One of my cat's eyes appears to be swollen, and he's not opening

[DS1]

it, and isn't opening it far. Yet, I'm having a problem with my eyes constantly itching from allergies too.

Are these two things related? Do cats experience human allergic reactions?

[Pithlet]

1. My cat has allergies

and that's a common problem for him during allergy season. His eyes often get weepy and sometimes one will stick, though it doens't stay that way for long. It could be an eye injury or infection, though.

[DS1]

2. I'll check it out tomorrow, thanks

He certainly doesn't seem to be in any pain over it.

[ahem]

3. Conjunctivitis is easily spread from people to cats / from cats to people

Your cat probably has conjunctivitis, which is common for cats to get. You'll need an eye salve from the vet--it's super cheap and similar to neosporin.

Sounds like you might have it, too.

:)

[DS1]

5. Ya coulda saved me the google and just called it pinkeye

:D

Very possible, I had been noticing and wiping away large amounts of tears from his left eye recently.

[ahem]

9. Heehee. But conjunctivitis sounds so much more official :)

My cats swap it around every year or so, and inevitably I get it, too. (Probably should wash my hands after handling kitties each time, but hey, I handle them all day long!)

Anyway, the advice below about wiping the bad eye with a cloth with warm water is good advice. If it's conjunctivitis it won't make it go away, but it will make it more comfortable and less likely to get crusty (ew.)

Good luck.

[DS1]

12. He opened it again shortly after

:-)

[skygazer]

4. Is it gunky?

Wiping it gently with a warm moist cloth can help get the gunk out and allow him to open it. It also feels nice.

[DS1]

7. He's closing it voluntarily, I believe

But I'll give that a shot, or as close to a shot I can get with my jugulars still intact :D ( really wouldn't do anything that would cause him to lash out like that )

[dflprincess]

6. This happened to one of my sister-in-law's dogs

a couple months ago. One of his eyes swelled shut and the other was on it's way. A shot of Benedril (sp) took care of it. The vet thought it was most likely a reaction to a spider bite.

[tjdee]

8. Something similar happened to my cat, no swelling though

One day she acted really funny about opening her eye, like it hurt her--she kept it closed and wouldn't let me get close enough to her. Lasted for two days, I was freaking out, she was all better on the third.

:shrug: I figure something got in her eye. I have allergies too which have been bad all summer, but I don't know that cats get similar allergies. on edit: Seems they do (just read above post).

So I'd give it a day, see if it gets worse/better, and then go to the vet.

[RevCheesehead]

10. Yes, they do.

One year, Oreo kept flinging herself down on the carpet, scratching her back. She also had a lot of kitty dandruff, which is quite noticeable on a black cat.

We went to the vet, she got a shot (probably Benadryl), and she was happy as anything an hour later. :)

Excuse me - "Her Majesty" is here right now, demanding attention.

[napi21]

11. Yes kitties can get the same problems that himans get, but

I suspect that's not the problem. You need to let your vet take a look at his/her eye. Mine have gotten scratches and infections in their eyes and that shows the same sympthoms. Every time, I was given eye drops and sometimes some cream to put in the eye and it's cured in a few days.