What is cat eye discharge all about?
Cats’ eyes can get goopy, downright crusty, or even watery.
This discharge may be a bit gross, but it could be an indication of an eye infection. This may need to be seen by a vet, and your puss may need some medication to recover.
If your cat has watery eyes, ‘eye boogers’, or some other white eye discharge, you need to know what is normal, and what’s not. Give this article a read and get to learn more about cat eye boogers and more!
Cat eye boogers

While the occasional eye discharge might not be something to worry about, a long-term or chronic, recurring eye infection must be addressed with the vet.
A lot of the conditions that cause eye discharge in cats may lead to blindness or systemic infection. Finding veterinary attention early may help to minimize the damage done to your cat’s eyes.
Also important to note, eye discharge in cats can be a symptom of a more serious condition and not the main problem itself. It could be an indication of another injury, infection, or other problem causing serious discomfort for your cat.
The seeping discharge can cause pain, the impulse to scratch, and a lot of irritation. It’s a horrible thing for your cat to go through!
If your cat only has mild symptoms, with normal energy levels and appetite, it should just be fine to monitor it for several days.
What causes cat eye discharge?
Feline eye discharge might be an indication of several health conditions. Among the most common causes might include the following:
- Ulcers of the various eye structures
- Eye injury
- The foreign entity in the eye
- Allergies
- An upper respiratory infection which has blocked the tear ducts
- Eye infection
- Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Types of eye discharge
Depending on what your cat’s issue is, the type of eye discharge will be different.
The signs and symptoms of cat eye discharge may include the following:
- Excessive wetness on the cat’s face
- Swollen, red, irritated-looking eyes
- Cat continuously itching eyes or rubbing against various objects
- Crusty developments on the edges of the eyes, which indicates a dry discharge
- Substance accumulation around the eyes’ edges
What to do about runny cat eyes
Due to the fact that eye discharge in cats is a symptom that is shared by several underlying conditions and diseases, the prognosis is best given by an expert. Solving the medical condition may start with the process known as the differential diagnosis.
This is actually an investigative method, wherein the vet will attempt to rule out the most common of all the causes of the illness until they find out the main cause, which most precisely describes the symptoms.

This particular kind of prognosis will need you to provide as much information as possible regarding the condition of the cat.
You need to inform the vet when the symptoms first started, whether there’s been any improvement or worsening and whether there are some additional symptoms, apart from the eye discharge. This may help the vet narrow down the specific underlying cause.
The most typical diagnostic tool for determining the underlying cause of the eye discharge in the cat will be an examination of the eye, with the use of the tool known as an ophthalmoscope.
This is the same device that is used in human eye exams and allows the vet to magnify the view of the eye. The vet might also want to look at the eye’s cat under the same microscope after the application of the dye in the fluorescein eye stain test.
This test is harmless and drops are being applied to the cat’s eye and react under particular lights. This is what allows the vet to see contours of the eye of the cat and to assess for injury or ulcers.
Treatment for eye discharge
In the minor circumstances of inflammation and infection, the treatment might be as simple as an antibiotic ointment. This could be eye drops or the use of an oral antibiotic. In a more serious case, surgical involvement might be necessary.
If your cat’s eyes are painful and swollen, you may use the following:
- Appropriate eye medication, which dilates the pupil
- Appropriate pain medications
- Warm compresses over the eye
Moreover, it is also important to bear in mind that you need to follow a certain treatment course that is prescribed by your chosen vet. Various problems in the eye may rapidly decay. This may cause pain on the cat, as well as eye damage, which cannot be repaired.
Other eye conditions in cats
There are many other eye conditions that can affect cats, other than just a discharge. If you suspect your cat has other issues at the heart of its problem then check these other options:
What does the white cat in the first picture have wrong with its eye? My cat is the flame point siamese mix as well and his eye is starting to look like that slowly but surely… Is that just regular discharge or an eye condition?