First, how urgent is this?
Go now
- An eye suddenly clamped shut, streaming, with the cat pawing at it.
- A cloudy or white eye, or pupils of different sizes.
- A bulging eye, or clearly swollen lids.
- Open-mouth breathing, or obvious effort to breathe.
Contact your vet today
- Yellow-green discharge for several days.
- A red eye, swollen lids, or tear staining turning the fur dark around the eye.
- Sneezing or a runny nose at the same time.
- Falling vision: bumping into furniture, unwilling to jump, walking along walls.
Record and observe
- A little dark discharge in the corner on waking, clearing with a wipe, with the eye opening normally.
- A known herpes carrier with brief tearing that settles within a few days.
- Already under vet care: record the discharge colour and how the eye looks (photos), and bring the record to the next visit.
Before you set off
- The colour and amount of discharge, and whether one eye or both.
- Photos of the eye: squinting, redness, cloudiness.
- Whether the cat paws at the eye, rubs its face or avoids light.
- Other signs: sneezing, appetite, energy and drinking.
- A list of medicines and the time of the last dose.
- Do not use human eye drops or ointment, and do not rinse the eye yourself.
What your vet may ask and do
- Ask: when it started, and whether one eye or both.
- Ask: any pawing, light sensitivity or failing vision.
- Ask: contact with other cats, and vaccination history.
- Do: a fluorescein stain to check for a corneal ulcer.
- Do: measure the pressure inside the eye, to rule out glaucoma.
- Do: examine the lids, lashes and tear ducts.
- Do: refer to an ophthalmologist, or ultrasound the eye, where needed.
Where to go in Hong Kong
- Hong Kong 24-hour vet list
- 24-hour emergency, Hong Kong Island
- 24-hour emergency, Kowloon
- 24-hour emergency, New Territories
- Clinics with inpatient care
- What emergency and test fees look like
Call the clinic before you drive over, to confirm tonight's arrangements and the location.