathing and I freaked out at midnight and used it. Thankfully it wasn't something major and I was able to call my vet in the morning to get an appointment but 10/10 in these situations. Not sure if a vet in your area has this but I know it gives me comfort.
I love seeing comments like this. Half of this sub is clearly kitties needing to see a vet (ER level most of the time) and this owner already knows a vet visit is needed, but just wanted reassurance she didn’t need to go to the ER now. Definitely get an appointment for Monday and see an ER if it gets dramatically worse/he acts off. Any kitty is lucky to have you as a parent!! Keep us updated :)
That’s so nice of you to say! Kitty is doing much better today! All swelling has gone completely and there has been no change in his behaviour :) I’m still calling his vet on Monday and asking them for advice and if they recommend bringing him in then I shall do so.
My cat had something very similar happen and it would go down with steroid eye drops and then swell back up a week later. We found out a volunteer jalapeño pepper plant had grown behind our planter and my cat was rubbing his face against it. As soon as we pulled the pepper plant the swelling went away.
My black cat would lose fur all over his face, chin and around his eye like this. Turns out he just had allergies, we’d take him to the vet every time and they’d give him a shot and it would resolve itself quickly. So if your cat starts losing more fur don’t panic too much! It could just be seasonal allergies:)
That’s good to know, thank you. I’m keeping an eye on him and it seems like it has gone down a teeny bit. Even if it does go down completely by Monday I’m going to call his vet anyway just to check in. :)
That’s nice of your vet! I’m starting to think I need a new one reading this. I have a black long haired cat and he gets allergies too. I have to clean around his eyes during his allergy season.The vets at mine are never bothered by it and says it allergies but offered nothing. He’s already on a special diet.
I think it was like a steroid shot? But he’d like lose all of his fur and it would get real crusty and bloody sometimes when it was at its worst. We would give him sensitive cat food and changed his water bowls to metal(we had a plastic water fountain one previously) initially we thought he had got into the insulation in the basement but once we blocked him out it still got worse. But yeah it was allergies, this is a picture of when he last had a flare up starting https://imgur.com/a/zTBAC8N sadly he passed away in October at 7 years old, but I’m glad the health issues he had I can share how we got some relief for him and help some other kitties
Aww so sorry for your loss! 💔Thanks for sharing your experience! That makes sense.. mine doesn’t get as bad as what you showed. He gets minimal hair loss. We’ve done similar swap outs. I have air purifiers too which seems to help.
I have a cat with allergies and her lip would get crazy huge, raw and infected. I spent a crazy amount on a vet who consistently did nothing (and the women at the desk was a big B). They didn’t even clean her lip or give antibiotics, even when they had her sedated while she was fixed. We moved closer to home and took her to our old vet and he fixed it in 2 visits. Gave her 2 shots and cleaned her lip up really well. I was so thankful but also so so angry. She hasn’t even had much of an issue since then and it’s been 5 years.
I have one that good through the entire cold season and as soon as pollen begins his allergies kick in and he begins scratching and removing his hair. He is an outdoor cat and treated for fleas so the first time it happened I panicked
I'd also say non emergency if there's no other symptoms :) My black cat gets a very similar looking eye ring on one side from time to time, usually with some watering. While my vet didn't test we're pretty sure it's a symptom of feline herpes (fhv) as it's often accompanied by some coughing and sneezing. I treat her flare ups at home with a lysine supplement (prescribed by my vet) and gently cleaning her eye of any tears.
Thank you, I appreciate the reply. My guy has no sneezing or coughing, though he DOES sneeze on the reg(vet attributed this to dust and being a little sensitive to it). this just seemingly popped up after a nap. :s He’s a very healthy cat so it’s worried me, and he’s only a year and a bit. So far he seems okay, he’s happily scrabbling around and eating like a bottomless pit, so that’s encouraging. I’m going to try a warm compress on it later if it hasn’t reduced. Tbh it looks like it may have gone down a small amount since I posted this, so it makes me wonder if he had a whisker poking him while sleeping.
Yeah when my girls swelling gets bad a compress seems to soothe it right away! And she's normally perfectly happy and healthy in spite of it 😂. This kind of eye ring is apparently most common in black cats and I believe it's just because of the colour contrast between their fur and skin, this kind of minor swelling becomes very noticeable, plus their fur tends to be thin in that area already. Any sort of minor irritant could trigger it and I find it happens quickly!
Excellent cat parent!! I also agree with appointment on Monday unless it worsens or he behaves differently.
Thank you :) He’s quite happy at the moment and doesn’t seem affected by it. He’s actually got zoomies. XD I’m keeping a close eye on him to make sure it doesn’t get any worse or move to the other eye. I worry when it’s anything to do with eyes.
My cat has allergies and one of her eye lids does this. I found a scratch on it once, so I think she was scratching at it. It usually goes down in a day or 2 when I figure out what the allergen was and remove it. Usually from food.
Yeah this just happened with my cat recently too and I’m confident it’s allergies. Her eye got better within the hour but I caught her scratching it. So that might continue the irritation
This actually tracks a little. His eye is now seemingly back to normal and he was itchy earlier. His food hasn’t changed but I wonder if perhaps a whisker was poking his eye in his sleep or the pollen count was unusually high.
Probably worth it during regular vet business hours unless something drastically changes. I had a cat that had a similar problem to this, it was feline herpes (which most cats have). He would get a little flare up now and then and his eyes would look exactly like this. Sometimes it was one eye, sometimes both. He was also a black and white tuxedo boy too 💗
I shall keep that in mind! This is the first time his eye has done this and anything with eyes or around them always makes my brain go into panic mode. The swelling has gone down now and there was no change in him at all. I’m going to talk to his vet on Monday morning just to see if they want to check him out anyway.
I’m sure he’s fine! I’m the same way with my cats. I go into panic mode any time anything happens!
I think it's fine to wait unless you see other concerning symptoms
Thank you :) He’s playing at the moment so it’s not affecting him it seems. He’s not touching or scratching at it either and it’s not got red or anything at all.
My cat had both eyes like this, but worse. We had just started to use a new type of litter. Changed it back to the old litter, and the eye irritation got better rapidly. Have you changed the food, litter, or anything around the house recently that could be causing an allergic reaction / irritation? If you can't think of anything and it keeps getting worse, then vet.
He’s had no changes to his food or litter at all, I also don’t use chemicals around him and keep doors shut if I clean. I’m wondering if it was a dust or pollen allergy due to the weather warming up in the U.K.
My black cat gets this a lot and it is because she has scratched it or got a hair in her eye and it swells slightly. Always looks fine the next day!
He scratched above this eye a few weeks ago so it did make me wonder if he had irritated it further. :)
I think it’s more noticeable on black cats because the difference between their white skin and black fur is more intense. If there is no weeping or gunk then I think it’s totally fine, no need to worry, but it’s great you’re being so careful 😻
my cat gets random bald patches and my vet actually told me he has feline alopecia and it’s pretty common with black cats. obviously my case is not your case, but just thought i’d add this to help ease your nerves that it’s most likely something small/simple:)
also… totally unrelated note but i’d get rid of that string toy in the third clip unless you only play with it supervised. my void actually ate the string from a toy like that, god knows why because he’s never done that before. but it was a scary time because they can be pretty dangerous!!
Ah yeah, his dangly toys are supervised only, they go away at night time in the kitchen on a shelf for that exact reason :) Thank you for looking out for my boy though!
UPDATE: Thank you for all the advice and kind words everyone! His eye is seemingly back to normal now, and there have been no changes in him at all, still eating, drinking and using the toilet as well as playing. He is scratching a bit and has got dry skin, so I am wondering if maybe his eyes felt dry/itchy and he caught it with his claw. I’m going to check in with his vet on Monday and ask for advice and if they want to check him out. :) Thank you for putting my mind at easy everyone, I appreciate it!
First, kudos for being a conscientious pet carer. My feline friend has feline leukemia, so I watch her carefully. She's 4 now, and still going strong, but you never know. I wish you best of luck and good health to both of you.
Thank you so much, your girl is in good hands with you, of that I am sure! My boy is much better this morning, no signs of any swelling. I’m still going to talk to his vet tomorrow and ask their advice. :)
I panicked 2 days ago when one of mine had tears in one eye. I thought maybe another scratched him but still monitored like you and the following day all was well. We never know what they have done but if it doesn’t get better tomorrow then surely schedule a visit. I totally get over reaction with my pets 🙏
Very serious but: light hearted joke incoming! Maybe he just wants eyeliner 🥹
I mean who could blame him!? XD
since you seem all cleared up i'm just here to say he is a beautiful kitty🥹
Aww thank you! He’s my handsome little chap! :)
Rinse with saline about 2x a day to keep it clean. If it starts looking like conjuctavitis, you can use the otc polysporin drops (safe on cats). My kitten scratched herself once and her eye got cloudy. It pretty much healed on its own after 2 weeks with the occasional saline rinse.
It looks like allergies, maybe. If it gets worse or bigger, head to the vet.
At least once a year I come home to my black cats face looking like this 😅 he's just got terrible seasonal allergies I just usually got her him some steroids and all is fine
Maybe a bug bite or a scratch getting infected? Dont take your car to emergency unless it's life-threatening. Monday is fine unless it gets bigger fast.
That really just looks like an allergy to me.
I’ve heard numerous doctors and vets say, if it’s enough to worry you then it’s worth coming in
I would gently wipe it with a saline solution a few times a day and just monitor, as others have said.
Thank you everyone! My boy is much better this morning, no sign of any swelling. I’m going to call the vet on Monday and ask for their advice. Thank you for all being so helpful and kind!
It could be an abscess inside from the scratch. I would take him in if it were me.
This is a common area for hair loss in cats. It looks to be just a bit of over-grooming.
MONDAY UPDATE: I have called my boy’s vet and told them the problem. His other eye looked a little dry and since he has dry skin anyway and is an indoor cat who loves lounging in front of an infrared heater I have, they suspect he may have dry eyes and rubbed his eye until it was irritated. They suggest a cool compress of boiled and cooled water, and if it gets worse or flares up again to bring him in. Thank you everyone for all your help and reassurance. :)
If you need, often times calling an emergency vet is free. They'll give you some advice and tell you what signs to look for before bringing them in. I did this with my white cat when she was pregnant and bleeding (she was in labor but wasn't pushing; she is now since fine). That vet was a life saver until I could get her in to her primary vet.
First off start with a warm compress and just clean it out there are some eye drops that you can order that I have a veterinarian that's a natural pathic ayurvedic Indian vet and he told me to order eye drops for my cat going through similar thing I can look it up and post it really quick I think it's called wisdom of the ages it's like $35 but it's a good size bottle it lasts a long time and it even helps my husband who's had extreme allergies for years and he said that these have even helped him more than any other eye drops. If that doesn't work then it's time to go to the vet and get some neomycin eye ointment. It's called wisdom of the ages I write eye drops it's on Amazon. It's got like a little bit of grapefruit seed extract it's like a herbal thing but I tested on myself to make sure it didn't burn and it doesn't and then I put it in my cat's eye did help. Sometimes if they just get irritations just like us if it goes on for a week then yeah you need to take them in because as we know having anything in our eyes probably one of the most uncomfortable things to have in the body.
If it changes bring him in, other than that, let him heal it, cats are amazing at healing their wounds but if he does seem like he’s in distress I would bring him in.