Question about eye boogers (kitteh kind)

[Eurobabe]

Okay, my little red boy, he's 8.5 y/o now has developed this weird eye gunk in the past few weeks. He's never had it before. I've done some research on the internet and seen anything from cat herpes (which my older cat has had in the past but was treated for) or change in diet, (we changed the Demon to a new food about 2 months ago, it has no wheat or soy in it) OR he's been getting into the older cat's urinary diet which is the nastiest shit I have ever seen (tuna fish based)

Demon's eyes are not closed shut or exhibiting any drainage, etc. but I just don't like these eye boogers. Any suggestions? I am constantly running after him with a damp paper towel and tissues. :shrug:

Maybe I will tell my hubby to stop buying the urinary food for the older cat, I have a weird feeling that might be the cause because the eyes scurve is the same color.

But I am open to suggestions. Thanks! :hi:

[CountAllVotes]

1. great timing on this

My oldest cat (age is almost 15) has had this for several years. I was told by my vet that it is an allergy, not unlike human allergies to the environment.

It has gotten somewhat worse and TOMORROW she will be going to the vet to find out if it is something more serious than simple allergies.

I'll let you know what happens!

CountAllVotes

[Eurobabe]

3. My older cat (he's almost 17 now) had feline herpes

and was given medicine (drops) for this a couple years ago. It cleared up. Now I am wondering if perhaps it never fully cleared and my little one picked it up? Either that or it's this disgusting food that we have to feed the older one, I know the Demon sneaks it if we forget to cover.

I wonder what kind of allergy it could be? Please let me know, I am very curious.

Hope your kitty is OK. :hug:

[CountAllVotes]

5. I have 3 cats

since the pet food poisonings, I switched to a food called "Life's Abundance".

All of my cats look and feel great! Even the old one loves this food and she can easily outrun the other two far younger cats.

They have beautiful shiny coats.

My old kitty has white cat cancer (a skin cancer due to being all white). It has been in remission for several years luckily.

I really like the Life's Abundance cat health food. I just received a 4 month supply for my cats for $120.00 delivered to my door. This works out to a cost of about $10.00 a month per cat. What else could I possibly ask for?

The food is good food no doubt and NO CHINA crap in it. :)

I'll let you know how it goes with my old kitty after I get home tomorrow.

Let's hope for the best!

Thanks for the good vibes on her upcoming visit as I worry so much about her! :hug:

[Eurobabe]

6. I don't live in the US

and my cat food is not made in China, that I am sure of -- I just think my man kitten (LOL, he's 8) can't tolerate the tuna in the urinary food. I told hubby tonight not to buy it anymore, he agrees. If nothing changes soon, we'll be off to the vet too.

Make sure you let me know what happens at the vet. I have a senior too. :grouphug:

[CountAllVotes]

7. udpate w/old kitty info. :)

We just got home. My old kitty is JUST FINE! It seems the eye problem is HERPES like you suggested. My old vet said to take an L-lysine 500 mg. and to cut this in half and grind it up and add it to some food. Do this for two weeks and hopefully the problem will be much better.

Herpes tends to wax and wane the vet said. The eye was clearly red and irritated but the other one is not.

He weighed her (she came in at 6 lbs. 9 ounces) and needs no dental work, no nothing. Her heart is strong and lymph nodes normal! :party:

He was quite impressed with her overall health and actually asked me for more info. re: Life's Abundance dry cat food! I told him it was invented by a veterinarian, etc. and he was sure interested, especially when I told him there was no China crap in it and that the canned food they make has organic chicken in it. :D

I am so very glad my old kitty is ok! :D

I picked up some L-lysine on the way hope. It is dirt cheap too (~$5.00 a bottle).

You might want to try this out on your cat and see if it helps.

CountAllVotes

[Eurobabe]

8. How interesting, glad it is something treatable

Herpes, in humans and other animals is fostered by an imbalance of other amino acids (too little L-Lysine and too much L-Arginine, if I remember my chemistry correctly) Certain foods tilt in one direction or another. Just a guess but I would imagine that felines are sensitive to an imbalance as well.

She's a tiny gal! Wow, my big guy used to weigh about 23lbs., but since we've moved to Europe (where there is no shit from China in the food, mine get mainly organic stuff too) he's down to 14lbs.

Just curious, how are you getting her to take the lysine? My little red one doesn't eat wet food (he's a puker :puke: ) I wonder if there are lysine drops? :shrug:

[CountAllVotes]

9. It is working out easily!

You buy this anywhere (the 500 mg. tablets) and break one in half. I happen to have a suribachi (you don't need one to grind 1/2 of the tablet up - I'm sure other methods can be figured out) and take the ground up tablet and sprinkle it in the food or you could add it to some tuna/tuna juice if you have a problem with getting the cat to eat the food with this it/on it. It apparently has no flavor.

My vet is the best vet in the county where I live. We refer to him as the "saintly Dr. _" here. The man is a treasure! He's been caring for my dear old kitty since I first got her.

They said she is not underweight and that most cats they see are obese these days. I'll admit I was kind of surprised as I thought she was a bit underweight myself.

He said to add the ground up L-Lysine to the food for 2 weeks and call him back and let him know how she is.

I'll keep you posted ok?

Thanks for you concern and again, both my husband and I were near tears of joy being old kitty is ok! :D

And the charge wasn't bad either - $44.00. That made it a lot better!

Best of luck!

CountAllVotes

[CountAllVotes]

10. a late attempt to edit my reply

None of my cats eat canned food either - all dry food is the story here.

As of recent I've been giving old kitty bits of organic cooked chicken, bits of fresh Alaskan salmon and also small pieces of a certain type of Swiss cheese that she likes. She also likes tuna and tuna juice. The L-Lysine ground up is being added to one of the above items that I cook for her. I've been doing this because she seemed so thin to me. Thin or not, she loves this so much! You can't remove a frozen piece of salmon from the freezer, the Swiss cheese or some of the cooked chicken without her showing up immediately. ;) of course ...

You can add it to water too. You might try that or add it to some warmed up food that the cat might like (the vet recommend this idea).

I hope this helps!

[Eurobabe]

11. thanks for the update

I have an appt with the Vet tomorrow at 4:45pm, it's either herpes or allergy, I am pretty sure of that. :(

My poor little angel, I am anxious to find out.

Yes, my older guy can hear a can opening 3 flights up, but won't acknowledge you in the next room. LOL. :rofl:

[CountAllVotes]

12. another update!

My god, this is like a miracle! BOTH of old kitty's eyes are about healed up already! :wow:

The vet said the way you can tell if it is herpes or not as it tends to affect one eye much more than the other eye. This was her case. One eye was fiercely irritated and very red but drainage was in both eyes.

It is about 80% gone already after only 3 days of treatments and this has been going on for many years (it had gotten bad just recently).

Unfreakinbelievable I'll tell you!

I must find out more about L-Lysine. Perhaps it could help people too! :)

Try it, it is worth it! I'm so glad I took her to this particular vet! :D

:dem:

[Eurobabe]

13. Wow, I guess I will have to try to treat my

older guy again with it, his eye has been constantly weepy on and off for many months.

Yes, L-Lysine is highly recommended for people with herpes. (HSV 1 & 2)

[kestrel91316]

16. I started taking lysine for my own herpes problems (cold sores)

4 years ago and it is miraculous how few problems I have now. Also very few canker sores.

Lysine blocks uptake of arginine, which is essential for herpesvirus replication. So basically it starves the herpes.

[kestrel91316]

15. Feline herpesvirus is the most common cause of non-traumatic eye disease in the cat.

I put all my weepy-eyed, red-eyed kitties on lysine RIGHT AWAY, and if need be they can stay on it pretty much forever. Hopefully this will prevent any of them from progressing to eosinophilic keratitis, or ulcers, or corneal sequestra.

I am a total convert to lysine. Now when sneezers come in they get lysine right off the bat, instead of the antibiotics we used to throw at them that NEVER worked anyway.

[frickaline]

2. I don't know if it is possibly similar to this rabbit issue but I'll mention it anyway

My rabbit has an annual (or nearly annual) problem with eye weeping. For him, it is because of problems with his teeth.

Rabbits are very different from other pets in that their teeth continually grow. Occasionally their teeth don't get filed down quite right and become 'maloccluded'. When this happens, he starts having massive tearing and I need to take him in to get the points on his teeth clipped.

I mention this not to imply your cat could ever become maloccluded but rather to suggest the possibility of issues with his teeth. Perhaps an infection or some thing else amiss with his bite could be a factor.

[Eurobabe]

4. Well, I begin to think a visit to the vet is in order

I think it is an allergy. Thanks for your input.

[kestrel91316]

17. I treat rabbits in addition to cats. Rabbits have their own set of problems

that cause weepy eyes. Because cats' teeth do NOT grow continually like rabbits' do, they do not get into trouble with overgrowth of maloccluded teeth. And rabbits do not have herpesvirus, as far as I can recall.

Weepy eyes in bunnies are usually due to that damned Pasteurella bacteria that causes a myriad of problems in the species.

[Eurobabe]

14. Back from the Vet. Definitely an infection of some kind

She swabbed his eye and sent it off to the lab to check for Herpes. His inner eye was pink and inflammed. Something is not right, my instincts were correct. Moms know these things.

I got antibiotic drops for now, and have to call for the test results on Thursday. :( Hoping for the best, but I would not be surprised if it is herpes.

[kestrel91316]

18. I'll betcha BILLIONS AND BILLIONS of dollars it's herpes, lol.