Cat Eye Problems - and What Kind of Cat is Neo?

by Haniyya
(Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

Hello. This is NEO! We rescued our boy just about two months ago now ... he's an amazing cat. We have no history for him other than he was found with a colony of strays.

He is a beautiful cat, so well tempered and he loves attention. We were told that he's approximately two years old.

Everyone who sees him comments that he looks like he could be a Siamese mix (they say his head is quite big for a Siamese). So I thought I'd try to see what other Siamese owners/breeders think.

Also ... Neo has some eye problems. They are constantly leaking (brown-red liquid most times). The vet has given him cortisone drops but it really doesn't seem to help too much.

Could he have allergies? I have to clean his eyes daily.

As you can see in his pic, all around his eyes are pink and somewhat puffy. (Clicking on each of the little images will show them full-size.)

His fur is also very thin around his eyes. Any ideas?

Reply from Caroline:

Hi Haniyya and thank you for sharing Neo's story. Neo's certainly got Siamese coloring; he looks like a Seal Point to me.

Your friends are right, his head is not the true Siamese shape - it's shorter, rounder and larger, not as pointed and triangular as a Siamese cat's, it looks more like that of a Burmese or Shorthair, which makes him totally individual and unique - and ever so cute!

On his eyes - cat eye problems can be caused by lots of different things - bacterial or viral infections, skin damage, chemicals or allergies, any of which could have occurred or been made worse when he was living as a stray.

The best thing to do is to follow your vet's advice and treatment, but be aware that if the problem is long-standing, it may take some time to clear any infection so that the skin can heal and the fur grow back properly again.

Bathing the eyes gently with warm, sterile water or saline solution before you apply any drops or cream may help, but it sounds as if you're already cleaning Neo's eyes regularly.

Good luck! He looks like a healthy cat otherwise, and I'm sure that a regular home life and good feeding and lots of love and attention will help him enormously.

Comments for Cat Eye Problems - and What Kind of Cat is Neo?

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Mar 30, 2016
 Update on NEO
by: Haniyya

Sadly Neo died of Kidney Disease a few years ago!! 😔 ... His kidneys were 15x their normal size. And I'm sorry, but I cannot remember what the vet said his eye condition was ... he was given eye drops.

He is dearly missed. ❤️ Thank you for asking about him!

Caroline says: So sorry to hear about Neo, Haniyya. So many cats seem to die of kidney disease these days. :-(
Mar 29, 2016
 Neo
by: Anonymous

I hope Neo is OK by now. I think he has pinkeye which is very painful but should be treatable. Please update!
Apr 04, 2015
 My cat Sage
by: Tangee

Hello,

My cat Sage looks like she could be his sister and she has the same eye problem. It started last year. I have tried different drops supplied by my vet. None worked long term. My vet now says she is out of ideas! As soon as the daily drops stopped her eyes became red swollen and weeping a rust color discharge that dried on the swollen eye rims and is very hard to remove. I have to hold a moist pad to clean them.

Did you ever find out what the problem was? And the cure?

Thanks, Tangee
May 08, 2014
 Neo's Eye Problem
by: R.

When my cat was very little, about six weeks old, his eyes were always weepy. It probobly didn't help that his sister was always attacking his head! We took him to the vet and found out that he had an eye infection. They gave us some medicine to mix in with his food and he was better in about a week. Hope this helps!
Sep 03, 2011
 Applehead
by: Katrin

He looks much more like an applehead Siamese to me - the old style (and I believe original!) There's certainly a lot of meezer in him :-)

Precious boy - hope you get his eye probs under control, they can be a bit of a problem area for cats. There's an eye ointment called Optimmune (at least, it's available here in the UK) which is very expensive but apparently very good - maybe you could look into that?

By the way, my more modern-style Siamese very often has a bit of discharge from - mostly his left, but sometimes also the right eye, and I remember his mother had the same, I think it's to do with the slantedness of their eyes (however, I don't think that is necessarily the case with Neo as he doesn't really have the typical wedgie-head Siamese eyes!)

Fingers crossed!
Sep 03, 2011
 Neo
by: Anonymous

If you are not sure get a second opinion, but I think it is a bad eye infection. Thanks for giving him a good home, you are a wonderful person and Neo will love you for that 10 fold.

I love Siamese all my life, they are my favourite. I have a flame point and I love her, she sleeps with me, has to have my arm around her all night and loves lots of kisses and tilts her head more more. She is was born December 2000, she is female and pretty and petite. Everyone thinks she is a kitten and loves her very much.she is a baby.

I hope I helped you - Deb. Good luck!!!!
Sep 02, 2011
 Re: beautiful Neo!
by: Jenny

Neo is beautiful. Definitely a lot of seal point Siamese in him. He very much favours my first seal point Suki.

What a lucky boy Neo is to have a lovely home. Eye problems do take a time to heal.

Love from Jenny, Abbie Siamese & Basil Ragdoll.
Sep 02, 2011
 Eye problem
by: Pam Corradini

It sounds to me as if he may have feline herpes. There is really no reliable test for this. However, the thing that works to keep it in check most of the time is L-lysine. I know this because I've had cats with the problem. My vet gave me Viralys to use, and it works. You sprinkle it over his food twice per day. A small scoop comes with the jar of Viralys. It's available online, usually much cheaper than at the vet. I get the huge size for about $50. For one cat, it lasts well over a year.

Good luck, he's a lovely boy :-)
Sep 02, 2011
 Neo's eyes
by: Lucy

I would agree with Caroline. A weeping eye could be a sign of viral infection, does he sneeze a lot? Keep his eyes clean (I would use a facecloth with very warm water), it was soothing for my little girl.

Love him up and enjoy this little boy.
Sep 02, 2011
 He's a pretty cat
by: Anonymous

I agree...probably seal point mix. Maybe mixed with a big tom cat who is a Heinz 57 variety. Whatever the case...the eye stuff could be allergy or it could be like Persians get....just a condition in his breed. Or it could be he has cat herpes which comes and goes with stress conditions. As they age it gets worse but many cats have this and it's not something too hard to deal with. Taking a product called Viralys oral powder L-Lysine HCI. It's not that expensive and some people put it in their food when they are stressed or getting sick and during illness. Some people give it to their pet all the time for immune support. Talk to the vet. It's a great product and i have used for my cat. You can buy online also.
Sep 02, 2011
 Antimicrobial
by: Susan

I would recommend a silver solution or colloidal silver to clear up his eyes. It is an all-around superb antimicrobial and worked better than antibiotics for infection but harmless otherwise. Find it at a local health store or homeopathic retailer/drug store. Good luck! He is beautiful!
Sep 02, 2011
 Beautiful boy
by: Larry

Sorry I can't help with the eye problem, I think Caroline's advice is very good though. Hope that you have success in getting the problem cleared.

Just wanted to say that Neo is indeed a beautiful boy :0)

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