Your Cat's Eye Goobers: What Is Normal And What Isn't
When it comes to taking care of your cats, whether you have had them for years or you are a newbie to cat ownership, you may find yourself wondering about certain aspects of their body and their health from time to time. Their eyes, for example, are an important aspect of their health and well-being that can sometimes get overlooked. Your cat's eye goobers and eye behaviors can tell you a lot about whether they are having normal "goobers" or if something is wrong. Here is what you should know about what is and is not normal when it comes to your cat's eye goobers.
Some Occasional Crusty Bits Are Normal
Just like you get something in your eyes when you sleep, so do cats. So, if you notice the occasional crusty bits in or around your cat's eyes, you have nothing major to worry about. This type of eye discharge is typical of most animals and can be dealt with simply by using a soft cloth to wipe it away (if your cat does not take care of it themselves). However, if your cat constantly has new eye goobers and crusty bits and they are large and/or disruptive to their vision, this might be something to be concerned about. Such discharge would be atypical and could be a sign of some kind of allergy, something in the eye causing excess discharge, or an infection.
Colored Discharge Is a Sign of a Problem
Eye crusty bits on cats are often dark brown or black, but the discharge that comes from your cat's eye should be mostly clear or white. If your cat has colorful, goopy eye discharge coming from their eyes at any point, a trip to see the veterinarian is in order. Something like colored discharge is a telltale sign that your cat has an infection. The most common eye infection in cats is conjunctivitis. Cats with conjunctivitis may also have issues with the membranes around the eye. They can become red and look extremely irritated. Take your cat to the vet if they have this type of issue so that they can get the treatment they need to improve.
Squinting Is a Not Good
If your cat is squinting all the time because of its eye goobers and discharge, then they have an issue that needs to be addressed. Cats should not squint often if at all. Go to the veterinarian's office right away to figure out what is going on if your cat seems to be squinty much of the time.
Now that you know some of the normal and abnormal things about cat eye goobers, you can get them to the veterinarian if they show some of the signs that are atypical of a healthy cat. Contact a veterinarian for more information.
