Cats are playful animals. They tend to learn about things and play with them only through touch. Cat paws are cute but bear in mind that they have claws too. So, it becomes annoying when cats get scratchy, doesn’t it? As a cat owner, it is not uncommon to find things at your place with several scratch marks, including your own body.
While these things can be easily taken care of, it becomes a matter of concern when cats accidentally inflict injuries upon themselves. The injuries could be self-caused, or some allergy, or by other animals. Though some wounds heal by themselves, an injury in the eye might need immediate attention. Thus, it is better to opt for professional attention.
In this article, let us learn about this issue of your cat’s scratched eyeball and its possible solutions.
How to Make a Basic Diagnosis of Your Cat’s Scratched Eyeball?
If your cat has a scratched eyeball, you will need to examine the eye yourself to understand a few things about the injury. First, looking closely into the eye should tell you much about the damage. After this, you can take your cat to the veterinary clinic for further examination and treatment if needed.
Below are the steps which can help you do a basic examination.
Step 1: Approach your cat casually so as not to alert them. A cat with an injury is more protective of itself, and it can be difficult to get them to let you examine its injuries.
Step 2: Put your cat in an appropriate position to examine the eye properly. You can restrain its limbs if the cat protests against you.
Step 3: Look closely into the eye. However, do not touch it with your fingers, as the germs and dirt might irritate and infect your cat’s eye even more. A flashlight could be helpful if your cat is not jumpy and lets you use it on them.
Step 4: After confirming the injury, it is advisable to cover your cat’s claws with bandages so they don’t further worsen the injuries while rubbing the eye because of irritation. Putting on an Elizabethan collar could be of a lot of help too. You can try the Vivifying Store’s Cat Cone, a widely loved product by cat owners.
Step 5: Take the cat to the veterinary doctor if the injury looks serious.
What to Note in the Scratched Eyes of Your Cat?
Cats have a protective layer on their eyes called their third eyelid. It is transparent, so you cannot precisely spot it in their eyes. But when it gets injured or scratched, you will notice red inflammation and marks of scratches.
It is also possible that the scratches have caused an infection in the eye areas. In that case, you will notice that the eye is watery or has some other kind of discharge.
Be aware that the infection could be of different levels of severity, and only a veterinarian can treat it appropriately. Do not try to treat your cat with eye drops or any other medicine without consulting the doctor first.
What Can Cause a Scratched Eye in Cats?
As mentioned before, cats are playful and curious. Although it has an extra eyelid for its eye protection, it can be severely injured by big objects or forceful attacks.
Here are some objects or things that can cause your cat injury.
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Crackers and fireworks: Anything that causes fire sparks or smoke can cause damage to a cat’s eye. It includes sparks from carpenter tools too.
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Objects with sharp edges: Any object with a sharp or pointy edge can cause severe damage to your cat’s eyes. It could be any object like a notebook or a toy!
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Leaves, branches, twigs, etc.: These also come under sharp objects. To avoid injury to your cat, ensure your backyard doesn’t contain sharp objects and be careful if you are in the woods.
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A cat fight: Stray or other pet cats can quickly get into a fight with your cat. But it would be very unfortunate as it could result in several injuries to your cat.
However, cats have two types of eye injuries based on the object harming their eyeballs.
Type of Injury |
How Does It Affect Cats? |
Penetration |
It is the most common eye injury that can be found in cats related to scratches. It occurs when a foreign object enters the eye, but it doesn’t result in the puncture of the cornea. |
Perforation |
In this case, the foreign object damages the eye and makes it more severe, then passes through the cornea. |
How Do Vets Diagnose the Eye Injury in Your Cat?
After you have put your cat under the vet’s protection, the first step will be diagnosing the injury.
There are not many variations of the causes of an eye injury. If foreign objects irritate the eye, the vet can take them out, cleaning and treating the eye effectively. But if the damage is more severe, it will probably cause a cornea ulcer. It is due to the exposure of the cornea to external trauma.
It could be of two kinds: blunt trauma or laceration. The former is when the eye comes in contact with a rough surface, and the latter is the same but with a sharp object. The doctor must conduct a more detailed examination if the cornea is affected.
What Is the Treatment for a Scratched Eye in Cats?
In the case of minor scratches on the eyeball, not much will be required to be done to treat the cat’s eye. Your vet will only prescribe you some eyedrops and painkillers according to the seriousness of the injury.
If the cornea is not affected to the point of an ulcer, it is an abrasion. It can be treated in a few days with antibiotic eyedrops and ointments, which require regular application for effective treatment.
If your cat has a full-blown cornea ulcer, it will require surgical treatment. The treatment will be according to your cat’s injury and will ensure that the eye is permanently treated. In addition, it will need follow-up checkups to ensure that the eye is healing properly and no other infections have sprouted out.
Conclusion
While a scratched eyeball can be a great matter of concern in your cat, it is treatable, and the healing process does not take long. However, your cat might need extra care during the healing process as it might still wish to rub its paws in the eye. Moreover, extra care will reduce the healing time, and your cat will be scratching your things again in no time.
