Being a doting pet parent, you can not just brush off seeing your cat winking and rubbing her eyes constantly. Upon checking closely, you found out that the cat has hair in its eye. This may become an issue if not addressed.
You may feel like licking your finger and removing the hair in her eyes carefully on your own. But is that the right thing to do?
Signs that your cat has hair in its eye
Not every cat gets bothered if there is a foreign object in her eye or they may just rub it off on their own. Some times the foreign object can cause great distress to the cat. Signs that there is something in the eye include:
- Swelling and redness around the eyeball.
- Constant twitching, squinting or winking of the eye.
- Frequently pawing at the eye area.
- Excessive production of tear or mucus discharge.
- Rubbing the eyes on the ground or against a rough surface.
Start placing an elizabeth collar around her neck if the pawing and rubbing gets too serious. Leave the affected part untouched and do not remove the collar until you get help from a veterinarian or the hair in the eye comes off on its own.
How to remove hair from your cat’s eye
Cats have a tear duct system similar to ours that keeps the eyes moist which helps to remove uninvited debris from the surface of the eye. If the cat seems unable to clear the hair herself, you can try some of these tips coming from fur parents who successfully solved this issue.
- Flush saline solution on her eyes gently until the hair is removed. You can also use plain water. Put in a couple of drops of water using an eyedropper. Know that this may be unwise if your cat is already experiencing eye pain but otherwise it is worth a try.
- If the situation is not worse, you can try massaging her eyelid in circles to get the hair out. DO NOT do it on a swollen eye since it will bring discomfort for her.
- You can also try using a wet q-tip, though she may not like it when someone messes with her eyes.
- You can also try to use a wash cloth.
When to take your cat to the veterinarian
If you have tried the tips above and the situation does not improve or gets worse, it is the time to take her to the vet. Especially is her eye starts to swell and redness appears around the eye there is clearly a complication. If you ignore those symptoms for a long time, it will like lead to acute eye injury like:
- Abrasions in the Cornea
- Corneal Trauma/Injury
- Corneal Trauma/Injury
- Eyelid Laceration
As a cat parent it is important to give room for your cat to be independent and that includes her personal space. But sometimes when there are risks to her health, like hair on her eye, it is better to help instead of leaving it all up to her. In the worst case, if left untreated, eye issues may lead to serious issues and even blindness.