Brown discharge coming from my cats eyes

[kungfutina]

Hello everyone,
I got my cat in September 2008 (she's just over a year old) and ever since I got her, she has had brown discharge coming from her eyes. I brought her to the vet in January and I was given an antibiotic called Erythromycin Ophthalmic Ointment which I had to give her 4 times a day for 14 days. It did not do anything and the doctor said that it might be herpes. I did some research on feline herpes and I found that it is a respiratory illness. She is not sick in any way, there is no discharge from her nose or mouth, there is no redness/swelling, she is not sneezing, and other than the brown discharge coming from her eyes, she's healthy. It does not affect her at all, but she is leaving some brown tears in my apartment and she does not look very attractive to any visitors that may come. Does anyone know what this could be so that I can perhaps improve it?

[LooneyBoone]

Some cats have occasional tear overflow or it could be hair rubbing on the eye, ulcers, eye irriation (smoke, soap, perfume etc), tear duct being too small, scarred or blocked. Could be allergies, herpes like you mentioned which doesn't always including the sneezing etc. it can just flare up with eye discharge.

Like people some cats don't respond the same to all meds, try different ones, there are other eye medications out there that do wonders alone or teamed up with another medication. Ganciclovir, Famvir, Tetracycline, Tobradex, Tobrex, BNP/BNHP, Fucithalmic... maybe inquire about a different course of medication to see if it helps?

You'll have to keep on top of cleaning her eyes as bacteria can take residence and cause a whole new problem.

[14+kitties]

No help. Just wanted to say what a beautiful girl she is! Eye gunk or not. She is gorgeous!

[ancientgirl]

She's beautiful. I don't have much advice for you. One of my cats, Vlad, often has teary eyes, and he gets like this gunk on the corners. I've taken him to the vet a couple of times for it, and she's actually told me he has no medical issue. Your girls situation is likely different, but I try to keep Vlad's eyes clean. I use saline solution and just put some on a cotton ball and wipe his eyes every few days.

Maybe keeping your girls eyes clean daily will help.

[sugarcatmom]

Just in case it is herpes, something cheap you can try from the drug store or health food store is L-lysine (get the stuff in capsules). Mix 250-500mg in with some wet food twice a day for a couple weeks and see if that makes a difference.

[TacoGrl]

My Messina had goop coming out of her eyes and one that was half open...my vet gave me eye drops Gentocin (Gentamicin Sulfate) to giver her three times a day and it cleared up in approx. 3 days...hasn't come back and it's been maybe 3 weeks...

She is a sweetie btw

[growler~GateKeeper]

A holistic alternative to potentially toxic and immune suppressant medications is Homeopath Eyedrops called Oculoheel 1 drop per eye, 3 times a day for 5 days

[kungfutina]

After trying a few different veterinarians and giving up for a few years, I tried another vet clinic today. Turns out, my cat has blocked tear ducts. They put a few drops of a yellow dye in one of her eyes, turned out the lights and checked her nose to see if it drained. It did not, which led them to believe it was blocked tear ducts. I have been told by a few vets it was herpes, and it is not considering it never gets better or worse, it's always the same. It is common in cats that have flat noses like Persians since the ducts are pushed and compacted more than other cats. The vet could flush the tear ducts, however, they felt there was no point to use anaesthesia just for that. They also suggested to see a specialist in a bigger city if I wanted which will cost $2000-$4000 in an attempt to fix it. I will continue to just wipe her eyes and keep them clean. So, hopefully this will help others that have the same issues with their cat.

[hazelrunpack]

Thank you for the update, kungfutina! Would it help to flush her eyes with saline a few times a day?

She is such a beautiful girl, even with weepy eyes!