If you’ve ever caught a fleck of dust in your eye or accidentally touched your eyes with an irritant on your hand, you know how agonizing it can be. You might spend all day dabbing tears away, putting in eyedrops or rinsing your eye. For some, it means taking out contacts and wearing glasses for the day. A dog can’t do these things, and it’s often surprising to pet owners that, just like you, your dog can suffer from irritating eye problems. 

Eye injuries can happen to all cats at some point. Some get injured by a rogue substance, like dirt, getting in their eye. Others may run into something that scratches the eye’s surface or goes even deeper. But in multi-cat households, eye injuries are much more common.

Cats are known for staring at their owners with wide, unblinking eyes. The amount of time we spend looking at our cat’s eyes each day might shock you, but it also makes it easier to spot problems. Eye issues, such as infections, swelling or hemorrhaging are usually pretty obvious and can be a tell-tale sign of a more serious, underlying health concern.