How Long For Cat Eye Scratch to Heal?

If your cat is suffering from an eye injury, no matter how seemingly minor, they should visit the veterinarian immediately for professional assessment and treatment. Eye injuries can rapidly worsen so it’s vital to identify them early and take proper measures against them.

Your cat may require sedation depending on the severity of their laceration for glueing or suturing purposes; additionally, an Elizabethan collar could help prevent further aggravating their injury.

Treatment

Not surprisingly, most eye injuries from cat scratches are minor and only impact the cornea (the clear window in front of each eye) and sclera (tough white covering that protects eyeball). However, severe eye injuries could damage internal layers or perforate corneal flaps – potentially endangering vision if left untreated. In such instances it’s imperative that you get your pet seen by a veterinarian immediately.

Your pet can benefit from you gently rinsing their eye with either saline solution or water, taking care not to rub their eye as this could aggravate their injury further and spread. If a cat scratches their eye badly enough, your veterinarian might use an orange stain that adheres to ulcerated areas and glows bright green under light – this allows the vet to assess how serious their eye damage really is.

Your veterinarian will assess the area that was scratched as well as examine your cat’s eye. They may perform a fluorescein exam, in which a special dye is injected into damaged parts of the cornea and glows green under light for easy analysis of how severe their injury may be.

When treating simple wounds, the veterinarian typically administers painkillers and antibiotics to reduce bacteria levels in the blood. If corneal flap has been torn, removal or suturing back together are options available; for more serious conditions like perforated eyes specialized laser procedures or eye drops may be required for effective healing.

Some telltale symptoms that your pet needs medical care right away include an eye reddening that does not subside for more than 2 days, fever of less than 102 degrees Fahrenheit, lymph node swelling near scratched area or severe pain that stops eating or playing. Eye injuries must be dealt with as soon as possible as permanent loss of sight can result.

Keep pets separated when not actively engaged in play to reduce the chance of accidents involving young cats and dogs, particularly young puppies. Also take special care when introducing new pets into a household; young puppies in particular are at increased risk due to being unable to blink during periods of fright or distress; an aggressive display from an established cat in a new home could also cause injuries unintentionally; keeping cats separate also reduces fighting between cats, helping keep everyone safer from any potential physical injuries such as eye or body fractures.

Home Care

If your cat has been scratched in the eye, keeping him calm and away from other cats to prevent further injury is essential to his recovery. He may need to be isolated for some period depending on the type and severity of injury; eyelashes or debris entering wound can cause infection; infections from corneal ulcers must be treated promptly to protect your feline friend’s wellbeing.

When your cat begins scratching his eye or holding its lid closed, take her immediately to a vet. Not only so that the symptoms can be treated effectively, but to also ensure that a corneal ulcer or herpesvirus conjunctivitis does not develop. There may be home remedies you can try in an effort to ease his discomfort; if these fail to help or worsen instead, make an appointment immediately with a veterinarian.

As soon as your cat begins rubbing his eyes, take immediate steps to stop him. Rubbing will only exacerbate any existing injury and worsen it further, so try distracting him with activities or toys to encourage him not to touch it again.

Your veterinarian may prescribe antibiotics or steroids for your cat’s eye injury, which will need to be given correctly in order for him to recover. An Elizabethan collar will prevent him from licking at his wound while also allowing medication to reach it more easily – though this will require you to hold him down at first – however it’s vital that these instructions from his veterinarian are strictly adhered to so the medicine reaches him as instructed.

Some medications prescribed to your cat may have an unpleasant flavor and lead to excessive drooling; this is not necessarily indicative of pain but instead caused by its taste. If this happens, wipe his face to eliminate the flavor from his mouth and stop him from licking at his wounds.

In some instances, particularly if a cat is suffering from more serious corneal ulcers or herpesvirus infections, surgery will be necessary in order to protect its eye. As most cats won’t accept wearing an eye patch, surgical procedure involves closing off the third eyelid over the ulcer or herpesvirus and creating a protective blanket of sorts to shield its eyes – this will be removed in a week’s time while antibiotic eye drops are given; most corneal ulcers heal within two weeks using this approach.