What is wrong with our kitty eye?

[kittylover22]

Hi,

My dad and I have 3 cat's the one we are worried our 1yr 2mo. old boy cat. When we first got him a year ago from the shelter he had canal cough and later when took him to the vet they found ringworm on his legs and head. It took forever to get rid of the ringworm and during that time he also got bumps on his temples where the ringworm was at. The vets were stumped at what the bumps could be and we spent almost $1000 is tests, with no results. The bumps went away as did the other health issues His fur became silky and shiny. He has had perfect health up until about two weeks ago. It started with his left eye squinting, and then big globs of discharge started to leak out. At one time my dad said it was a pink color. We kept the eye clean and eventually the discharge went away, we thought he was getting better, but he is still squinting his eye and about two days ago we noticed that he is loosing hair around the eye it almost completely bald around his eye now. He is sleeping a lot. He is still eating and using the litterbox fine, he even plays with our other cat all night long. Could it be ringworm around his eye? My dad thinks it is, but the skin is not red and he is not scratching it.

I saw our youngest kitty, a female almost 11mo, last night licking his eye. I stopped her. She does not seem to be sick and her eyes are fine, but is there a chance she could get the same thing?

Just like any other average middle class family today, we have little to no money and are almost always strapped for cash, we don't have the kind of money for  vet bills or medicine. I am scared for our kitty. I hate seeing him like this and at the present time we don't have the funds to help him. However, for my own sanity I need to know what could be wrong with him. I will find a way to get some money, but I need to know, so I can call around to find the cheapest possible price.

[kittylover22]

Thanks again, he stopped squinting, but my dad is wondering if there is a type of cream, oil, or lotion that we can put on the dry skin around his eye? It looks like it burns, or hurts, like dry skin can sometimes. I told him not to put anything on it until we could get advice on what would be safe to use.

[Mrs_Savas]

Well, not necessarily.  The symptoms can be intermittent.  

And yes, feline herpes is very contagious - you would expect it to show up in the others, but it doesn't mean it isn't that.  Since the cats are healthy and probably have good, healthy immune systems, it is very possible that the virus just hasn't shown itself.  And no contagion is 100%.

The reason I asked about his mouth is that some of these conditions, like feline herpes for one, can cause mouth sores and/or sinus complications.  If that happens, the cat usually will show it by moving his mouth in a funny way or not wanting to open his mouth.  Also, listen for any sign of labored breathing.

The best advice I can give right now is to keep a close watch on his symptoms, as well as the other cats.  If possible, even if he seems to get better, it would be best to save up for a vet visit, especially if the squinting and/or fur loss continue.  There are some conditions, like glaucoma, that don't look like much to begin with, but can get serious over time if left untreated.

Probably it's nothing like that, but it is best to be sure, to avoid serious (and really expensive) problems in the future.

I know it's hard.  Most of us working folk struggle with veterinary costs.  Sometimes a vet will give you a payment schedule, if need be, especially if he or she knows you and is familiar with your cat(s).  That can help a lot because you can make small payments over time instead of one bigger one.  It's something to ask about, anyway.

[kittylover22]

Thank you. I don't think he is having trouble with his mouth, at least it does not appear to be that way. He loves to talk, he does it all the time. I don't think it is ringworm, it looks nothing like it did the last time, thank you for telling me about the cream thing that is good to know for the future. I looked up the symptoms of the herpes feline virus and I am a bit worried that he might have that, he has had off and on symptoms of that since the first month we got him, but neither of our other cats have ever showed signs of being sick at all and he is a real cuddle bunny with the youngest. And we have had him for almost two years now, wouldn't they have showed signs by now?

[Mrs_Savas]

Hi,

OK - discharge, especially milky discharge is often a sign of an eye infection, which requires antibiotic treatment pretty immediately.   If the discharge comes back, and you might get some swelling and redness, then I would say it is an infection.

Unfortunately, if left untreated, eye infections can lead to blindness and sometimes require very expensive surgery.

However, since you say the discharge has gone away...  Squinting, occasional discharge, some redness - these can be signs of several eye conditions, from dryness/irritation all the way to glaucoma.  He could have a conjunctivits condition, which is usually caused by herpsevirus (feline herpes virus).

You say he's eating ok... does he seem to have any trouble opening his mouth?

If the missing fur is connected to the ringworm, you should see some scabbing on the skin in the area.  Does the skin seem scabby, irritated or flaky?

By the way, basic ringworm is treatable with inexpensive, over the counter athlete's foot cream.  Yes, I'm serious.  Vets will not tell you this, but it's true.  If you look on the tube, it even lists ringworm as a treatable condition.  You have to be very thorough applying it to the affected area, but it works.  However, if there are other medical conditions (especially other skin conditions) occuring along with the ringworm, then you need a vet.

There are websites that sell prescription veterinary medications pretty cheaply.  You do have to get the prescription from a vet, and then you can have it transferred to the website and they will ship the meds - the webite will have instructions for transferring the prescription(s).  They try to get it to you pretty quickly, but it isn't as fast as picking it up yourself.  Normally I wouldn't recommend it for something like antibiotics, because of the wait period for shipping, but if there is no other option, it is better than not getting the meds at all.

As far as your other cat(s), it depends on what the condition turns out to be.  If it is an infection, or a virus then it's contagious.  If it is irritation or glaucoma then it's not.  Keep a close eye on his playmates for any symptoms.

I wish I could give you a concrete diagnosis, but without seeing your cat, it's hard.   Still, I hope this helps some.  Please don't hesitate to ask more questions and let us know how it goes.