How and with what to wash the eyes of a cat?

A healthy cat always has clear eyes. The appearance of copious purulent discharge or tearing is a wake-up call for an attentive owner: the pet should be taken to the veterinarian as soon as possible! Perhaps this is a symptom of an infectious disease, an allergy, or an eye injury. The exact cause will be determined by a specialist.

However, a small amount of discharge from the eyes, which rarely appears and does not bother the pet, is an absolutely normal situation. They can occur due to the special structure of the muzzle (like in Persian cats), unbalanced nutrition or banal dust getting into the eye … There are many reasons, and most often the cat removes the pollution itself, carefully washing itself with its paw.

But even among the cats there are sloths, and the owner can take care of the cleanliness of the pet’s muzzle. So how to rinse a cat’s eyes at home and how to do it right?

You will need a cotton swab (or tissue) and a cleanser: saline, chlorhexidine, or a special lotion (ISB’s Clean Eye) to choose from. Saline will allow you to simply remove dirt from the eyelids, and chlorhexidine and lotion will not only clean, but also provide an antibacterial effect and relieve irritation.

Before treating the eye, liquid at room temperature is applied to a special napkin or cotton swab. The eye is rubbed in the direction from the outer corner of the eyelid to the inner. This is an important rule, non-compliance with which nullifies all efforts. If you wipe the eye the other way around – from the inner corner to the outer – all the impurities will go into the bag under the eyelid and accumulate there, provoking even more inflammation.

Be careful. In case of excessive discharge from the eyes, be sure to contact your veterinarian. The sooner you do this, the easier it will be to bring your pet’s health in order.  

Do not be ill!