Are there any common cat eye infections?

Cats can get a variety of eye problems including cat eye infections. They can get cat eye infections that involve the conjunctiva of the eye or infections that affect the uvea.

When the conjunctiva is inflamed, it is called conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva (the thin tissue that lines the eyelid and covers the white of the eye) can also be inflamed or infected in cats. Conjunctivitis is a common cause for cat eye infections as some of the viruses that cause it are prevalent in young stray cats. The tissue can be come inflamed or infected for a variety of reasons including viral infections (such as herpes virus or calici virus), chlamydial eye infections, bacterial eye infections as well as other abnormalities. The common symptoms of cat eye infections from conjunctivitis include eye discharge, excessive tearing, blinking, squinting, and redness. Sometimes the cat will also want to rub at their eye. For an in-depth article on conjunctivitis in cats, click here.

The uvea is the anterior (front) part of the eye, which is the dark tissue of the eye that contains blood vessels. This type of inflammation is called anterior uveitis and has a variety of causes including infections from viruses, parasites, fungi, bacteria, and protozoa. Symptoms of cat eye infections from anterior uveitis include redness, tearing, squinting, and sometimes a cloudy color to the cornea. For more information on anterior uveitis in cats, click here.



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